Basics - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 39

STAYING SAFE IN THE HILLS
Due to rapid weather changes, the mountains are potentially extremely dangerous and
should be treated with respect. Every year, in every season, climbers and walkers lose their
lives in the Scottish hills.
• Wear sturdy, ankle-supporting footwear and wear or carry with you warm, brightly coloured
and waterproof layered clothing, even for what appears to be an easy expedition in
apparently settled weather.
• Always carry adequate maps , a compass (which you should know how to use), food, water
and a whistle. If it's sunny, make sure you use sun protection .
• Check the weather forecast before you go. If the weather looks as if it's closing in, get down
from the mountain fast.
• Always leave word with someone of your route and what time you expect to return, and
remember to contact the person again to let them know that you are back.
• In an emergency, call mountain rescue on T 999.

Forestry Commission T 0845 367 3787, W forestry.gov.uk
/mtbscotland. The best source of information on Scotland's extensive
network of forest trails - ideal for mountain biking at all levels of ability.
Full On Adventure T 01479 420123, W fullonadventure.co.uk.
Among its many offerings, provides fully guided mountain-bike tours of
Highland trails.
Highland Wildcat Trails W highlandwildcat.com. Scotland's most
northerly dedicated mountain-bike centre, complete with one of the
country's longest downhill tracks.
Nevis Range W ridefortwilliam.co.uk. For information on all the
trails around Fort William, including the home of Scotland's World Cup
downhill and cross-country tracks at Nevis Range.
North Sea Cycle Route W www.northsea-cycle.com. Signposted
3725-mile (6000km) route round seven countries fringing the North Sea,
including 772 miles (1242km) in Scotland along the east coast, and in
Orkney and Shetland.
Spokes T 01313 132114, W spokes.org.uk. Active Edinburgh cycle
campaign group with plenty of good links, and news on events and
cycle-friendly developments.
WolfTrax Mountain Bike Centre T 01528 544786, W www
.forestry.gov.uk/wolftrax. This Central Highland bike centre near
Newtonmore has almost 22 miles of routes for every standard of rider.

require that you are a member of another club, and
the odd one asks for introductions from a member,
but these rules are often waived for overseas visitors
and all you need to do is pay a one-off fee. The cost
of a round will set you back around £15 on a small
nine-hole course, and more than £50 on many
good-quality eighteen-hole courses. In remote
areas the courses are sometimes unstaffed; just put
the admission fee into the honesty box.
Scotland's championship courses, which often host
the British Open, are renowned for their immaculately
kept greens and challenging holes and, though
they're favoured by serious players, anybody with a
valid handicap certificate can enjoy them. The most
famous course in the Highland region is at Royal
Dornoch in Sutherland ( W royaldornoch.com; £100).
Otherwise, see W scotlands-golf-courses.com.

Fishing
Scotland's serrated coastline - with the deep sea
lochs of the west, the firths of the east and the
myriad offshore islands - ranks among the cleanest
coasts in Europe. Combine this with an abundance
of salmon, sea trout, brown trout and pike, acres
of open space and easy access, and you have a
wonderful location for game-, coarse- or sea-fishing.
No licence is needed to fish in Scotland, although
nearly all land is privately owned and its fishing
therefore controlled by a landlord/lady or his/her
agent. Permission, however, is usually easy to
obtain: permits can be bought at local tackle shops,
rural post o ces or through fishing clubs in the
area - if in doubt, ask at the nearest tourist o ce.
Salmon and sea trout have strict seasons , which
usually stretch from late August to late February.
Individual tourist o ces will know the precise

Golf

There are over four hundred golf courses in Scotland,
where the game is less elitist and more accessible
than anywhere else in the world. Golf took shape
in the fifteenth century on the dunes of Scotland's
east coast, and today you'll find some of the oldest
courses in the world on these early coastal sites,
known as “links”. It's often possible just to turn up and
play, though it's sensible to phone ahead; booking is
essential for the championship courses.
Public courses are owned by the local council,
while private courses belong to a club. You can
play on both - occasionally the private courses