A group of Highland tourism students yesterday set off on a 305-mile adventure trail that they have created themselves.
The third year students from the Adventure Tourism Management degree course at West Highland College UHI at Fort William in Lochaber have to plan an expedition as part of their studies.
This usually involves an international expedition to places such as the Atlas Mountains or destinations in Europe.
However, this was proving difficult so they decided to keep it local and to turn it into a relay that will link all 10 college centres in the west Highlands using a combination of hill-walking climbing, kayaking, canoeing and mountain biking.
Adventure Tourism Lecturer, Paul Kelly, said: “One of the students came up with the idea of a local, but challenging expedition in one of the most beautiful and wild areas in the world and it was rapidly taken up by the others.”
They began the route – named the West Highland Adventure Trail – with a trip up Ben Nevis, which some members of the group climbed and others walked.
The students then travelled to Kinlochleven by mountain bike.
The next leg involves travelling to Inversada by sea kayak and canoe before making their way to the college centres in Strontian and Kilchoan. It will end at Ullapool in Wester Ross on June 6.
More than 20 students will take part in various stages of the expedition, with some completing the entire 24-day trail.
And, at each college centre, further activities are planned to involve local students, staff and the wider community.
Mr Kelly said: “We want to provide opportunities for members of our remote communities, young and old, to experience healthy, active and challenging activities and to provide a wider legacy of bringing together dispersed communities, specialist expertise and inspiration so that they can engage in the future of their region.”
Each location has been invited to contribute a “message of aspiration for the future of their community” to a baton, which has been designed and created for the expedition by local businessman Don Hind, of Corpach Boat Builders, and engraved by Allround Signs.
Their 24-day expedition won the students gold and silver awards at a recent College Scotland event in Glasgow.