North Harris Trust
The North Harris Trust now owns and manages 63,000 acres, after acquiring the 7,500 acre Loch Seaforth estate in February 2006 following a request from the community. As part of their plan to promote and develop this spectacular terrain for walkers, the North Harris Trust invited the National Trust for Scotland’s Footpath Training Team to participate in a project to restore part of the rapidly deteriorating old drovers’ path inland from Bowglass on the border between Lewis and Harris. The project is being grant-aided by the Western Isles Countryside Access Programme which is jointly funded by Scottish Natural Heritage, Western Isles Enterprise, the Comhairle and the Highlands and Islands Special Transitional Programme.
This was the first time that the team have ventured to the Outer Hebrides and the old footpath presents quite a challenge: years of benign neglect have taken their toll and recent damage caused by quad bikes and Argo cats has left the path in a sorry state. The original drainage ditches will be cleared and the team will concentrate on repairing existing stone culverts; constructing new stone cross drains, fords and repairing gullies caused by erosion from surface water flowing onto the path. The intensive two week exercise will contribute to the trainees' SVQ in Environmental Conservation.
The North Harris Trust intends to maximise the output from the project by providing a project team and by contracting the Comhairle’s Community Employment Initiative to work alongside the National Trust team on the project and to encourage use of traditional methods when it comes to repairing footpaths. An additional spin off being that during the project these skills and techniques are passed on to local people who work with stone but who may not have participated in specialist footpath restoration before.
For the North Harris Trust, the long term aim of the access project is to restore and maintain the spectacular route from Bowglass to Miabhaig, and to develop an annual planned maintenance schedule to upgrade and repair. Much progress has been made in the last three years - there is now a new bridge at Scourst, North of Miabhaig, constructed during a joint exercise by the Royal Engineering Corp, Edinburgh Universities OTC and the Comhairle's Community Employment Initiative. A new footbridge constructed over the Abhainn Langadail will open up the circular route, allowing more people to explore this stunning landscape.
Details are available on the North Harris Trust web-site: www.north-harris.org
