A £200,000 project to repair an eroded footpath on the famous Suilven mountain in the Highlands has been completed.
Outdoor clothing retailer Berghaus had originally nominated the mountain on behalf of the conservation charity John Muir Trust and the community organisation, the Assynt Foundation, in a European-wide online poll to win £18,000 for repair work.
After Suilven won the competition – organised by the European Outdoor Conservation Association – the John Muir Trust spearheaded a major fundraising effort that would eventually bring in £200,000 to bring the disintegrating footpath back to world-class condition.
In the spring of 2017, the trust – as part of the Coigach-Assynt Living Landscape Partnership scheme – and acting on behalf of the Assynt Foundation began overseeing the extensive repair work from the summit right down to sea level.
Chris Goodman, footpath officer for the John Muir Trust, said: “When we began the work the route was so boggy and waterlogged that I always had to walk out to the work site in wellies. By the later stages, a pair of trainers was sufficient.
“And a path that had begun to widen into an unsightly scar on the landscape, destroying surrounding vegetation, had been transformed into a robust, attractive path that feels good underfoot, looks natural and blends in with the surrounding landscape.”
The ceremony to mark the completion of the repairs was attended by directors of the Assynt Foundation, and representatives of the Coigach-Assynt Living Landscape Partnership and the John Muir Trust.