Deep in the heart of Glen Sligachan on the Isle of Skye, work is about to begin repairing the path over Druim Hain to Loch Coruisk.
This remote site, about an 8km walk from Sligachan, may not be the busiest or best known path in the UK, but the combination of foot pressure and, especially in this case, surface water has created a bare gully 7 metres wide and nearly a metre deep. In heavy rain, water cascades down the path line and, with no vegetation or roots to hold the soil together, more and more of the ground is being washed away and loose scree exposed. The resulting scar that is growing year on year is not only unpleasant to walk on, but also visible from the nearby mountain Bla Bheinn.
Glen Sligachan is a dramatic wild place where you feel far removed from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and the more obvious intrusions of mankind. It’s a place that lingers in the memory of those who visit. The obvious and ever-widening path arguably detracts from the experience of spending time here, as it draws the eye away from the scenery and onto the man-made – a bright white, kilometre-long, ribbon where vegetation has been killed off and the soils washed away. The path work we are undertaking here aims to narrow this ribbon as much as possible, to reduce how visible the path is within the landscape and let the eye focus on the natural beauty of the surrounding hills.
Helicopter brining materials to Bla Bheinn path
It’s both a practical and an aesthetic undertaking. Although the path work will involve the construction of man-made features such as steps and drains, our plan is to construct these in a more organic style. We have chosen a natural meandering line for the path so it will blend into the landscape, its contours being more natural and overall less sharp and scar like.
Work at Druim Hain follows on from similar work on Bla Bheinn last year, where the path had become even more gullied. The project there was a real success – at one part we’ve reduced a seven metre wide and growing watercourse into a more natural path with rocks set and angled to reduce future erosion. In the past three years, the Trust has also carried out substantial path work to the Steall Gorge path through Glen Nevis, as well as smaller scale repairs on Quinag, Schiehallion, Ben Nevis and at Sandwood Bay.
These capital repair projects involve bringing in specialist contractors to undertake the work, and sometimes a helicopter to bring in stone. The work is a labour of love. It’s intensive and costly: since 2012 the John Muir Trust has invested over £260,000 on path repairs. There’s still an estimated £250,000 worth of work to be done on Skye alone. Once the paths are repaired, we then need to maintain them which will cost an additional £50,000 a year. Public funding available for upland paths is limited meaning we have to raise the majority of this money through our own fundraising.
Repaired path through Steall Gorge
So it’s expensive work – but it has huge benefits. Those who come to our hills to walk, climb and cycle continue to have a quality of access. While, for example, recent work on Quinag and Sandwood, has channelled over £90,000 into the Lochinver community through the use of local contractors. In turn, keeping paths in a state fit for public use ensures a steady stream of tourist income into some of Scotland’s most rural communities. The John Muir Trust also supports people’s personal development by offering training and volunteering opportunities to individuals and groups. For example, we’ve been working with Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) for several years. It sends students from the Elmwood Campus up to Sandwood each summer to give them a week of practical experience. For many, this is their first trip to the far North West and their first taste of demanding physical labour – one that they generally take-away good memories of!
There’s also an important environmental dimension to path work. Many sites managed by the Trust are designated for nature conservation and eroded paths can cause damage to vegetation and soils. The work on Druim Hain, for example, will help to reduce trampling and exposure of peat on the Sligachan Peatlands, a Special Area of Conservation. And to avoid damaging important habitats while carrying out repairs we work closely with Scottish Natural Heritage to find methods that will reduce any negative impacts. These include sourcing turf for landscaping away from rarer plant communities and or ensuring that path drainage features are not altering the wider hydrology of a site.
Path to Suilven
The Trust is also now working with the Assynt Foundation through the Coigach-Assynt Living Landscape (CALL) Partnership to repair the path to the ridge of Suilven. This is a big project for the Trust to commit to on top of the work still needed on our own properties, but partnership working with organisations such as the Assynt Foundation has been part of the Trust’s DNA since its inception. Of course, Suilven is also arguably the most spectacular hill in the North West of Scotland, and although not a Munro, it’s in a very special and wild place and is a ‘wee hill’ with a path up onto the ridge that is deteriorating rapidly.
Eroded path on Suilven – urgent repairs needed
The path work on Suilven is part of a wider drive by the CALL Partnership to carry out one of the largest landscape restoration projects in Europe, that is expected to create jobs, improve local path and tourism infrastructure, and promote this beautiful corner of the Highlands to a national and international audience.
You can help the Trust and Assynt Foundation’s work at Suilven today by voting for us to win £18,000 to start our path restoration work. We’re currently the only UK project in a European wide conservation competition. Visit http://www.johnmuirtrust.org/suilven to find out more.