Legend McNeish wins Fort honour

THIS month’s major mountain festival in Fort William will see Scottish sports legend and broadcaster Cameron McNeish receive the prestigious Scottish Award for Excellence in Mountain Culture in 2018.

Nominated by the public and his peers as a mountain hero who celebrates achievement, accomplishment and the spirit of adventure, Mr McNeish joins the Fort William Mountain Festival Hall of Fame in the prestigious award’s 11th anniversary year.

Mr McNeish, who joins previous esteemed winners such as Dr Adam Watson, Jimmy Marshall, Myrtle Simpson and Ian Sykes, told us: ‘I’m thrilled that there is now a national recognition of the direct link between our hills and wild places and the social history, folklore, traditional music and culture of Scotland.

‘And I’m delighted to be joining a very special group of people who have, in many different ways, contributed so much to all these aspects of our national heritage. I’m genuinely humbled.’

For 25 years, Mr McNeish has been involved in making numerous television programmes for the BBC, ranging from mountaineering and rock climbing films to his own highly personal accounts of long backpacking trips through the Highlands and Islands, routes that include the Sutherland Trail, the Skye Trail and the Scottish National Trail.

Fort William Mountain Festival 2018 runs from February 21 to 25. For full details, go to page 16.