Deadly bird flu: what you need to know

The outbreak of deadly bird flu at a Bernard Matthews farm in Suffolk has brought renewed fears that Britain’s great outdoors will once again be out-of-bounds.Tens of thousands of birds have been killed by gassing at the farm near Lowestoft.

Mountain councils' advice after Cairn Gorm deaths

Mountain experts have issued advice to those venturing into the high ground of the British Isles in the light of the five deaths on Cairn Gorm.The three home mountaineering councils have stressed the need to build up experience and not to go beyond your capabilities.One of the most significant pieces of advice issued by the British Mountaineering Council, the Mountaineering Council of Scotland and the Mountaineering Council of Ireland is not to be swayed by the hype which has built up around adventurous activities.

Views sought on bigger Cairngorm park

The Scottish Parliament wants views on plans to extend the Cairngorm National Park.A bill before the Scottish legislature proposes including the Forest of Atholl, Blair Atholl, the Beinn A’Ghlo range and Beinn Udlamain.

Update on this year's Nine Edges

There’s another chance to challenge your stamina and help a mountain rescue team.Edale Mountain Rescue Team is running its Nine Edges Endurance again this year and it’s inviting entries now.

Cathedral ceremony marks Wainwright centenary

Fans of the Grumpy Old Fellwalker gathered yesterday in the distinctly un-outdoors Blackburn Cathedral to celebrate the centenary of his birth.As his sometime walking companion, broadcaster Eric Robson, said in his address to the gathered acolytes of Alfred Wainwright: “Even though AW would rather be on the hill than in the pew it’s appropriate that we should be celebrating his life in this cathedral church in Blackburn.”The ceremony marked the anniversary of the compiler of probably the best known walking guides produced in England, Wainwright’s meticulously illustrated Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells.

Court shown Lakeland photos of bomb suspects

A police officer has told a London jury how he watched five men accused of a failed bomb attack on a campsite in the Lake District.The officer said he saw the group apparently praying together in a semicircle.

London bomb suspects 'took part in Langdale camp'

Five of the men on trial for plotting to bomb innocent Londoners had been under surveillance in the Lake District, a court was told.Woolwich Crown Court heard that pictures were taken of the group during a camping trip in Langdale, Cumbria, 14 months before the men’s failed attempt to detonate bombs on the capital’s transport system.The jury at the trial was shown pictures of the men, taken by police, of the alleged bombers dressed in outdoor gear and loading camping equipment into cars, with the Langdale fells as a backdrop.

No snow for Snowdon by 2020

Welsh scientists are warning that the principality’s highest mountain will be snow-free in 13 year’s time.There has been less snow this winter since recording began 14 years ago.

Warm winter hits Blacks' sales

Outdoor clothing and equipment retailer Blacks Leisure is suffering in the warm climate.The company, which trades under the Blacks, Millets, O’Neill, Free Spirit and Mambo names, issued a profit warning after warmer weather hit its sales.The company reported a 6% drop in sales in the pre-Christmas period, which led to an immediate drop in its share price of 8%.