South Loch Ness Trail needs proper plan for future, Stratherrick and Foyers community group says
When it was completed, the South Loch Ness Trail was promoted as part of the Loch Ness 360 route which promises to offer an epic outdoor activity trail around the loch.
But six years later there are fears that it is being left to degrade without a proper plan in place for maintaining the route and improving sections of it.
Earlier this year, a vital footbridge was washed away at Ardochy, south of Whitebridge, leading to a two-mile on-road diversion. Much of the embankment was also undermined in the spate, meaning something much more than a straight replacement for the structure is required.
The trail, marketed by Visit Inverness Loch Ness, has proved popular, particularly with walkers and mountain bikers, with some sections being eroded due to this increased use.
Stratherrick and Foyers Pathways Group has led projects to improve two sections of the route which have been completed this year – but the group’s chairman has warned that it cannot take responsibility for maintaining the whole trail.
Graeme Ambrose pointed to counters that have been installed on parts of the route showing that hundreds of walkers and dozens of mountain bikers are making good use of the trail, particularly over the summer months.
The community group is keen to promote the area and the benefits of its outdoor path network, but is concerned about its future.
I spoke to Mr Ambrose as he showed me some of the improvements that have been made between Foyers and Whitebridge, and between Inverfarigaig and Foyers.
He explained: “From our perspective, this goes through our Stratherrick and Foyers area, it’s an important trail and parts of it are getting degraded because of the increased usage on it.
“So, what are we going to do, just let it slide away? You remember back in 2018 we had huge public money that went into it.
“It’s not a blame game – it’s just, for goodness’ sake, we need to get this sorted.”
Since 2021, the paths group has audited around 30 local trails and started what it calls a low-level marketing campaign called Walk The Walk, to inform local people about the paths in their area.
On top of that, the group applied for funding to improve sections on the Dell Estate – by placing large stones in two stream beds crossed by the trail – and on a 320m boggy section of forestry land which has had drainage and resurfacing work done.
Work on the Dell Estate was undertaken by Hitrak and project managed by Phil Thompson Ltd, Construction Management Services, Inverness, and completed in March. The improvements on the forestry section were completed in February and were carried out by Mark Hedderwick, Hitrak, Beauly.
Funding came from a £20,000 award from Highland Council last year, followed by a further £20,000 from the Stratherrick and Foyers Community Trust. Both projects came in under budget, with the leftover cash spent on installing counters at two points along the trail.
At Suidhe, they recorded 386 walkers and 72 bikes between May 25 and August 21, while at Inverfarigaig, there were 774 walkers and 34 bikes.
Mr Ambrose said the figures surprised him, as they show the trail being well used along its length, but he is now seeking a solution to the lack of maintenance or emergency repair budget in place.
He said: “The pathways sub-group is just a few volunteers. We’ve got these trails, we’ve had a low-level marketing campaign, we’ve audited all these paths, we’ve made improvements – the idea has also come forward that we develop a community-based app.
“All linked together – wellbeing, tourism, more sustainable economy – great! But it brings it back in many ways to the South Loch Ness Trail, because it is the main artery through the area. We just want to ensure that there is not the expectation out there that we’re just going to look after it completely.”
Visit Inverness Loch Ness has been contacted for comment.
