Half-price winter skills courses

What does £25 buy these days? Your half of a cheap meal out with your partner? A Big Mac meal for the family, if you only have a couple of kids. A pair of winter cycling gloves? Four bottles of mediocre wine... And a full day's winter skills tuition in the mountains with Glentrek!

We have cut the price of our day winter skills courses by 50% and it's proving hard for people to resist. Our Glentrek winter skills courses are the perfect introduction to walking in Scotland's winter mountains.

While summer walking still requires a lot of attention to detail, including navigation and weather, when you add in a blanket of snow and below-freezing temperatures in winter, walkers need to know a wider skill set.

Many more people are enjoying the winter mountains

As walking in general grows in popularity, so more people are extending their walking activities into the colder months. But there are obvious dangers and walkers should think about joining a winter skills course, such as the ones run by Glentrek, before setting off for the snow-covered hills.

Winter skills courses with Glentrek

The £25 day course includes skills tuition by a qualified winter mountain leader, as well as all the equipment, including boots, crampons and ice axes, that you might need for a day in the Scottish winter mountains.

These courses are ideal for the walker who has some experience of summer walking but is taking their first steps into the winter mountains. You'll cover such skills as avalanche awareness, crampon use, ice axe arrest and navigation.

The winter skills days take place in the mountains near Glenshee and also offer some fantastic scenic treats. To find out more see Glentrek winter skills

The rise and rise of people walking in the UK

Two websites that offer downloadable walks in the UK are reporting a huge increase in interest. In our opinion, this confirms what we have been seeing over the last couple of years, that walking is now even more popular than ever before.

According to National Trust figures, more than 350,000 walks have been been downloaded from the charity’s website in the last 12 months. This represents a rise of almost 40% when compared to 2009 and it means that a walking route was downloaded every 90 seconds.

Meanwhile, leading Scottish walking website Walk Highlands reports a 70% rise in the number of walks downloaded over the last year, and an even bigger rise in the numbers of people coming online to share their adventures.

In particular it's the walking routes that are most suitable for families that are the most popular.
At the National Trust, a spokesperson said: "We've seen a remarkable growth in the popularity of walking in the past couple of years.

"We’re finding that more people want to get out into the great outdoors but often need to be pointed in the right direction. You don’t have to be an expert to go walking, you just need to enjoy getting outside."

At Glentrek, we're delighted to see this rise in popularity of walking and we have certainly been seeing a greater demand for our guided and self-guided walks.

We are keen for more people, especially families, to make the most of Scotland's stunning countryside by walking further and across a range of terrains. We have blogged before about the benefits of walking. These include improved physical fitness and mental well-being.

So where will you be walking with your family this spring? We would love to hear from you.

All-female navigation course: Fun and success

The best way to learn how to navigate the Scottish hills is to get out there and try. Our brilliant instructor ML Mike is a firm believer in learning as you go along and so his Glentrek navigation skills days include a walk to the summit of a hill or to a meaningful destination.

Just recently he led an all-female group on a successful Glentrek Basic Hill Walking Navigation Skills Day in Glenshee, Angus. Three of the women were self-confessed non-navigators, while one had "some vague idea that a map and compass were useful but I have never really got to grips with the art".

The group were all determined to become independent navigators (at some point in the future and perhaps after a few more lessons) and several said they were looking forward to the day when they could take themselves off to the hills "without a man in front"!

The women were not anti-men, they have simply reached the point where they would like to walk solo or as part of an all-female group and they had come to the conclusion that the only way to do this was to join a navigation session, and preferably a female-only class.

Many outdoor activity companies are reporting that female-only groups, from climbing, to walking, to navigation, to mountain biking, are becoming increasingly popular.

As one women in the Glentrek navigation course group said: "If there is a man in the group they tend to take over the navigation. Whether they are better at using a compass, or whether they think they are better, they still lead and then I just follow."

Indeed, ML Mike pointed out that women in all-female groups are more likely to ask questions and become involved in the navigation discussions than when part of a mixed group.

Certainly, the female-only atmosphere was uplifting. The navigation was achieved through friendly discussion, camaraderie and great laughs and chat.

At the start of the session, ML Mike gave a lesson in map orientation, basic compass use, how to identify aspects of the landscape and OS map detail, such as grid sizes and contours. If you're at all intrigued then why not book on to our next navigation course?

Then the women set off to summit a Munro. Stopping at frequent intervals, ML Mike revealed a range of important map skills techniques, such as route plotting, contour reading, grid references and navigating by compass and pacing from A to B. If anyone in the group was slower to get the hang of the skills then they were helped along by ML Mike.

So many times there were cries of "Oh, so that's how it works!" or "I just never knew that but now it makes perfect sense" and "Look, we made it to the right point. How brilliant!"

The day wasn't all learning and there were plenty of opportunities to take in the fantastic scenery, spot wildlife and stop for snack breaks and lunch. Reaching the summit of the Munro, Carn a Gheoidh, was really satisfying.

One of the participants said: "I feel so much more confident now. I wouldn't call myself an expert but I can see how we navigated the route and how we arrived at the summit. It's an up-lifting experience."

The final lesson was safe navigation back to the start of the walk. Despite snow flurries, mist and a darkening sky, the group successfully found their return route and still had enough time for tea, cakes and a good chat about the day at the Spittal of Glenshee Hotel.

To see some of the highlights of the day check out this fab blog video.

Glentrek visits the Glenuig Inn, north-west Scotland

Stunning views from Glenuig

For the first time in a long while I set off for a weekend that didn't include plans of hiking up a mountain. I confess it did feel a little strange to be off on a trip with Husband (a defiant non-walker).

We were lucky enough to have been gifted a stay in the eco-friendly Glenuig Inn at Lochailort, on the beautiful Sound of Arisaig, so off we went with no particular agenda and unaware of the hidden gem we were to discover.

Arriving late and in darkness, Husband and I were treated to the friendly sight of the inn with lights glowing like beacons in the apparent middle of nowhere. It was exciting and I couldn't wait to see our surroundings in daylight.

Despite the 10pm arrival, owner Steve whipped up some delicious food, dotting in and out of the kitchen while telling us enthusiastically about the inn that he has painstakingly upgraded over the last three years. The hard work and dedication has paid off and the result is a unique Scottish inn that while minimal and with unfussy decor offers truly comfortable surroundings and a great atmosphere.

There are numerous opportunities at

Glenuig for coastal walks and sea kayaking

The Glenuig Inn bar offers only Scottish beer and cider on tap, with a great choice of bottled Scottish beer, too. This brave move was tested while I was there by both Husband (a defiant lover of beer in general) and a Royal Navy group who were there on the Saturday night. Everyone enjoyed the choices on offer. I felt vaguely uneasy indulging in my usual Chardonnay (which thankfully was available) as if somehow I wasn't quite doing my bit for the country. Available juices were all natural additive-free varieties and there simply were no fizzy drinks. Bar snacks were in bulk and you helped yourself to a scoopful. How ultra-cool and very environmentally friendly!

The Glenuig Inn accommodation extends to places for 35 people, of which nine are bunkhouse beds and the remaining are various bed combinations in six separate rooms. Prices start at £25 pp B&B

The Gleniug area is ideal for Munro and

Corbett bagging... if that takes your fancy

The Glenuig area: The location is utterly outstanding with mountains galore, including lots of Munros and Corbetts. I did feel an itch to get up high in my walking boots but the lower-level coastline offered a fantastic alternative, and one that Husband and other altitude averse walkers can enjoy too.

You can walk from Glenuig to the ancient village of Smirisary... or try sea kayaking. The shoreline is renowned for excellent kayaking and sailing opportunities. For a taster kayak day try local business Rockhopper Scotland.

I can't wait to go back to Glenuig, stay in the inn and try kayaking. Steve truly deserves success and admiration for sticking to his path of eco friendliness while promoting Scottish food, drink and the great Scottish outdoors and I wish him the best of luck.

A wealth of long-distance walks in Scotland

The gorgeous and historic

long-distance walk, The Cateran Trail

Every year many thousands of walkers set out to walk one of Scotland's famous long-distance routes. From the "original" long-distance walk, The West Highland Way, to some of the "newest" long-distance routes, such as the Kintyre Way and the Cateran Trail, this stable of routes is spread across Scotland and offers a unique opportunity to walk to places you might never have thought to visit.

Many of the long-distance trails are waymarked on routes that may have been in existence for centuries. The Cateran Trail, in Angus, for example, follows many of the old drove roads and tracks once used by the Caterans, the cattle thieves that once roamed the lawless regions of the Highlands between the 15th and 17th centuries.

For walkers who are less experienced at off-the-beaten navigation, the long-distance waymarked trails are the ideal solution for a walk that provides a mix of challenges and the rewards of "ticking off" a hike. Many routes take days to walk and this only adds to the adventure of a walking holiday.

Knowing the approximate distance and the challenge that is laid out for you day after day is comforting for walkers who are not so fit or are less experienced.

Many long-distance walks also boast numerous places to stay overnight and eat/drink en route. Our favourite route, the Cateran Trail, offers numerous hotels, bunk houses and hostels along the way, many located in a convenient place after a day of walking.

Why not take advantage of services such as luggage transfer, as offered by Glentrek, which will make the walking even more pleasurable? There is little point in carrying a heavy rucksack when for a little extra cost you can have it delivered to your next overnight accommodation.

And just because the routes are waymarked it doesn't mean they do not offer a wealth of scenic treats. These routes are laid out to guide walkers through some of Scotland's most stunning landscapes.

Now that winter is coming, many of the waymarked routes across Scotland will be ideal for walkers who are not so keen to go high-level but still want to get out and about in Scotland's great outdoors. Go on, why not choose a long-distance walk in Scotland and take steps to explore this great country?

Get outdoors and be active!

Canoeing and kayaking are great outdoor

activities for children and adults

Get Active is a message we're hearing more and more. With rising obesity rates, especially among UK children, and greater concerns about the affects of inactivity on health, everywhere we look the experts are telling us to get off the couch and exercise.

The problem is that many people think that exercise = boring and repetitive workouts. But it really doesn't have to be this way.

Scotland's great outdoors offers a fantastic keep-fit playground. Simply being out of doors and active is guaranteed to burn calories and improve your mental well-being. Walking and cycling provide a great way to see the countryside, take in the views and get in shape. Many more people, especially families, are switching on to the benefits of these highly-accessible and relatively cheap activities.

Gorge walking and canyoning are becoming

increasingly popular in Scotland

There are numerous family-friendly cycle and walk routes criss-crossing Scotland and thanks to a number of outdoors companies, such as us (!) Glentrek, people can discover a wealth of new places to go walk or cycle.

But there are also a host of other activities that will get you fit and have you grinning, too. Multi-activity days and holidays are becoming increasingly popular in Scotland. Afterall this country is voted as Europe's number one outdoors capital. In Angus, holidaymakers could combine a few hours of cycling or walking with a morning or afternoon of other great outdoors activities, such as canoeing, sea kayaking, canyoning, high ropes, gorge walking, climbing and coasteering.

These activities are for a range of abilities, from novice to experienced, and for all ages and fitness levels. Until you try you'll never know how much you'll enjoy being active! Just ask us at Glentrek for further info (we can help you to sign up to many of these activities) or check out Outdoor Angus.

A wealth of off-road cycling in the Angus Glens

Scotland is renowned as a superb mountain biking destination. There are numerous mountain biking centres spread across the country offering a wealth of cycling routes for all abilities. Many of Scotland's off-road trails are also suited to cyclists – and with an eye on the map it's possible to enjoy some amazing get-away-from-it all mountain biking adventures.

In the Angus Glens a network of bike-friendly trails head through atmospheric glens and because the routes are often undulating there are many possibilities for cyclists of all fitness levels. In this region, you'll find easy-going forest tracks, wilder cross-country trails and everything in between.

But if you're new to the area it's not always easy to know where to start. The Angus Glens is surprisingly "uncharted" for mountain bikers despite offering many, many miles of great riding opportunities. If you're looking for a few ideas then why not join Glentrek on one of our guided cycling weekends? Because our biking leaders know the area so well, you'll be able to relax, keep the wheels turning and enjoy the scenery as it rolls on by.

Or make the most of your time with one of our self-guided biking holidays. Our cycling trips can be created to suit your ability and we'll tell you about all the attractions that you might like to see along the way. We can also arrange accommodation en route to suit your budget – and if you want to lighten the load why not let us transport your luggage between hotels or B&Bs? With a self-guided trip you'll enjoy the advantages of enjoying a great, well-planned route but you can decide on the speed and distance that you travel each day.

Cycling is a great way to cover the miles in the Angus Glens – and offers the opportunity for remote-feeling riding but without ever being too far from civilisation. Oh, and if you're looking for something more challenging, we can arrange that, too. You just have to ask!

Go long-distance walking

It started with the West Highland Way some 25 years ago - and now Scotland boasts a wealth of fabulous long-distance, waymarked walking trails. From the Southern Upland Way in the Scottish Borders to the Great Glen Way in the Highlands and from the Kintyre Way across to the Fife Coastal Path, walkers will find a long-distance walking route to suit their destination, as well as their scenic and terrain desires.

Waymarked walks offer walkers of all abilities the chance to safely navigate their way for days at a time through some of Scotland's most atmospheric scenery. (Good map reading skills are still essential in case you miss a waymarker.) It could be that walkers choose to tackle the whole route during one holiday, or they might decide to visit the walk for a day or a weekend at a time.

In the Angus and Perthshire areas there are several great long-distance walking trails, including the Cateran Trail. The circular, waymarked Cateran Trail is 64 miles long and starts/finishes in Blairgowrie, Angus. This trail offers walkers the chance to explore an unspoilt part of the Scottish Highlands and heads though atmospheric glens, farmland, forests and stunning mountainscapes.

The Cateran Trail takes its inspiration from the Caterans, the cattle thieves that roamed the lawless regions of the Highlands between the 15th and 17th centuries. The long-distance walking route makes use of many of the old drove roads and tracks once utilised by the Caterans. Today, signposts, stiles and bridges marked with the Cateran Trail logo, as well as direction arrows, allow for easy route identification for walkers. Glentrek have a five day self-guided walking break on the Cateran Trail.

You could choose to do the walk over less or more days and the type and style of accommodation can be booked to suit your budget or requirements. However you decide to walk this waymarked walk we reckon you'll find yourself hooked and keen to tick off a few more of Scotland's great long-distance walking routes.

Angus Glens is a great place to bag Munros

There are some 14 Munros in the Angus Glens area – and this region has an even closer affinity with Sir Hugh Munro (the chap who first tabulated the lst of the now 283 Scottish mountains with a summit of more than 3000t) as his family estate is situated just outside the Angus town of Kirriemuir.

Of these 14 Munros in the Angus Glens, several, including the wonderfully easy-going mountain Mayar, are widely acclaimed as the most straightforward and leisurely of the lot. But this is not to say they are anything less than gorgeous. Walking Munros – and Corbetts – in this region offers fantastically scenic eye-candy as well as a chance to see some of Scotland's most amazing wildlife.

Hiking Mayar, for example, you will head from the stunning Glen Clova and through the Scottish Natural heritage site of Corrie Fee, a place renowned for its rare and beautiful plantlife. The reserve forms a botanical paradise and attracts nature-lovers keen to see the many arctic-alpine plants that grow on the cliffs and wetlands in the corrie.

Britain’s only population of purple coltsfoot and the rare yellow oxytropis have been found here, as well as more common sightings mountain plants such as purple saxifrage, roseroot and globeflower and lowland species including red campion and wild angelica.

So, the Angus Glens does offer the ideal place for a spot of Munro bagging, especially if you're just starting out and planning to bag a full "round" of the 283. Now, too, you can keep a record of your Munro "bags" thanks to the shiny new website Bagging Scotland Just about to launch, the innovative site provides a platform for baggers to write about their, well, "bags". As well as bagging Munros, you might want to think about bagging Scottish islands, castles, and whisky distilleries. That's the website's suggestions so far but no doubt there will be more categories listed in future. It's kind of like a diary or travel-logue of Munros bagged, islands bagged, distilleries bagged and castles bagged, Of course, the Angus Glens boasts a fair few castles and distilleries, as well as our wonderful Munros.

And if you're looking for some guidance on the Munros, or perhaps walking/mountain biking between castles and distilleries then Glentrek can help

Go on, you know you're "gagging tae go bagging"!

Learn the skills for winter walking

So the hills are still covered in snow and ice - but your feet are itching to get back into their walking boots. While many walkers will wait for the fairer weather of spring before tying their boot laces again a growing number are discovering the delights of getting out in the hills in winter.

Word has it that this year in particular there has been a huge demand for winter mountain skills courses. Indeed, places on this Saturday's Glentrek Winter Skills Course were filled so quickly that we're thinking of running more.

The Winter Skills Day is being instructed by Highway 2 , a local adventure and outdoors instruction company.

And even the list of supplied kit – including ice axe and crampons – has us excited and keen to get out on the hills in the snow.

Obviously, walking in winter is a potentially more dangerous activity than heading out in the spring or summer so there are a range of skills to be addressed on the Winter Skills Day. Highway 2 will be showing Glentrek participants (all women except one brave husband!) how to:
* Move on winter ground using the boot as a tool
* How to use an ice axe
* How to cut steps in ice and snow
* The skills of ice axe arrest
* Crampon techniques without an axe
* Crampon techniques with an axe, including front pointing
* Navigation
* Avalanche awareness.

While the skills day will be hugely informative it will also be tons of fun. And it offers an ideal opportunity to get out in the hills and see some of the fantastic scenery that our Scottish winter has to offer. Find out next week how the day went.

Girls are doing it for themselves

It used to be that you would always see women out on the hills trailing their man. Or else they would be a group of male and female walkers with the tiny minority being made up of the fairer sex. But in recent years there's been something of a boomtime in female hikers.

Groups of walkers are now more likely to be evenly split in the male:female ratio, and I frequently see girl-only groups enjoying some of their own time and space in the Angus Glens.

There has been a significant rise in the numbers of enquiries from women looking for female-only guided walks, or else from all-female groups planning to head off for a self-led walk organised by ourselves.

In fact Glentrek is planning a range of women-only walks this year, including a winter walking skills course and a Lairig Ghru guided walk on May 1.

Other adventure holiday and guided walking companies in Scotland have been reporting a similar trend. Among other benefits it seems that women like the less competitive atmosphere, camaraderie, social aspect, chat and generally more relaxed feel of a female-only walk or adventure activity. Indeed, one of the most popular activities for women-only groups is learning about navigation. (How many times, ladies, have you had to give over the map and navigation to a bloke on the hills?!)

It's not that us girls don't like the guys (on many occasions it's great to be in mixed company), it's just that sometimes it's rather nice to get away from some of the bravado and full-speed-ahead-ness of some male groups for a little more contemplation, relaxation and (well, we are renowned for it!) quality chat.

If a few female-only walks and courses also encourage more novice adventure women out into Scotland's great outdoors then all the better. So, let's hear it for the girls doing outdoors adventures for themselves!

Your (new) boots were made for walking

Recent reports reveal that there has been a dramatic rise in the sale of walking boots in the UK during the recent cold snap. And with many snowed in, it has been e-commerce sales that have seen the biggest climb. During the festive period, and in particular since January 4, the growth in sales of all kinds of walking and hiking boots has been impressive according to many high street and on-line outlets.

Other statistics across the outdoors clothing industry have also been showing a boost in the sales of boots, jackets and all kinds of walking kit since Britain slid into its current economic gloom. The theory is that with less disposable income people are looking for leisure activities that have a minimal initial outlay and offer plenty of scope for free/low-cost exercise and fun.

Here at Glentrek we're really excited by the news. Okay, so we know that some people have been having a difficult time due to the snow and ice over the last month or so. And we are not so callous as to be rejoicing in the general lack of cash in people's pockets. But we are delighted by the idea that more people might use their boots and outdoor clothing to get out and about in the countryside. (Of course, we also realise that some of the sales increase will have come from people buying boots to walk the streets around their homes!)

But we reckon it only takes one walk in the countryside to convince most people of the wonders of our great outdoors. Whether you decide on a riverside stroll, a ramble in the hills or a climb to the top of a Corbett or a Munro, you're pretty much guaranteed to benefit both emotionally and physically. Walking is an ideal activity for everyone and it's also amazingly accessible.

So come on, pull on your boots, tie the laces and take a walk that's a little more on the wild side than your local shops.