Caledonian Mercury Bags Pocket Mountains Guide Creator

Online Scottish newspaper, the Caledonian Mercury is pleased to announce a new outdoors columnist: Nick Williams

by Penny Haywood

(WireNews+Co) - Edinburgh, Scotland - 07 February 2013

Nick is best known for his Pocket Mountains guides to walking and scrambling in Scotland, which have encouraged thousands to take up exercise and enjoy the hills.

David Calder, editor of the Caledonian Mercury says, “It's great to have someone of Nick’s knowledge and experience writing for us. His understanding of Scotland's outdoors -- the people as well as the places -- makes him a real asset to the Caledonian Mercury. We look forward to sharing his insights."

Says Nick, "working with the Caledonian Mercury is a great opportunity. I'm keen to share my passion for using and safeguarding our natural heritage, as well as sharing the stories of those who use the outdoors for work and pleasure. I look forward to writing articles that will interest readers both at home and abroad."

Nick’s first piece for the Caledonian Mercury is The Snow Must Go On (http://caledonianmercury.com/2013/02/07/the-snow-must-go-on/0037282) 

The outdoors have played a big part in Nick's life over the past 30 years. He is a trained mountaineering instructor, climbs regularly in the Alps and also led the first international expedition to post-Soviet Kazakhstan. His memoir, Jagged Red Line, describes adventures in the greater ranges of the former USSR and was published in 2012.

In his professional life, Nick has worked in communications and information strategy since the late 1990s. He also speaks French, Mandarin and Russian.

Find out more about Nick and his books here (http://www.nickwilliams.org). 

The online Scottish newspaper, the Caledonian Mercury was launched on Burns night three years ago. It is named after the first newspaper published in Scotland.

The Caledonian Mercury won the Multimedia Publication of the Year award in 2010 and in the same year was joint runner-up with the Guardian Online for the digital newspaper category in the UK Newspapers of the Year awards. 

The Caledonian Mercury is edited by veteran broadcaster and journalist, David Calder, founder of BitWeb.tv (http://www.BitWeb.tv), an online video production company. The Caledonian Mercury is produced in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.