A warm welcome to all and I hope our new programme will not only encourage but will also inspire both new and old visitors to come and join us for our 2008 Festival. The theme this year is ancient Landscapes. Our walks will take you up into some of our 18 local Munros passing well worn crags, grassy slopes full of spring flowers – yes spring does come late on the high hills up here.

Please remember all our walks are lead by expert guides, who where necessary have all the qualifications to take visitors onto the remote hills. Our low level guides are all experts in all matters to do with the countryside thus giving all our visitors that little bit of extra enjoyment on top of the spectacular scenery around and within 2 of Scotland’s most magnificent NNRs.

For the first time for the real enthusiasts we are laying on a special treat of a 2 day walk covering both the Affric and Mullardoch ranges with a stop over at the very remote Altbeithe Youth Hostel. All food will be provided and we will take your backpacks to the Y/H for you. This really is one of the classic Munro walks.

We are also introducing the Mullardoch range walk which will include a boat ride up Loch Mullardoch to the start point. Finally this year we are re-introducing a West Affric range walk but this year we will be cycling in to the Y/H before starting the climb.

For our low level enthusiasts there is a spectacular walk with almost continuous views of the first half of the Affric ranges from the remote hamlet of Cougie with its iron age settlement past the An Fang Loch and onto Tomich via old ruins, ancient fank and Knockfin. We are also introducing a lovely remote walk around Am Meallan which stands guard overlooking Loch Affric just above the car park. This walks will start and finish at the Chisholm Bridge. Finally, we are introducing a lovely walk again from the remote hamlet of Cougie to the South side of Loch Affric via the remote Loch Nan Gillean fishing loch. This walk offers great views of Loch Beinn a' Meadhoin and the Affric Hills.

As well as the above new walks we are offering a range of our normal high and low level walks covering Carn Eighe, Tom a' Choinich and the Strathfarrar Range (this is being reserved for an extension to the festival to the Monday as an experiment to see if there is a call for a longer festival). The popular RSPB bird reserve at Corrimony is being retained along with the Strathfarrar walk–an ancient landscape brought to life.

For further information please contact the organiser Ian Mure on ianmure@aol.com.