The Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) and ScotRail have teamed up with a members' offer it'd be hard to refuse on rail travel in the Highlands this coming winter.

We learned of this some days ago, but in these dark economic times it's never too late to report a ray of money-saving good news. From January 2nd to March 31st MCofS members will be entitled to a 50% discount on pre-booked rail travel on the Fort William to Mallaig, Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh, and Inverness to Wick and Thurso lines.

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 hill walkers, 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.'

It can be a long wait for that train, but now you too will be able to afford an unplanned bivvy in Lochailort station. Day trips to Ben Wyvis, the Coulin Forest and Moidart just got a little cheaper, and the offer also cuts the cost of epic backpacking journeys through some of the wildest country in the UK. If you're trekking from Glenfinnan to Achnashellach or the Cape Wrath Trail in winter we suspect that money will be the least of your concerns however.

Full details, including terms and conditions, can be found on the MCofS website.