Kinlochleven view

With temperatures hardly above freezing and clear sunny skies, it's been cracking week here in the Outdoor Capital.

On Sunday I took a few hours out to walk up to Loch Eilde Mor. The walk isn't signed but is easy to find using the 1-25,000 Ordnance Survey Map of the area. Park at the Grey Mares tail car park at the back of Kinlochleven and follow tracks up the hill. Very quickly you get a real sense of remoteness but you are on a path all the way. It is steep and rocky in places. The views are great both down to Kinlochleven and then through to the Mamores.

The weather got colder during the week, with heavy frosts turning the area into a winter wonderland. I couldn't resist taking a quick view of the sunrise on my way into work this week.

If you aren't confident of getting out into the hills in winter - get some winter skills with some of the areas guides. With much of the boggy ground frozen winter walking when it is clear and crisp can be fantastic.

With the weather so cold some of the roads have been icy. So don't forget to check driving conditions before setting out if you are coming up for the New Year or Christmas. Go to the trafficscotland website.

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Top UK slackliner John Ritson launched the 2008 Fort William Mountain Festival progreamme in style by slackliner across the roaring Water of Nevis at the Lower Falls, Glen Nevis today, Dec 4th 2007. Slacklining is similiar to tightrope walking but the rope is dynamic or slack, not taut. This makes balancing much harder but because there is bounce in the rope means all kinds of hair raising tricks can be done. Watch the video to get some idea of who skilful it really is. It was a pretty driech December day up here too - pretty windy and rainy but this didn't put John off.

The 2008 Festival looks to be as dramatic as John's tricks today - with a great line up of lectures, workshops and exhibitions taking place from the 15-23 Feb 2008. Top climber Dave MacLeod will be leading the final evening on the 23 Feb 08: an evening debating the ethics of mountaineering on Everest. He will be joined by Kenton Cool (who has summited Everest more than anyone else in the UK) , and Matt Dickinson a mountaineer and filmaker who was on Everest during the fateful 1996 season. For more info on the festival go to http://www.mountainfestival.co.uk/ or to the Outdoor Capital website news sections

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