Adventure Scotland - News

Tiree Wave Classic

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:53:03 GMT

Set up in 1986 and sanctioned to World Cup level in 2007, the competition showcases Scotland as a world-class events destination and helps boost tourism throughout the area. Tiree’s rugged coastline, superb waves and hefty prize fund provide the riskiest and most adventurous challenge yet for windsurfing’s elite competitors.

The world’s best windsurfers compete against each other at the UK’s premier windsurfing competition each October. The 6-day event gets dedicated worldwide TV coverage as competitors brave the full Atlantic furies of wind and waves off this remote and exposed Hebridean island.

Details of The UK airing for The Tiree Wave Classic/Calmac Coll challenge Programme:

Date                  Start    Channel
05/01/10            18:30    Sky Sports 2 Digital
05/01/10            21:30    Sky Sports Xtra
13/01/10            18:30    Sky Sports 2 Digital
13/01/10            21:00    Sky Sports Xtra
13/01/10            23:30    Sky Sports 2 Digital
13/01/10            26:30    Sky Sports Xtra
14/01/10            14:00    Sky Sports 2 Digital
14/01/10            18:30    Sky Sports Xtra
15/01/10            14:30    Sky Sports 2 Digital

For more information visit the website.

GO-WHERE - new 'adventure transport' venture

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:48:08 GMT

Whether you’re a rider, walker, mountain man or woman, kite surfer, golf fanatic, or first-time Scotland visitor in search of a neat solution to get you, your luggage and your bike to (or from!) some of Scotland’s best locations, then Andy McKenna’s new venture GO-WHERE might just be what you are looking for.

GO-WHERE’s all about whisking you and your friends off to some of Scotland’s most incredible locations in a hassle-free, environmentally friendly way that ends with tired limbs and huge smiles! By sharing transport visitors get to new places without the hassle-factor. Passengers minimise their fuel costs whilst relaxing and soaking up the views and stopping off en-route to enjoy not just the scenery and the trails, but the local services too.

GO-WHERE’s based out of the mountain biking mecca of Innerleithen in the Scottish Borders, but offers a range of transport and support services throughout Scotland. As well as offering bespoke cycle and outdoors transport clients can also enjoy a range of great complimentary services:

complimentary route advice
first aid qualified riding ‘buddy’ (someone who knows the trails, and, understands riding in remote locations)
bike mechanic (expert trailside repairs)
accommodation advice and links

Andy hopes his new venture will be just as successful as his accommodation business in Innerleithen – Innerhaven - which has proven particularly popular with walkers, road cyclists and mountain bikers looking for a perfectly practical base to explore Scotland.

Website: www.GO-WHERE.co.uk
Email: info@go-where.co.uk
Tel: 07713151773

New 'West Highland Way' for Sea Kayakers

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:00:00 BST

Europe's first long distance route for sea kayakers is created this month along Scotland's west coast with the publication of The Scottish Sea Kayak Trail.

The 500 km route travels from the Isle of Gigha off the Kintyre peninsula to the Summer Isles near Ullapool. It can be tackled in four holiday-sized sections or as one long, glorious journey. It's the creation of former BBC Newsnight Scotland correspondent Simon Willis.

The emphasis is on practical advice for the visiting kayaker:

how to tackle tricky tidal passages
places to visit
food re-supply
where to safely leave kayaks overnight
how and when to shuttle vehicles

Camping is an essential element of this journey but the book, deliberately, does not identify wild camp sites or even picnic places.

"My aim is to give visiting kayakers enough information to seek out their own adventures.", says Simon Willis, "Finding your own place to camp is more interesting and spreads the environmental impact."

The book has stunning photographs to help identify wildlife such as seals, whales and dolphins plus guidance on avoiding disturbance. There are practical recommendations on wild camping, from minimum impact techniques to Scottish access law.

An historical thread, woven through the text, tells 'Scotland's Story'; from the Scoti to the Norsemen, the Lords of the Isles to the Clearances. For those who travel the trail in the comfort of their armchairs, there's also the tale of the author's own voyage along this superb coastline.

For more information go to www.ScottishSeaKayakTrail.com.

Active Outdoor Pursuits open new Active Aviemore centre

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:00:00 BST

Situated just south of the centre of the village, on Grampian Road - Active Aviemore is a café, gallery, outdoor activity bookings centre and retail shop all in one location.

Led by Sophia and Roy Gibson, who manage Active Outdoor Pursuits in Newtonmore, Active Aviemore is an expansion of their business to capitalise on the growing interest in outdoor and adventure activities in the Cairngorms National Park.

The retail shop will be manned by qualified instructors and graduates of Active's instructor training programme who will be on hand to offer expert advice regarding booking activities, safety issues or simply questions on the best outdoor clothing to wear when experiencing the outdoors.

Various activities can be booked at the centre including whitewater rafting, canyoning, duckie canoeing, kayaking, gorge scrambling, climbing and hill-walking. Equipment hire including a range of mountain bikes will be on-site, and during winter months ski and board packages will be available. The new premises will also feature an upstairs cafe and gallery which will offer the finest Scottish produce along with various exhibitions.

Proprietors, Sophia and Roy Gibson said 'Active Aviemore has been a long time in the planning but is filling a very important gap in the market for visitors to be able to drop in and organise all their activities in one place. Our trained instructors are on hand to offer expert advice and the retail shop and café will be a welcome addition to the Cairngorms National Park.'

To find out more about the centre visit Active Aviemore.

New Nevis Range Red Trail

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 10:18:47 BST

For years, adrenaline fuelled mountain bikers have caught the gondola to access and ride the world's best-known downhill trail. The very same trail that's put Fort William on the worldwide mountain biking map and that brings tens of thousands of visitors to Lochaber each year to watch the worlds superstars compete in the World Cup.

That's all very well, but what about the rest of us? Enter the new Nevis Range Red route.

Only the second trail in the UK to be accessed by gondola, it lets lesser mortals conserve their energy for holding on and staying upright. The new trail opened on June 24 2009, is 5.5 kms long and descends 543 metres, with sweeping mountainscape and usually hidden breathtaking panoramas across Lochaber. Aimed at proficient mountain bikers with good skills, the red-graded route is a classic mountain bike trail, mostly single-track with timber boardwalk, bedrock and gravel.

Check this trail out at www.vimeo.com/5219737

The Witch's Trails, 48 kms of cross-country trail, already wind their way through Leanachan forest and this new route lets you start your day high on the slopes of Aonach Mor with a final finish in the forest at its foot.

Gondola tickets for bikes, and their riders, are £11.50 for an adult single trip and £25 for an adult riding all day. Both gondola-accessed trails are open until Sunday 13 September when they shut for a well-deserved winter.

If you're not up for riding down, then opt to lunch in the Snowgoose Restaurant & Bar before returning to sea level on the gondola.

Nevis Range is 7 miles north of Fort William on the A82 Inverness. Easily accessed by car, bus or off-road cycle-way biking at Nevis Range and in Leanachan Forest is a not-to-be-missed trip. You'll find much more detail including point of view footage of the new track on the new website (nevisrange.co.uk) or call the centre on 01397 705825.

East Lothian Adventure Sports café launches in spectacular fashion!

Fri, 22 May 2009 15:47:47 BST

Danny MacAskill, Britains top stunt mountainbiker entertained over 200 with a fantastic show of extreme mountainbiking at last weekends launch of Coast cafe the new Adventure Sports Café next to Dunbar train station. With Coast to Coast Surf school opening next door this is sure to the place to hang out this Summer.

First Pro-Standard American Style Paintball Arena opens in Scotland

Thu, 21 May 2009 09:42:53 BST

The Terminator is the first pitch built to professional standards seen in America and is the only purpose built, permanent Astroturf, all weather facility in the UK. The site hosts speedball, a faster update of paintball, played on a flat enclosed pitch, with 42 inflatable bunkers for cover instead of trees.

The introduction of the speedball format is credited with helping paintball grow by 50% since the millennium. Around 5.5 million people now regularly take part in the paintball scene in America. According to the UKPSF (United Kingdom Paintball Sports Federation), there were a million visits to paintball games in the United Kingdom last year.

In speedball the 60m by 40m pitch size keeps the teams of five to ten people in range of each other the whole time. This creates a quicker more accessible game based around teamwork, tactics and fast reactions. Matches take place over several rounds. Lightweight trainers, sports gear and colourful team shirts are the clothing options of choice over camouflage and boots.

Speedball is the format for professionals across Europe and the United States. A monthly show on Eurosport highlights the Millennium series, a league involving teams from across the continent. Its popularity has also seen video games released on the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Wii game consoles.

To reach the required standard, the Terminator took six months to develop. It required 2400 square metres of specialist Astroturf and inflatable bunkers from Europe’s top manufacturer. The site was remodelled to include an observation area protected by netting, a feature critical to turning paintball into a spectator sport. Floodlights provide all-year-round play. Reclaimed shipping containers surround the site to create an all weather facility.

Stewart Matthews, managing director of Scotkart and the Terminator said, “Extreme sports are hugely popular in Scotland. We opened up the country’s first indoor karting track when karting was in a similar position to paintball and people really took to it. We feel speedball has the same potential and this investment could help put Scotland at the forefront of the sport in the future.”

Steve Bull, Chairman of the UKPSF, said, “The Terminator is a welcome additional to the paintball scene. We know it will provide excellent facilities for Scottish players and hopefully it will also bring new people to the sport.”

The introduction of the Terminator is hoped to help support Lanarkshire's recent success in marketing the area as a tourist destination. Over the past three years, Lanarkshire has seen a 13% rise in visitor numbers from 2.6m to 2.95m and tourism has grown in value from £228.33m to £300.59m. The site is to create seven new positions at Scotkart.

Mark Calpin, chairman of the Lanarkshire Tourism Partnership, said, “Lanarkshire has made great progress over the last few years to grow the local tourism industry. Innovation in the market is important to putting us on the map and having a UK first is exciting for the area.”

The terminator will run alongside Scotland's original indoor karting track at Scotkart. It will open from 10am to 10pm, seven days a week. See www.scotkart.com for more details. Prices start from £15 a session.

For more information on the Terminator or Scotkart, please visit their website.

About speedball paintball:
The latest freely available figures from the American Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association show US paintball participation has grown by 50% since the year 2000. It is now the fifth most popular extreme sport with 5.5million players, ahead of the BMX and climbing. This rise has been attributed to the introduction of speedball.

Scottish One-Handed Rock Climber Defies Critics

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:11:53 BST

Born in Ayrshire, Scotland in 1978, Kevin Shield's parents were sad to learn the news that their baby boy was born with a partial left hand. Supportive and caring, they strove to provide him with a happy childhood which was to prove critical later in life.

Influenced from an early age by his father, Kevin's desire and determination to achieve things he was told he couldn't do, grew by the day. His father saw huge potential in him and nurtured a talent that has now become the backbone of his career.

Kevin, now 29, has been climbing as long as he can remember and seriously for the last 7 years and he has now firmly established himself on the circuit. Asked why he chose climbing, Kevin replied 'The big question! I suppose bottom line is the search for risk and adventure.' His honest answer clearly depicts his equal view for life and proves that having a partial left hand has never stopped him from competing with the best.

Self employed painter and decorator, Kevin has lived a fulfilled and successful life so far, with plans to achieve more in the future. At the beginning of his competitive climbing career, Kevin applied for a sponsorship deal with LA Muscle, the leading sports supplements company, who were more than happy to take on someone of his ability. Having accomplished awards such as Winner of Mixed Masters competition 2006, the first disabled climber to enter the Ice Climbing World Cup and ranked 52nd in world 2007, his history speaks for itself.

Kevin has won various titles such as Fast & Furious - the 2nd hardest route of it's type in the UK, solo rock climbing at E4 level, numerous ice and mixed climbs in Europe and he
placed 12 out of 50 at the Scottish Mixed Masters Ice Climbing Competition in 2005.

Having got so far in such a short time and with the drawback of one hand, Kevin endures rigorous training, climbs and practices, before and after competitions. His secret to success has been the desire and drive to step up a gear when needed and to have the means to step up when necessary.

As well as his disability, Kevin is also epileptic and finds this to be a distant but driving issue in his life. With comparisons to renowned French daredevil and real life skyscraper Spiderman Alain Robert, Kevin replied 'I think what he does is cool [being a fellow epileptic] but what I do is similar in that if we make a mistake then we pay with our lives.'

Close to his family, Kevin thanks them for all their support. He is proud of who he is and what he has become and puts much of his success down to his parental foundations. His confidence is boosted largely by his setbacks and is known to be 'afraid of commitment to the idea of normality' - his clear intentions to be the best at what he does will not stop at the first hurdle.

A modest man, Kevin does not see himself as a role model but actively gives talks and advice to the University of Strathclyde and their Prosthetics & Orthotics Department – the same group of specialists who make his ice axes and without whom he wouldn't have achieved half of what he has already.

A strong believer in the term 'living life to the full', this truly amazing LA Muscle sponsored athlete is described as a diamond in the rough by friends.

Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 11:15:00 BST

The 7th Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival returns to the Capital from 15-18 October, with controversial American climber Timmy O'Neill topping the bill. O'Neill, 40, hails from Boulder, Colorado and has made his name in the extreme climbing discipline of 'buildering' which involves climbing city centre buildings and structures without a rope. 'Slacklining' - walking along a rope strung between rock towers - is another of this extreme climber's favourite pastimes.

Top Scottish climber Dave MacLeod also gives a new lecture at the festival. MacLeod, from Glasgow, is now recognized as the best rock climber in the world after climbing the world's first 'E11' graded climb in 2007 and then following that up with a climb called 'Echo Wall' on Ben Nevis in 2008 - a climb which he admits is harder but has refused to grade. MacLeod has spent the summer working another new route in the Orkney Isles - a route thought to be at least E11.

Other adventurers speaking at the festival have been setting long-distance firsts. Patrick Winterton became the first man to sea kayak between the UK and the Faroe Islands, a journey of 2,500km. Out-distancing this are explorers Katie-Jane Cooper and Tarka L'Herpiniere who became the first people to trek 4,500km along the full length of the Great Wall of China. Topping all of these, however, is the largely unheralded Jonny Muir, who cycled over 8,000km in his 92 day journey around the UK, climbing the highest peak in each of the 92 historic counties!

The expanded 4-day festival will attract over 2500 outdoor enthusiasts from across Scotland and northern England keen to enjoy awe-inspiring lectures and a showcase of more than 20 action packed films from Scotland and around the world. The festival aims to promote mountain culture by providing a platform for adventure film-makers to showcase their work. Stevie Christie, Director of Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival, said:

"This year's Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival will entertain, enlighten and inspire. We've pulled together a diverse programme of films from Scotland and around the world that show the highs and lows as well as the thrills and spills of mountain adventures. Some of the more extreme films include a solo ascent of the North Face of the Eiger, protected only by a base-jumping pack, amazing paragliding stunts and record-breaking 100 foot waterfall drops in kayaks. In another film, one-handed Scottish climber Kev Shields attempts to solo climb some extreme routes."

"Of course it's not all fast-paced action and there are superb films about kayak expeditions to Greenland, climbing in the Himalayas, living in Antarctica, and much more. Magnificent scenery has a starring role in all the films whether it's the wild mountain scenery of Mount St Elias in Alaska, the primeval peaks of Papua New Guinea, or the more familiar but just as striking Black Cuillins of Skye. We've even managed to lay on some free events this year including a lecture by Jonny Muir and a photography exhibition."

The Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival is held at the George Square Lecture Theatre, Edinburgh University.
Tickets and programmes are available from Tiso stores, Alien Rock 1 and on the door at the festival, subject to availability.

See website for full details.