What more could you want really?!

Friday saw music with style up at 2150ft on Aonach Mor with the chance to hear the Jim Hunter Band. This was one not to be missed - the high octane acoustic guitar got the restaurant cheering (and howling) for more! With midsummer day on Saturday the gondola ride back down in the dusk was an experience in itself, and would have only been improved with some clear skies!
There is music monthly "Up the Mountain" and there's information on www.nevisrange.co.uk.

posted by ocuk @ 2:46 PM  0 comments

Meanwhile while those brave cyclists were racing their way round the forest, the Area Conservation Team and OCUK drummed up a small and committed group of volunteers for a roadside litter pick. The North Road from Carrs Corner to the BA works was picked clean, with a total of twelve bulging bags of litter.

Anyone arriving in the Outdoor Capital from the north will now have a better first impression of the town. With planned cuts in litter picking from TECS Services to save money in the Council we need to stress the importance of keeping the area clean and taking responsibility for our own patch.

To find out more about volunteering in Lochaber and helping our local community have a look at http://www.volunteeringhighland.org/in-Lochaber-g.asp.

posted by ocuk @ 1:10 PM  0 comments

A highly successful weekend for 10 Under the Ben with over 800 riders competing - the top team managed a spectacular 13 laps of the 10 mile circuit in 10 hours - pretty impressive given the conditions and course! The day started a wee bit dreich but cleared up to give glimpses of the Nevis Range of mountains towering above. A successful day for the local ladies with both the ladies pairs and trios won by local lassies - well done!
View the pictures and full results at www.10undertheben.com

posted by ocuk @ 1:05 PM  0 comments

They've had over 800 entries and the event is looking bigger and better than ever - No Fuss have pulled all the stops out to make the 2nd 10 Under the Ben event as memorable as the first (they've even built some new singletrack especially for all those lucky riders!). This Saturday (17th June) will see the return of one of the biggest mass participation mountain biking events in the country, and there is going to be great riding and some sore bums...

Photo courtesy of Andy McAndlish

posted by ocuk @ 1:31 PM  0 comments

(photo courtesy of www.westcoast-mountainguides.co.uk
Team Aberdeen Asset Management have won the 2006 Wilderness ARC, retaining their British Championship title from last year. Clocking up a mere 5 and a half hours sleep over four days the team covered the wild Lochaber terrain by foot, bike, canoe and the course included a testing loch swim in Loch Leven. The team will now go on to the World Championships in Sweden later this year.
Find out more about the exciting sport of adventure racing and the Wilderness ARC at www.wildernessarc.com

posted by ocuk @ 3:41 PM  0 comments

The Fort William and the Lochaber area saw an action packed weekend...

Sail Caledonia (a race up the Caledonian Canal for small boats) kicked off in fine style, with a regatta in Loch Linnhe, and then a procession through Neptunes staircase. See http://www.sailcaledonia.org.uk/ . (photo - c Kathy Mansfield)


The Mountain Bike World Cup delivered great riding despite some world class rain on Saturday. The cross country riders got the muddiest, with the 4 cross also taking part in pouring rain but no-one let that dampen spirits. Sunday was considerably drier with the down-hill races taking place in sunshine. The crowd were awesome and many of the top riders mentioned in the press that they loved the Fort William course and the crowds. If you haven't experienced the roar as a rider nears the finish with a good time you have just got to get up here...
http://www.fortwilliamworldcup.co.uk/

Meanwhile in Fort William in Saturday bank holiday visitors enjoyed Party in the Fort with bucking broncos, sumo wrestling, hairy coos etc. The evening ended with a great performance from the Peatbog Faeries which kept everyone dancing until midnight.

For even more extreme action you can't beat the Wilderness ARC expedition adventure race: kicking off with a prologue event in Fort William on Saturday night the real race started on Monday morning. Open swims, canyoning, abseiling, trekking and a 70km+ off road bike ride to mention some of the challenges: this event is not for the feint hearted. As I write Aberdeen Asset Management are in the lead but log on to http://www.sleepmonsters.com/ or http://www.wildernessarc.com/ to find out the latest. (photo Andy MaCandlish/Wilderness Arc)

posted by ocuk @ 10:54 AM  0 comments