Spring 2013 taster

BIG COUNTRY

How mountain biking put Scotland on the world map

On the pull with Scotland’s coastal rowers

THE ROAD TO THE ISLES

Explore by kayak, boat, train and more …

THE TROUBLE WITH SEABIRDS

International study examines a worrying decline

PLUS: Top five Scottish trail runs • How mountains are ‘heighted’ • Tales from a wildlife filmmaker

www.scotoutdoors.com

Spring 2013 £3.80

STICKING THEIR OAR IN

! s t s e r o F g n i Your Surpris ngantach!

B hu r Coil lt ea n Io

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A word from the editor

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Orkney p58

Inchnadamph p16

his issue opens with both a welcome and a goodbye.

Not to mention a thank you. After five years and 19 editions of this magazine, I am taking a break and leaving Scotland Outdoors in the extremely capable hands of new owners.

Launched in summer 2008 – just in time for the recession!

– the magazine has come a long way since its first edition; built around a passion for exploring Scotland’s outstanding natural riches, and a desire to showcase them to others, our small team has sought to create a magazine that inspires, entertains and informs in equal measure.

That will continue under the guiding hand of new owners, who are not really new at all; Edinburgh-based, the team at CMYK Design has been with us from the beginning and are as much a part of the magazine as our writers and photographers. Experienced publishers as well as accomplished designers, they know this magazine inside and out, and are the perfect people to take it forward.

Scotland Outdoors is in very safe hands.

All that leaves me to say is thank you – to our readers, advertisers, distribution partners, contributors and all who have championed the magazine, particularly in the early days. A special note of thanks goes to my colleague and, often, guiding light, Ida Maspero, whose personal and professional support, and sheer instinct for magazines, has helped me stay the course.

I hope you enjoy our latest issue; it’s one that I’m particularly proud to bow out on.

Richard Rowe Editor, Scotland Outdoors

Outer Hebrides p28 Spey Bay p36

For J. Always.

Boreraig p16

WINNER Best small publishing company magazine PPA Scotland Awards 2009, 2010 p45

Glen Doll p16

EXPLORE ROAD TO THE ISLES

Scotland Outdoors online You can find our website at www.scotoutdoors.com Cambo Estate p24

Look out for special online features and sign up for our e-newsletter to receive regular updates

Inner Hebrides p28 Isle of Seil p38 Ardcastle p16

Join us on Facebook and tell your friends! www.tinyurl.com/somagfb Yarrowford p16

You can also follow us on twitter www.twitter.com/scotoutdoors

PHOTOGRAPHY: COVER: ENJOYING THE TRAILS IN FISHERFIELD, NORTHWEST HIGHLANDS, ON A COAST TO COAST JOURNEY. PHOTOGRAPH: ANDY MCCANDLISH/WWW.ANDYMCCANDLISH.COM ABOVE LEFT: RIDERS AT THE MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CUP, FORT WILLIAM, WWW.FORTWILLIAMWORLDCUP.CO.UK

www.scotoutdoors.com

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CONTENTS

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Contributors

John Aitchison

Fiona Russell

Fresh from filming a groundbreaking new series on the Hebrides for the BBC (to be aired in May), BAFTA- and Emmywinning wildlife filmmaker John Aitchison talks about his love of wild places and why his home patch in Argyll is every bit as special as more exotic locations.

Outdoor passions, page 28

Outdoor writer and blogger Fiona Russell thoroughly enjoyed her trip to the Isle of Seil near Oban to learn about the Scottish Coastal Rowing project – and how the local community is building its own traditional skiff to race in the growing number of regattas held around the Scottish coast. All at sea, page 38

CONTENTS PHOTOGRAPHY: STEVEN MCKENNA; ULLAPOOL COASTAL ROWING CLUB; ANDY HAY/RSPB; DOUGLAS WILCOX; JIMMY PRENDERLEITH; VICKI FELGATE; SUSIE ALLISON; CAMBO ESTATE; THE MUNRO SOCIETY; MARAMEDIA/OTTER FILMS; ANDY MCCANDLISH

Douglas Wilcox

Ellie Owen

Rarely found too far from his sea kayak for any length of time, Douglas Wilcox has an encyclopaedic knowledge of paddling around the Scottish coast.

However, he has a particular love for the clear waters and magical seascapes around Arisaig on the Road to the Isles. It’s easy to see why. Casting a spell, page 45

RSPB research scientist Dr Ellie Owen has worked with seabirds around the world for ten years, but has been hooked on them for much longer. As Ellie explains here, she now heads a team studying the foraging secrets of vulnerable seabird species as part of a pioneering European project.

FAME and fortunes, page 58

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58 The Scotland Outdoors team Editor: Richard Rowe t 01721 588140 e richard@scotoutdoors.com Associate Editor: Ida Maspero t 0131 4676121 e ida@scotoutdoors.com Editorial Assistant: Hilary Little t 01721 588140 e hilary@scotoutdoors.com Copy Editor: Ruth Noble Editorial Board: Nick Williams, Chris Surgenor, Charlotte Manwaring, Andy Ross Advertising sales: Alison Fraser t 0141 946 8708 e alison@scotoutdoors.com Design & Production: CMYK Design e production@scotoutdoors.com w cmyk-design.co.uk

Scotland Outdoors is published quarterly. It is available by subscription and through in-room copies at high-quality accommodation providers; farm shops and galleries; ferries and airline lounges; leading wildlife and adventure travel companies; activity and visitor centres; outdoor retailers and other specialist suppliers. For a full list of stockists see: www.scotoutdoors.com ISSN 1757-224X All contents © Big Bend Publishing (2013) This magazine is printed on Claro Silk, which is FSC-certified and produced using ECF pulp.

Subscriptions: Hilary Little t 01721 588140 e subscriptions@scotoutdoors.com Printing: J Thomson Colour Printers Published by: Big Bend Publishing Port Brae House, Port Brae, Peebles, EH45 8SW, Scotland

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Scotland Outdoors Spring 2013

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FEATURES SPOTLIGHT The wheel deal

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With its acclaimed trail centres and vast network of natural trails, Scotland has become a major player on the world mountain biking stage.

Richard Rowe asks what’s next for the development of a sport that has seen extraordinary growth over the past decade

ADVENTURE All at sea

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Fiona Russell looks at an inspiring project that has seen coastal communities collaborate to raise funds, build and race traditional skiffs in regattas around the Scottish coast

EXPLORE ROAD TO THE ISLES

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Casting a spell

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Road tripping

The waters off Arisaig are a magnet for sea kayakers, with Douglas Wilcox just one of many paddlers to have lost his heart to this magical area

WILDLIFE & ECOLOGY FAME and fortunes

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With our seabird populations facing seriously declining fortunes, a pioneering international study hopes to reveal Atlantic seabirds’ foraging secrets by using GPS technology. Ellie Owen, RSPB Scotland conservation scientist, explains

Steeped in history and romance, and famed for its spectacular scenery, the route west from Fort William to Mallaig offers some true wilderness to be explored

Visit our website for additional online features submitted by readers www.scotoutdoors.com

REGULARS

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Reader adventures Reader photographs of wild getaways

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Competition Win a guided mountain biking experience – plus extras!

Big picture Spey Bay, Moray Firth

Reader survey Tell us what you think of the magazine – and enter our competition to win a fantastic holiday in Glencoe!

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News Outdoor news from around Scotland

Subscribe Order a personal or gift subscription today!

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Top Five ...

Trail runs

From easy routes close to urban centres to epic backcountry journeys, Scotland has trail runs to suit every taste

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Events Get active with our round-up of outdoorsy events

Board and lodging

Cambo Estate, Fife

Decadent yet homely, Cambo House offers a stately – and botanically-rich – sanctuary on the Fife coast, discovers Richard Rowe

Day in the life Ever wondered how the heights of mountains are determined? David Batty lifts the lid on the ‘heighting’ work of The Munro Society

Outdoor passions Argyll-based wildlife filmmaker John Aitchison may have filmed around the world – collecting two BAFTAs and an Emmy in the process – but remains in awe of the wild beauty on his doorstep

Innovations A glance at some of the most innovative new outdoor products

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Reading Our pick of some of the very best new outdoor titles

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READER • ADVENTURES

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CHECK OUT OUR SELECTION OF THE BEST READER PICTURES SUBMITTED IN RECENT MONTHS

Who done it?

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Torridon by microlight, Jimmy Prenderleith En route to Tunskeen bothy, Galloway, Bobby Owens Ardfern Marina, Argyll, Susan Rowe Readying the BBQ, Kinshaldy Beach, Fife, Fiona Leslie Doggy paddle, Rothesay, John Fraser A Buddhist monk posing at the Falls of Dochart, Killin, Frank Wenzel PLEASE KEEP THE PICTURES COMING:

Show us what you get up to and we will publish the best pictures in our next issue. Just tell us where you are and what you are doing.

Email your high-resolution images to: richard@scotoutdoors.com Alternatively, you can share them on our Facebook page: www.tinyurl.com/somagfb

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Scotland Outdoors Spring 2013

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