Big Sky Campers step up to #SaveMountainPaths in Scotland

Big Sky Campers have become the latest business to support #ItsUptoUs, the joint campaign from Mountaineering Scotland and the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland (OATS), to save upland mountain paths across the country.

A red campervan parked in a scenic spot in front of a hill in Scotland

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.

A campervan parked in a scenic sport in Scotland — *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.

A selfie of a smiling man and woman in front of a mountain in Scotland — *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.

A woman in a red jacket climbing in Scotland — *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.