From left: Bill Dalrymple from Friends of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, NTS's Alasdair Eckersall and James Fraser, chairman of the Friends
A donation from one conservation charity will help another one maintain a high-level path on one of Scotland’s most popular munros.
The Friends of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs handed over £1,000 to the National Trust for Scotland for its work on Ben Lomond, the most southerly 3,000-footer in Scotland.
The donation will specifically be used for repair work on the Ptarmigan Ridge, a high-altitude and difficult section of path to look after.
Ben Lomond property manager Alasdair Eckersall said: “We are so grateful for this generous contribution to our vital conservation work.
“By keeping our footpaths in good order, we can help ensure that the impact of 30,000 pairs of boots every year is kept to a minimum.
“Looking after Scotland’s countryside and mountains is an expensive business and as a charity, we need help to make this happen.”
The Friends’ grant came from their Friends of OUR park visitor giving scheme which involves hundreds of visitors donating funds via local businesses such as Cruise Loch Lomond, the Lodge on Loch Lomond Hotel and the Oak Tree Inn at Balmaha for re-investment in a range of projects for the benefit of people and nature.
The trust said it costs the conservation charity £37 to repair one metre of footpath. It added a donation of £3 per month to its Footpath Fund will help repair one metre of path over a year.
The National Trust for Scotland cares for more than 400 miles of paths across Scotland. The charity’s upland path team helps protect these landscapes in a workplace extending across the 46 munros in the trust’s care, as well as wildlife reserves and island havens.
Last October, 100 tonnes of stone was airlifted onto Ben Lomond to enable the upland path team to carry out repairs throughout 2016.
James Fraser, chairman of the Friends of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, said: “We are delighted to be able to support the National Trust for Scotland’s important work maintaining the popular Ben Lomond footpath as a result of the joint efforts of local tourism businesses and visitors generously donating funds through our visitor giving scheme.”
