An appeal for money to repair the track and footpath to iconic Sandwood Bay in Sutherland has raised £40,000. The John Muir Trust (JMT) which owns the Sandwood Estate said the amount donated by its members and supporters to the appeal was “incredible”. A vast expanse of beach is one of the most remote on mainland Britain, accessible only on foot by the public along a 6.5km track and path. The spot is increasingly popular and erosion by walkers and recent heavy rain had made the path very eroded in places. The money raised will be used to stabilise the…

The Friends of Nevis has announced that its next volunteer weekend will be held from 1 to 4 October. There will be a range of activities taking place including routine path maintenance, landscaping work at the old curling ponds near the entrance to Glen Nevis and litter picking. Free accommodation is available for those coming from outwith the area if booked well in advance. There will also be a social event on the afternoon and evening of Friday 1 October to coincide with the official launch of a new book about the Ben. The book, entitled, Nevis – The Ben…

Volunteers taking part in a clean up on Ben Nevis at the weekend found less rubbish than usual but noticed an increase in graffitti scrawled on the marker cairns. The litter pick group from the John Muir Trust (JMT) collected nine bin bags of rubbish from the summit area of the Ben. The good weather gave the team lots of time to search widely around the summit area, in marked contstrast to earlier clean ups which have taken place with snow still on the ground. The JMT says the hotspots for gathering litter such as the summit shelter and the…