OATS Volunteer Coordinator, Eva Kupska, said: “Our volunteers spent three days on An Teallach, working alongside experienced path builders. While the peaks got covered by snow, we were enjoying the sun at the lower section of the path.
“The main part of each day was filled with finding the correct rocks and then moving them, winching, digging, excavating burrow pits to obtain aggregate and then restoring those pits, landscaping, construction of cross drains, waterbars, stone pitching and many more different kinds of jobs involving mattocks, spades, pinch bars, buckets, lump hammers
“The volunteer group and the path builders put in an excellent amount of work – I hope they are all resting with their feet up now!
If you’d like to find out more about the campaign, how to get involved or donate, visit www.savemountainpaths.scot
Now in its second year, It’s Up to Us is a three-year campaign to raise £300,000 for much-needed path repairs on An Teallach, one of Scotland’s most iconic mountains. With the launch of the Pennies scheme, each time you shop at a Cotswold Outdoor store in Scotland you’ll have the chance to round-up and donate as little as one penny at the checkout to support the It’s Up to Us campaign. Collectively, these small donations really do add up…just £5 could pay for gloves and eye protection for volunteers and contractors, while £100 could build one metre of gravel path.
CEO of the Outdoor Access Trust Scotland, Dougie Baird, said: ‘’It is fantastic that Cotswold Outdoor have chosen to support the Its Up To Us An Teallach appeal as the focus of their Pennies initiative.
All of us who love the outdoors understand the need for good kit on the hill, and it is really good to know a little bit of each purchased piece of kit during the initiative will be going to help look after the mountains that so enrich our lives.’’
The initial stage of the campaign is focused on repairing 3.2km of badly eroded path on An Teallach, with contractors from Cairngorm Wilderness Contracts (CWC) having so far completed 340m of path building and maintenance work on the mountain, funded by the campaign and supported by a team of enthusiastic path maintenance volunteers. The campaign is also calling on Government to help develop a sustainable funding model for building and maintenance work across Scotland’s upland path network to ensure it is kept fit for purpose for future generations to enjoy.
Last week, an enthusiastic team of OATS volunteers teamed up with path contractors from Cairngorm Wilderness Contracts to undertake path-building work on An Teallach.
Over three days, the volunteers and contractors worked together to build several metres of stone revetment, a large stone cross drain, lay aggregate path, dig some ditches and do some path restoration work to minimise the visual impact of the path works.
The £300,000 path project is being funded by the It’s Up To Us campaign in partnership with Mountaineering Scotland, which aims to raise awareness of the desperate need for funding for upland path repairs in Scotland. Over £215,000 has been raised so far, but there is still more to do so that this vital conservation work can continue.
On Tuesday, the volunteers were joined by members of the Mountaineering Scotland teamed, who travelled from HQ in Perth to see the progress that’s been made on the path and try their hand at path building. Well-known outdoor writer and It’s Up to Us ambassador, Chris Townsend, along with photographer James Roddie, were also on site covering the volunteers days for the June issue of The Great Outdoors (TGO) magazine.
The EOCA grant has given a massive boost to the It’s Up to Us fundraising campaign for path renovation and habitat restoration works on one of Scotland’s most iconic mountains.
This generous grant brings the fundraising total for It’s Up to Us to over £200,000. The current total, two thirds of the £300,000 project budget, secures essential contract works on An Teallach until at least May 2025.
EOCA is a charity organisation set up in 2006 by the European Outdoor Group (EOG) to enable businesses from the outdoor sector to work collectively together. It supports and funds a growing number of much needed grassroots conservation, protection, and regeneration projects around the world (except in North America where The Conservation Alliance does similar work), protecting the wild places and wildlife everyone cares so much about. Since 2006 EOCA has invested more than €5m in 194 projects in 65 countries throughout the world.
Credit: Brodie Hood
On their website EOCA highlights the only UK project to win a grant award in this round: “It’s Up to Us will bring together those who care for mountains and conservation to help raise awareness and funds to fix the path erosion scars on An Teallach, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, through path restoration using natural local rock materials. The 1250m of upland path and 1300m of light touch path works will protect the hill from further loss of biodiversity and allow habitat recovery in the eroded area. The project will use habitat restoration techniques to recover 4.95 acres of the lost upland peatland habitats.”
Chair of the Outdoor Access Trust Scotland, Duncan Bryden, said: “An Teallach – Gaelic for the (Blacksmith’s) Forge – towers alpine like above Little Loch Broom. One of Scotland’s great mountains, it delivers a special mountaineering experience for many people. OATS are delighted and grateful that EOCA member companies recognise the mountain’s special needs and have given this fantastic award to the It’s Up to Us project to help restore paths for both people and nature. It is a great example of businesses from the outdoor sector giving back to wild places.”
Credit: Brodie Hood
Mountaineering Scotland CEO, Stuart Younie, said: “The award of this grant from EOCA is fantastic news. It makes a significant contribution to our fundraising target, but just as important to our campaign is to have an established European charity which has supported projects all over the world, recognise the value of the work being carried out on An Teallach to restore nature and protect the environment. I’d like to thank EOCA for their generous support and to everyone who voted for It’s Up to Us.”
Catherine Savidge, General Manager at EOCA, said: “We are delighted to be supporting the project ‘It’s Up To Us! – An Teallach’ which the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland submitted to the European Outdoor Conservation Association for funding. The project was chosen during a thorough selection process which took almost six months, finally being selected by EOCA member companies for funding. We very much look forward to hearing reports on how the work is progressing, protecting fragile habitats in this special area.”
HARVEY Maps has donated a fantastic £300 towards the It’s Up to Us campaign to save mountain paths in Scotland after choosing the campaign for their annual Green Friday donation.
Instead of offering customer a Black Friday sale or similar, each year HARVEY Maps chooses one charity, project or campaign to donate to, with the hopes of encourage a positive approach to the sustainability of our environment.
HARVEY Maps said: “Green Friday offers the opportunity to reflect on our place in the great outdoors and the impact all of our actions are having upon it. Our hills, mountains and green spaces, and our appreciation of them, are vitally important.”
Green Friday ran from Wednesday 22nd November to Monday 27th November, with 10% of the value of each order HARVEY Maps received via their website during this period donated to It’s Up to Us.
They added: “We’re passionate about looking after the mountains and trails that we map, which is why the It’s Up to Us campaign is important to us. We’re aware that the first goal of the campaign is to repair the badly eroded path on An Teallach. HARVEY Maps are currently revising the An Teallach map to bring it into line with the rest of the Superwalker series. We’ll be relaunching the most up to date format of the An Teallach Superwalker next month, and we hope that our Green Friday donation will help towards the restoration of the path.”
We want to say a HUGE thank to HARVEY Maps for their generous donation and for supporting It’s Up to Us!
The campervan rental company, based in Edinburgh, have donated an incredible £1,500 towards the campaign, which has helped to push fundraising past the half-way point to a fantastic £150,000!
Run by Alex Black and Rob Dawkins, Big Sky Campers are a small business focussed on providing high quality campervans to customers who want to see the best of Scotland, with a focus on slow, sustainable travel.
Many of Big Sky Campers customers enjoy Scotland’s hills (Image: Nigel Darling)
Alex said: “We decided to support the Its Up To Us campaign after visiting the Fairy Pools on Skye, where we were really impressed by the infrastructure there (after recent work carried out by OATS). We took a leaflet and kept up with some of the work OATS was doing and, when we were in a position to ‘give back’, we toyed with local charities in Fife, like the Coastal Path, but felt that the majority of our customers head north, many with boots and walking poles, and so decided on the It’s Up to Us campaign.
Big Sky Campers founders Alex and Rob wanted to give something back
“It’s great to be able to support It’s Up to Us as by doing so we are supporting the infrastructure and biodiversity of some fragile yet popular areas of Scotland which mean a lot to us, as well as being enjoyed by many of our customers.
“Many of our competitors plant trees which is wonderful and needed but we didn’t want to follow suit and there is more to supporting biodiversity than tree planting and this is where we decided that the Its Up to Us campaign ticked many boxes. Our customers use the mountains, car parks and paths, so in supporting the maintenance of these, we are also supporting the fragile environment and surrounding flora and fauna as well as the re-growth of scared areas.
Big Sky Campers customer Nigel Darling took this shot on a climbing trip in Scotland
“In the future, we hope we can do even more, and have added a section on the sustainability page of our website about the campaign for our customers to find out more and donate.
We want to say a HUGE thank you to Alex and Rob for their generous donation and all their support!
If you’re thinking about hiring a campervan, make sure you visit their website and don’t forget to check out their sustainability page.
If your business or organisation would like to make a donation or find out more about getting involved with the It’s Up to Us campaign, visit www.savemountainpaths.scot.
It’s time to meet another amazing #ItsUptoUs campaign ambassador – Benjamin Barendrecht – who is helping us to #SaveMountainPaths in Scotland!
He says: “My name is Benjamin Barendrecht, I’m a mountain photographer living full time in my van among the mountains of Glencoe. Born in the Netherlands, I never had access to the mountains while growing up, I was always fascinated and dreaming of exploring remote places of the world.
“Since then, I’ve been to many places, but nowhere gave me the same feeling as the mountains of the Scottish Highlands, there is a magical feeling when exploring Scotland, a place I feel home. The incredible and diversely geological history of the place is something I feel truly invested in.
“Capturing moments of history with my camera is something I’m really passionate about. The mountains introduced me to my first camera. I was hiking in Norway, and I really wanted to find a way to capture the emotion and feeling of the place, which led me to a new creative process of finding how, standing among the giants which has stood the test of time.
“Over the years, I’ve learned a lot from how to use a camera and finding my own creative style, which led me to bring more purpose into my work. Through my photography I want to inspire others to dive deeper into learning and understanding the mountains.
“For a long time, mountains have been seen as a safe heaven, used for creative, competitive and health reasons. We have the responsibility to look after the things we use and love. I support the It’s Up to Us campaign because it’s an inspiring way to give back to the mountains. Paths are an important part of protecting the land and a safe way to navigate.
“It’s up to us to look after the mountains and give back.”
We are excited to announce that It’s Up to Us has been shortlisted for the autumn round of funding from the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) and we need your votes to secure 60,000 Euros that will be a huge boost to our fundraising for the path repairs on An Teallach.
The award will be decided by public vote, which is open until midday Wednesday 1 November, so please head over to the EOCA website now to cast your vote for It’s Up to Us and share with your friends, family, club members and colleagues to ensure we have the best chance of being chosen.
How to vote
To vote, you will need to REGISTER – this is quick and easy and can be done here.
To REGISTER, you will be asked to input a username and valid email account, then click the ‘Register’ button.
A pop-up box will appear, asking you for a four digit verification code. This code will be sent in an email to the address you have used to register.
Input the four digit verification code in the ‘pop up’ box, click on the ‘Verify Code’ button.
You will be taken to ‘My Account’ page, where there is a link you can click to the ‘voting page’, and you are now ready to vote!
You can vote for one project from each category – It’s Up to Us is in the Wild Places category.
The European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) is a charity organisation, set up in 2006 by the European Outdoor Group (EOG) to enable companies from the outdoor sector to work collectively together. EOCA, with its members, supports and funds a growing number of much needed grassroots conservation, protection and regeneration projects around the world, protecting the wild places and wildlife everyone cares so much about.
Funded by membership and other fundraising activities, with over 150 members, EOCA is unique as it provides companies from an entire industry the opportunity to work together, making a difference to threatened wild places, species and habitats, multiplying the effect and positive impact on nature.
Funded projects tackle the loss of biodiversity and mitigate against climate change, whilst also having a link to the outdoor enthusiast, being beneficial to local communities and leave a lasting, positive legacy.
It’s 5 months since It’s Up to Us launched and we are delighted to announce that work has now started on our project to repair 3.2km of badly eroded path on An Teallach.
Thanks to donations by Mountaineering Scotland members and clubs, and contributions from our other public donors and sponsors, we have raised nearly £50,000 in public donations towards the path repairs. This, in addition to the £100,000 Diamond Grant awarded by the Scottish Mountaineering Trust, means we are almost halfway in our campaign to raise the £300,000 required for the An Teallach project.
The team from Cairngorm Wilderness Contracts (pictured above) began work on the An Teallach path at Dundonnell on 29 September, starting at the bottom of the hill and making their way uphill as work progresses.
The contractors are a specialist company dedicated to the design, build and maintenance of upland and mountain footpaths who have worked on many other path projects with OATS including The Fairy Pools and Ben More. Path work often commences in the autumn and throughout the winter, as this is a time when there is less footfall on the mountains, meaning the team are out working in some very harsh weather conditions!
Volunteer parties, organised by OATS, will support the path work and are another great way to get involved in a more practical way. If you’d like to find out more about volunteering with OATS please contact the OATS Activity Project Officer.
Other ways to support It’s Up to Us
Become a regular donor – if you haven’t already done so, one of the best ways to support It’s Up to Us is to set up a regular donation
Employee volunteering – Employer-supported volunteering (ESV), also known as Corporate Volunteering, is where an organisation’s employees take paid time off to volunteer during work hours
Adopt a Path – become a champion for one of the paths maintained by OATS through the Adopt a Path scheme
We’ll be sharing further updates on progress on the It’s Up to Us website and through the Mountaineering Scotland and OATS social media channels, as well as regular email updates to supporters.
It’s time to meet another awesome #ItsUptoUs campaign ambassador, helping us to #SaveMountainPaths in Scotland!
Ian Stewart is the founder of Trail Running Scotland, a Mountaineering Instructor with more than ten years of experience delivering courses, not to mention a former member of the Mountain Safety Team at Mountaineering Scotland! He says:
“I have been fortunate to have spent the last 15 years working and playing in the mountains of Scotland. Originally as a mountaineering instructor this was often about visiting summits and iconic climbing routes, as well as training future leaders on their journeys into the industry.
“More recently this has been as a running guide and coach with my company Trail Running Scotland, where we are working hard towards the vision of a vibrant community of runners; connected through shared values of health, wellbeing, personal performance, and an appreciation of the wild places we choose to play in. We aim to do this by providing the highest quality of skills training and inspirational experiences.
“There is no doubt that the environment in which we run is fundamental to our enjoyment of the sport, both in terms of the things that we see around us, but also the trails under our feet.
“I am conscious of the potential conflict between encouraging and empowering people to participate and explore our wild places with the inevitable impact we then have. That is why I am so happy to support the It’s Up to Us campaign as it builds towards a sustainable model of funding to ensure that we are never involved in a conversation about there being too many people in the hills.”
Find out more, get involved and donate: 
