Nearly There…

Guest blog by Chris Goodman, Path Project Officer for the John Muir Trust, from 14th July 2017. It’s been a busy few months on Suilven but the path work for this year is now drawing to a close. Since April, two path contractors, about 10 staff and a helicopter have all been involved in moving hundreds of tonnes of materials

Reflections

Guest blog by Chris Goodman, Path Project Officer for the John Muir Trust, from 10th July 2017. 15 years ago I wrote a postcard to my folks from Torridon where I was working for a path team at the time. The card read, ‘when the weather is good there can be few better ways to spend a day than doing

The Start of Something

Guest blog by Chris Goodman, Path Project Officer for the John Muir Trust, from 6th June 2017. After four years of preparation I can’t believe the path work on Suilven has flown by so quickly. Arran Footpaths have now finished this year’s work on the higher sections of Suilven while A.C.T. Heritage are half way through their work on the

Footprints

Guest blog by Mandy Haggith, Director of Assynt Foundation. As I climb up into the hills, along paths like the one up Suilven, I’m sure I’m not the only one to reflect not only on my literal footprints, but also on my wider impacts on the world. There’s something about getting out into nature that helps us ponder the big

So Many Views of Suilven

Guest blog by Mandy Haggith, Director of Assynt Foundation. Over the twelve years since the local community has owned Glencanisp Lodge, with its splendid views of Suilven, I have run seventeen retreat weeks for creative writers. Every one of the participants falls in love with the mountain and it has inspired no end of wonderful writing. Even people who have

Changes

Guest blog and photography by Chris Puddephatt from 31st May 2017. It’s six weeks since my first visit on that cold, wet, muddy day and the landscape was still wearing its brown winter cloak. Not anymore! Lots of green lushness and flowers blooming. Heath spotted orchids line the track, and there’s sundew in the wet ditches at the sides. I see

A Cheeky Raven and Cheeky Dippers

Guest blog and photography by Chris Puddephatt from 27th May 2017. It’s looking like a lovely day, and I’m walking in with the “top path team”, as I think it’s my last opportunity to shoot work at the Bealach for this season. The journey is becoming familiar now. A few miles later and we’re off the track and chatting to the

Why would anyone do that?

Guest blog by Chris Goodman, Path Project Officer for the John Muir Trust, from 17th May 2017. I’m stood on the Bealach Mor on the ridge of Suilven with path contractor Scott Murdoch. It’s mid-April, the first day of the Suilven path repair work and we’re looking over the site. But Scott’s attention is drawn by a stone wall on the

A Hole Lode of Peat

Guest blog and photography by Chris Puddephatt from 18th May 2017. A heavier rucksack for the long walk today; I’m taking a tripod and a heavier camera with the intention of getting a time-lapse sequence. I’ve set the camera to take one photo every second for one hour, and this should turn into two minutes of time-lapse. Just got to get

Suilven: Stone for the Mountain

Guest blog and photography by Chris Puddephatt from 2nd May 2017. The better weather I was hoping for; a lovely sunny day for the airlift of the bagged stone! Incredibly only a few days since the blizzard, and look at it! Amazing. OMG! Riding in the helicopter! Lucky, lucky, lucky! Safety briefing; yellow jacket and hard hat. And sunscreen. The chopper

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