Bob Brown
Upland Path Manager
The Footpath team are busy across Scotland maintaining and repairing the 245 miles of upland path in the Trust’s care. Our footpaths are busier than ever, so we’ve been working hard to ensure that damage and the usual wear and tear to these paths has been kept to a minimum.
At Glencoe, we’ve been able to fix hard-to-reach areas such as the Lochan path. Previously we’ve only been able to fix small sections of it at a time, but thanks to Scottish Heritage Lottery players, we’ve been able to work with local contractors to repair and carry out maintenance work on an entire stretch.
Over on Mull we’ve been working on the Burg coastal path, carrying out repairs after a fairly major landslip. A new line had to be cut into the banking and the top side stabilised with rock from the landslip. On Arran, we’ve been undertaking a bit of work at Goatfell and on the route to the summit of Beinn Nuis. Here the steps were old and failing, so my team have repaired these and fortified where needed. Deep gullies had also begun to appear which have now been filled and smoothed over.
Without well-maintained footpaths, walkers’ boots can unintentionally erode the landscape and trample delicate mountain eco-systems. Thanks to your support we’re working to prevent this from happening, ensuring Scotland’s landscapes remain unspoilt.
Annie Robertson
Building Surveyor in the Northeast of Scotland
Perching on the rooftop of Fyvie Castle in Aberdeenshire, 20 stone figures watch over and greet visitors to the castle grounds. The carvings range from musicians and sports players to soldiers and majestic beasts. They add to the array of decorative stonework around the castle and hint at some of the stories from the 800 years of Fyvie history, beginning with its role as a medieval royal fortress before it became a Scottish Baronial masterpiece and an Edwardian party pad.
The castle’s stonework is carved from a vibrant red sandstone. However, years of exposure to the Scottish weather means much of this is in a fragile and unstable condition. Urgent specialist conservation work is now needed to safeguard the stonework and protect it for the future. A team are preparing to undertake a large project, which includes the reharling of the castle walls as well as stone conservation work. This will see our Fyvie Guardians taken down from the roof and conserved by highly skilled specialists.
We care for a huge range of stone statues and carvings throughout Scotland, all demonstrating our predecessors’ artistry and storytelling. By playing the Scottish Heritage Lottery, you are helping us protect unique carvings like the Fyvie Guardians today.
Louise F, Lottery winner
I play the lottery to support the brilliant work that NTS does in preserving Scotland’s heritage, environment and historical sites. We’ve recently moved to Moray and are loving exploring Trust sites in Aberdeenshire and the Highlands.
Spotting the Lego men in Culzean castle has been a favourite pastime from about the age of 5 - now turning 30 we still make our annual trip round the castle to see who can spot each lego man first. I am very proud to be the reigning family champion!
The house we are in now has our first ever garden, and all of the Trust gardens have been really inspirational for us - going round and working out what we want to plant, albeit on a much smaller scale.
The money means so much to me - my partner and I haven’t had a full week off work together since April 2019. We will use the money to go on a long-awaited holiday - now we just need to decide where!
