Half-price travel is on offer from ScotRail for MCofS members heading for winter routes in the Highlands. Photo: Peter Plucknett CC-BY-SA-2.0

Members of the Mountaineering Council of Scotland are being offered the chance to travel to winter climbing and walking destinations at half price.

The council has teamed up with ScotRail to offer a 50 per cent discount on train journeys on three Highland lines over the winter months.

The offer, which runs from 2 January to the end of March, enables members to get a discount on routes between Fort William and Mallaig; Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh; and on the Inverness to Wick and Thurso line.

MCofS membership development officer Mike Dales said: “We are grateful to ScotRail for providing this great offer to our members.

“We’re still in November, but hillwalkers, climbers and ski-tourers can already start planning a winter journey based around the rail network.

“Using the train is an obvious way to reduce your carbon footprint, but in addition to that, it can also open up some great linear routes because you aren’t tied to getting back to your car.”

Details are on the MCofS website.

The Mountaineering Council of Scotland has also teamed up the Glenmore Lodge, the national outdoor training centre, to offer winter-skills courses.

A full weekend course, covering basic skills for walking with axe and crampons, ice-axe self-arrest, navigation, winter safety and avalanche avoidance will run from 9 to 11 December and costs £188, including instruction, equipment hire, accommodation and meals.

One day basic skills courses will also take place at the lodge, costing £50, and will be run on 3, 6, 28 and 29 January next year. More details can be found on the MCofS website.