Hello, just looking for some advice:

I’m planning a route from Glasgow to Aviemore for early August, as much off road as possible.

I’ve got a route and I’m aware that it’s the start of the shooting season. I’ve had a look at this: http://www.outdooraccess-scotland.com/Practical-guide/Public/heading-for-the-scottish-hills which provides a guide to stalking areas. The areas I’m going through *seem* to be unaffected.

From what I can gather one is to ‘be aware’ of stalking – but what does that mean in practice?

I’ll be sticking to land rover tracks as much as possible (the route doesn’t have any extended hiking cross country- does that mean I’m ‘ok’.

It’s a long ride already – I don’t want to get half way down a glen and be forced to turn around…

Any advice/experience?

Why would you need to stalk your better half in the highlands? 😆

Wear a brown furry jacket and stick two big twigs in your helmet.

It’ll help you blend in.

Use common sense. Sticking to trails helps, asking anyone who looks like stalker/farmer if anyone is out shooting etc all helps. Hillphones have also helped in the past.

I very rarely had issues over this, despite hundreds of hill days and DofE expeds each year at our centre.

She loves me really. If I show her I lover he enough she’ll love me back.

That is how it works, isn’t it 😉

Thanks Matt. That’s what I was thinking. Although I have had problems with common sense in the past.

larrydavid – Member
She loves me really. If I show her I lover he enough she’ll love me back.

That is how it works, isn’t it

.??

Thanks Matt. That’s what I was thinking. Although I have had problems with common sense in the past.

“larrydavid – Member
She loves me really. If I show her I lover he enough she’ll love me back.
That is how it works, isn’t it

.??”

The title has a typo – ‘dear’ rather than ‘deer’

But I changed it.

DP

2 niches in one

I’ve had a few riding and running days knocked off track by finding out that stalking was on around Ben Lawers and Glen Lyon area. It tends to run from Jun through to October, except Sundays IIRC.

What it means in practice, is that at a particular access gate onto an estate there will be signs up saying that access is not allowed on that particular day. On the few occasions it’s happended to me, I’ve just found another hill to ride/run.

As above. Pretty much a non-issue. In my fourth decade of walking & biking in the Highlands and I’ve twice had to modify plans due to shooting activity.

If you know which days you’ll be in/on any particular estate, just ring them & they’ll tell you if there’s anything planned for that day, & where (ish)

Thanks for the replies folks!

Take your own gun so you can shoot back.

It makes it more interesting for the stalkers.

Nothing to do with the topic but saw the OP’s username and thought I’d mention that they’re making a new season of Curb your enthusiasm.

It sounds as though you’ve done the usual sensible things already.

I once spoke with a stalker who told me that there was very little chance of me disturbing a regular deer stalker as they tended to hunt at dawn, which is around stupid o’clock at this time of year. You could come across a bunch of posh kids on a shooting “party”, but they tend to be organised well in advance and are usually detailed on the “heading for the Scottish hills” web site so are easy to avoid.

Personally I think I’ve only been diverted by a shooting party once and considering it’s their money that pays for the trails I ride on year round, I’m happy to leave then too it. Much more likely to be diverted due to forestry operations though, in my experience.