A mountain man’s legacy is set to send four intrepid Scots on the road to adventures in the Highlands, Trinidad, California and Newfoundland.
The quartet, all in their twenties and thirties, are being supported in their efforts by Perthshire-based wild land conservation charity the John Muir Trust.
Its grants scheme, which will enable them to undertake their ambitious projects around the world, was set up in memory of Bill Wallace MBE.
The Edinburgh mountaineer, who died in the Alps seven years ago, was president of the Scottish Mountaineering Club and a John Muir Trust stalwart.
In honour of his passion for adventure, friends, colleagues and outdoors organisations set up the fund in his name to help people get out into the wild places of the world.
Zoology student Rachel Forbes, who has had to battle Asperger Syndrome, will join a Glasgow University Exploration Society expedition to Trinidad to research and help protect some of the island’s endangered species, including four types of marine turtle.
Another Glaswegian recipient of a grant, Steve Owen, has been funded to purchase specialised equipment to help him map the dark skies of North West Scotland, which may be among the last remaining places of Europe unaffected by light pollution.
Morayshire outdoor activities charity worker Stephen Bate suffers from a degenerative eye disease and aims to take dramatic steps to raise awareness of the condition.
He will attempt a solo climb up the sheer granite face of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, California.
As a relative climbing novice, he approaches the challenge with some trepidation, but has been receiving training from one of Britain’s top solo climbers, Andy Kilpatrick.
Stephen said: “I feel privileged to have the backing from such a well-respected organisation such as the John Muir Trust.
“I’m very much looking forward to getting my adventure in Yosemite under way.”
Finally, Michelle Melville, a Highland Council countryside ranger in Lochaber, will undertake a skills exchange trip to Terra Nova National Park, Newfoundland.
There she will help to manage long distance trails across mountains and fragile habitats and also investigate the connections between the culture and folklore of Newfoundland and that of ancestors who were cleared there from Lochaber.
Toby Clark, who manages the Bill Wallace Grant, said: “We were delighted with the calibre of the applications this year and wish all the best to Rachel, Steve, Stephen and Michelle.
“Bill was a man of action in the mould of the great Scottish wilderness pioneer, John Muir, whose 175th birthday will be celebrated next month.Both of these men would be delighted that their lives have inspired a new generation of conservation explorers to follow in their footsteps.”
Grants of up to £2,000 are available to people aspiring to travel to wild places in the spirit of adventure, on a trip that includes some educational or scientific benefit.
The full Bill Wallace Grant criteria can be viewed at jmt.org.