Hill paths repair campaign begins at An Teallach

A CAMPAIGN is underway to raise money to repair Scotland’s hill paths, beginning with An Teallach in Wester Ross.

Mountaineering Scotland and the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland (OATS) have teamed up for the “It’s Up to Us” project, which aims to highlight the lack of funds for building and maintaining hill paths.

Stuart Younie, chief executive at Mountaineering Scotland, said: “Scotland’s informal hill and mountain path network plays a vital role in helping us to enjoy the physical and mental benefits of being active outdoors, which was never more evident than during the pandemic.

“Active tourism also makes a significant contribution to the Scottish economy and to local communities across the Highlands.

“Our access may be free from charges, but it does come at a cost, and we need to recognise the cumulative impact of recreational activity on our landscape and do something positive to address it so it can continue to be enjoyed by future generations.”

Dougie Baird, chief executive of the OATS, added: “We no longer have access to European funding, which has provided significant support for path and habitat restoration projects in the past, with no funding from the government to replace it.

“The ‘It’s Up to Us’ project will be vital in showing that mountaineers and conservationists can come together to solve the problems at An Teallach and other mountains on private land, whilst also highlighting the desperate need for government support for this type of work in the future.”

The new project was given a boost at the Dundee Mountain Film Festival on Saturday night when it scooped the £100,000 diamond grant from the Scottish Mountaineering Trust, which is marking its 60th anniversary.

John Fowler, chair of the Scottish Mountaineering Trust, said: “There were a number of worthy bids for the diamond grant, but the trustees were really impressed by the ground-breaking approach that OATS and Mountaineering Scotland have come up with.

“Their imaginative funding model to support our paths will have a major impact on Scotland’s mountain community for many years to come.

“Using the repair of the path on the iconic An Teallach as the prototype is a great idea as it is such a large and important project.

“We look forward to working with them.”

Read more stories on Scottish Field’s outdoors pages.

Plus, don’t miss Guy Grieve’s column in the December issue of Scottish Field magazine.