Most will be aware that Strathspey could have been home by now to a top class biking centre if capercaillie droppings had not been found by a proposed site in Glenmore Forest Park - and Forestry Commission Scotland subsequently lost their bottle in the face of the conservationists and their partners involved in the £5 million LIFE project to protect the world's largest grouse.

That was nearly five years ago and still no plans for a second mountain bike centre in the area have come to fruition; in fact such plans seem to have fallen off the radar.

Wolftrax at Laggan - a result of an enterprising project by the local community and Forestry Commission Scotland - has been a huge success.

But the creation of mountain bike trails at the Lecht and a second venue in Strathspey would make the area much more attractive to bikers and encourage them to stay overnight.

Many riders visiting Laggan are up and down the road in a day because of the lack of a nearby biking centre they can try out next day.

CairnGorm Mountain could provide the answer as a base for such a facility.

Everything is already provided for visitors and there are a plethora of man-made tracks down from the Coire Cas car park which could be exploited.

Mountain biking - which also uses a system a blue, green, red and black runs - is one of the fastest growing sports in the world in terms of participants numbers and a successful winter ski season such as the one currently being enjoyed can not be relied upon every year.

More than a phone

WITH winter still upon us despite being in mid-April, there was a cautionary tale from the Glenfeshie hills earlier in the week.

Fortunately, in this case there were no casualties because the skier from Burton-on-Trent caught out in appalling weather and by the lack of mobile phone coverage was an experienced mountain man and sheltered in a snow hole for the night.

He was able to walk off the hill safely the next morning despite the vastly experienced leader of the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team, Willie Anderson, describing the conditions as amongst the worst he had encountered.

Mobile phone signals in Badenoch and Strathspey can be patchy even in the likes of Grantown so those who venture onto the high tops should always be properly equipped and know what they are doing.

The comfort of a mobile phone in the back pocket may not be the life-saver that many expect.

Have your say – sensibly

UNTIL recently and for many years, members of the local community - often rightly - have bemoaned the lack of consultation and input on plans for Aviemore Highland Resort under its various guises. Here is an opportunity for the public to have their say - and for the current owners to show they are listening. All within reason of course!

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