Recipe

LOVING LEMON VALENTINES

Lemon is an ancient symbol of love so try these to impress the one you love.

• The rind of 3 lemons

• Tin condensed milk

• 200g digestive biscuits • 200g desiccated coconut • 250g salted butter • Icing sugar - quite a lot! • Lemon juice from 2 lemons

• METHOD •

Whizz up or fi nely crush digestives – I put them in a bag then roll with rolling pin to crush them. Put in a large bowl with condensed milk and desiccated coconut, mix together then add melted butter. Mix well then grease a rectangular baking tin, put in mixture spread smooth to a level. Chill in fridge for an hour till fi rm to touch. In a separate bowl grate 3 lemon rinds and add juice of 1 lemon to start with and about 5 heaped tbl spoons icing sugar. Keep adding icing sugar and little bits of lemon juice till a fi rm but spreadable mixture of lemon icing Spread icing over the chilled base and leave in fridge overnight.

FORT WILLIAM MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL

The organisers of the Fort William Mountain Festival are thrilled to announce the line-up for 2023. Between the 16th-19th February 2023 you are invited to join us in Fort William, the Outdoor Capital of the UK, for a jam-packed programme of guided outdoor activities, inspirational speakers, thought-provoking fi lms and an interactive, adventure-themed exhibition. It’s a privilege for us to organise such a diverse programme, bringing together everyday adventurers, elite athletes, mountain professionals and local residents on the same stage. Visitors will be able to choose from inspiring speakers and internationally renowned fi lms at one of three Festival venues across Fort William. On the Climbing Night, Patagonia will feature the world-class athlete Robbie Phillips. Scottish Mountaineering Press will be hosting a Winter Climbing Forum alongside speakers from biking, snow-sports and paddle-sports, as well as the Banff Centre Mountain Festival World Tour. Sunday afternoon will be a very special Family Film event featuring local families which will be free to attend thanks to sponsorship from Stramash Outdoor Nursery

During the day visitors will be able to participate in a varied programme of Fringe Events, under the guidance of local experts.

Especially for 2023 we have a new short fi lm competition; The Golden Axe Award. This has been established in memory of Rob Brown a truly valued member of the festival committee and avid fi lm maker. In 2022 we sadly lost him to the mountains and his great character will be very much missed.

The Fort William Mountain Festival is made possible thanks to the support of our sponsors: Outdoor Capital of the UK, Ellis Brigham, Fatmap, Patagonia, Nevis Landscape Partnership, Jahama Highland Estates, John Muir Trust, UHI West Highland College, SunGod, Gin Bothy, GeoRope, Stramash and many more friends and supporters.

SPONSORS MEDIA PARTNERS

Geotechnical & Rope Access Solutions

FORT WILLIAM MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL ‘23 16 - 19 FEB

19 years of celebrating inspirational and diverse world-wide adventures brought to you from the Outdoor Capital of the UK (OCUK).

DETAILS ON OUR WEBSITE www.mountainfestival.co.uk

FRIENDS & SUPPORTERS

Me on My wall creative canvas art

#FWMF2023

Tips for taking to the hills with your best friend

“Wee Man” and his “Little Lady” had a pup join the family in November. “Rascal” is her pseudonym. They have been trying to teach her how to be a good dog. The period up to 16 weeks old is a very important socialisation time. This includes meeting new people, interacting with other dogs, staying home alone, going in the car, hearing loud noises etc. Rascal hopes to go on adventures like her buddies so has been learning these skills too. Firstly we spent time on basic training, especially around inducing calmness. We made sure we built new experiences gradually. One of the key things is that puppies shouldn’t exercise too hard. A handy rule is to give five minutes of exercise per month of life and at their own pace. It depends on the breed as to when they will become skeletally mature, at which point exercise can significantly increase. Here is how we gradually got Rascal ready for her first wild camping trip: Rascal learned early how to be carried in a specially designed doggy rucksack meaning she could safely be carried places that would otherwise be too far. The rucksack was nothing to be scared of and there was kibble as a reward for getting inside! Then she started riding in the rucksack on the back of a bicycle to much excitement! She learned that the wheels were nothing to be scared of or something to attack. Before Christmas we packed the bike, and with Rascal in the rucksack, headed to a bothy to practise an overnight stay. Last week she practised a short train ride. Both experiences had gone well, so yesterday we were ready for a camping adventure. We took the train to Corrour to camp by Loch Ossian. Rascal slept the whole way on the train. She played in the snow and tired herself out before sleeping in the tent. She didn’t chew up any camping equipment and was warm snuggled up next to Little Lady with their own sleeping bag! The next day she rode on my back through Strath Ossian. She had times in the bag and times out for short jogs so that she didn’t get uncomfortable. The Wee Man and Little Lady think that Rascal is coming on nicely in her adventure training. Don’t worry if your pup isn’t ready for wild camping yet. Let them go at their own pace, making sure they are relaxed and happy. They’ll be able to use all the other socialisation skills they are learning now when they are ready to start something more ambitious later!