Gayle joins volunteers repairing a waterlogged path on the way up to Loch Brandy in Glen Clova.
It’s tough, sweaty work. And if you’ve got poor upper body strength, as I do, you may have your work cut out.
I realise this as I stagger up the hill with a bucket full of rocks, earth and rubble.
I’m in the heart of Glen Clova, in Angus, and on a mission to help fix a footpath winding steeply up to Loch Brandy.
It’s been badly eroded by water, and I’ve joined volunteers to have a bash at repairing some of the damage.
At the helm is Aviemore-based Shona Irvine, activity projects manager for the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland (OATS).
The main ambition is to unblock ditches, clear drainage channels, and direct water away from the path.
There are eight of us in the group, and we’re all armed with spades. It’s misty and there’s a nip in the air – but as soon as we start digging, heart rates rise and layers are removed.
Shona tells me we’re dealing with two main drainage features – water bars and cross drains.
It’s good fun when you’re out with enthusiastic, friendly volunteers.”
Shona Irvine
Cross drains allow water to cross the path, while water bars encourage water to hit the “bar” and run off the path.
Over time, these features can become eroded, or fill with vegetation.
Huge undertaking
Gazing at the crumbling track, and the stream that flows right through it, it seems a huge undertaking.
But I start filling buckets with material that’s been swept away by water, and is lying in messy patches nearby.
The aim is to get this back on to the path, while Shona and other volunteers head upstream to repair the water bar.
It doesn’t take long for them to make an impact, and it’s a joy to see the water take a different course, well away from the path.
There’s an extremely satisfying glug as Donald Thomson digs out a blocked ditch, and water rushes through the channel freely.
Engaging volunteers
Having taken on her role in January 2022, Shona’s been trying to engage volunteers “of all ages and stages” in path maintenance and conservation days.
While the majority of folk here today are retired men, Shona assures me that this isn’t always the case.
“I’ve done a push on social media to engage with new folk – women’s mountaineering clubs and students mainly. It’s probably a 60-40 split, with slightly more men than women.”
Enjoy the outdoors
Prior to joining OATS, Shona worked in habitat restoration for the RSPB and was a nature reserves officer for NatureScot.
“It’s about enabling others to enjoy the outdoors, while protecting the landscape,” she says.
“It’s good fun when you’re out with enthusiastic, friendly volunteers.”
The previous day, Shona had been up the Kilbo Path, a route linking Glen Doll to Prosen.
During a break, I catch up with volunteers to find out what’s brought them here.
Darren Moody, from Banchory, tells me when he was made redundant from the oil industry a few years ago, he was keen to do more outdoors activity. He says: “Being a keen hillwalker I thought it was a good opportunity to put something back.”
Aberdeen-based Ken Thomson, secretary of the Cairngorm Club, the oldest hillwalking club in Scotland, is also getting stuck in.
“It’s a great feeling of accomplishment, especially if you do the walk again and see the difference you’ve made,” he says.
Youngest volunteer
At 28, Ruairidh Nash from Comrie is the youngest volunteer today: “I moved to Scotland six months ago – to get into the mountains – and wanted to volunteer.”
Donald Thomson, a retired hospital consultant from Aberdeen, has been involved in multiple path maintenance projects.
He was initially with Upper Deeside Access Trust, pre-OATS – which formed in 1998.
“I’ve always been a hillwalker and I wanted to give something back to the hills,” he says.
“If you repair a path every couple of years, you save the need to completely redo it in 10 or 15 years’ time. It’s water that does most of the damage, so if you can control where the water goes, then you can make a difference.”
Donald first learned path techniques when he joined work parties with the John Muir Trust in Sandwood Bay in Wester Ross.
“The path was in a dreadful state when the Trust took it on, so we used to spend a week in the summer, doing repair work,” he says.
Rewarding
As we plug away at the job, with some of us (me) taking more breaks than others, we’re greeted by walkers heading up the hill.
“It’s really rewarding when people say we’re doing a great job,” smiles Ken.
Volunteer days like this can be hard, but physical graft shouldn’t put anyone off.
“You can do as much or as little as you want!” says Shona.
“Feel free to have breaks – or if it’s too tricky, we can find you something else to work on. The main thing is to have fun and feel you’ve made a bit of a difference.”
You do need to have good general fitness and experience in the outdoors, but all tools are provided and no prior path work experience is required.
- An environmental charity promoting sustainable public access, OATS builds and repairs paths, mountain habitats and trailhead facilities, while conserving and protecting our natural heritage.
- For details of future volunteer days see outdooraccesstrustforscotland.org.uk/oats-events/
Conversation