TV star backs trust's appeal for Highland footpath repairs
he Highlands’ wild ways will be all right on the night, if Griff Rhys Jones has his way.
The TV star is urging the public to help fund the John Muir Trust’s maintenance of some of the country’s most iconic footpaths.
The Trust looks after over 120km of paths from woodland and coastal trails to world famous mountain routes that provide access to seven Munros and five Corbetts.
They include the final zigzag to the summit of Ben Nevis, the wild and rocky Steall Gorge path in Glen Nevis, the four mile trail to remote Sandwood Bay, and the main routes up Bla Bheinn on Skye.
It also helps a number of community land trusts in the Western Isles, Knoydart and Assynt to maintain their own network of footpaths, used by locals and visitors.
Mr Jones, an active conservationist whose acclaimed BBC series Mountain has inspired thousands to don a pair of boots and take up hillwalking said: "A walk in the wild is a way to discover, explore and reconnect with ourselves and our natural world." Recognising that pathwork is a costly business that relies entirely on public donations, he says: "Please give today to help the John Muir Trust keep our wild places beautiful."
JMT’s footpath manager Chris Goodman said: "It’s easy to take footpaths for granted, but the pressure of thousands of boots and gallons of rain can take its toll. Left untended, a delicate upland footpath can easily deteriorate into an ugly, waterlogged scar.
"Pathwork can be tough work, often in difficult conditions in some of Scotland’s most remote, untamed places. We need to raise at least at £60,000 each and every year to pay for materials, transport, equipment, volunteer training andcontractors. If people want to give something back to the places they love, a regular donation to the Wild Ways Appeal is the best way to do it. "
The Trust says it takes a proactive approach to pathwork, keeping costs low by anticipating and forestalling damage before it occurs. The charity uses light-touch methods of maintenance, making sure that footpaths blend in subtly with the surrounding landscapes, with minimal disturbance to soils and vegetation.
The Trust has also produced a five minute film offering a unique insight into the art and science of upland path repair and maintenance.
