John Chivall, Outdoor Instructor

Last weekend's Silver NNAS course was successful and interesting. All the participants on this course were members of Glasgow Young Walkers, taking advantage of the discounted price available to members of walking clubs.

We started the first day in Mugdock Country Park, looking at the skills from Bronze level and adding in the finer detail and strategies used for Silver, before heading over to the moor above Craigton to practise contour interpretation and compass work.

On the Sunday, we went over to Fintry, on the other side of the Campsie Fells, for some revision and then assessment of the participant's abilities.

Halfway through the day, we had an interesting encounter with the local farmer, who kindly let us see him treating a ewe for fly strike - a gruesome disease caused by fly maggots living in the poor animal's skin. He told us that the recent winter was the worst he'd seen since he was a 9 year old boy in 1947. On a walk in the hills near Biggar in April, I'd met another sheep farmer who despite feeding constantly over the winter had lost almost a quarter of his flock. While the prolonged cold and snowy weather was fantastic for us outdoor enthusiasts, it has been dreadful for many farmers and their livestock as well as wild animals.

However, with the sun out, temperatures up and wild flowers everywhere, we walked through lush upland pasture and woodlands, and around the glen back to Fintry, where I was pleased to be able to tell Tahnee and Delphine that they had both passed. Congratulations to them both, and I hope they keep practising their navigation so that they can enjoy the hills to their fullest.