Welcome to the Pathways project page.

‘Paths are not just means of traversing space, but also of feeling, knowing and thinking’.

 Robert Macfarlane, ‘The Old Ways, A Journey on foot’

The Pathways group was set up in 2021 on the back of the CAP which identified the importance to the community of maintaining and developing our path network based on the knowledge that our paths are part of our outdoor infrastructure. 

As per the CAP, the first task undertaken was to undertake an audit of the paths and trails in the Stratherrick & Foyers area identifying the main users, level of use, landowners, and general state of/requirement for maintenance. Twenty-seven paths were initially audited. In early 2025 this list was updated and a further 10 paths added to the audit.   

Two key strands of work emerged from the initial audit, namely, the maintenance and development of key sections of our path network and the marketing and promotion of our paths. The reasons for the focus on these two areas were as follows:

1. They are a key community asset.

2. There is little or no responsibility for any landowner/other 3rd party to maintain them.

3. Walking as an activity nationally has soared in popularity in the past few years and this is putting increased pressure on our paths resulting in degradation of path quality.

4. The South Loch Ness Trail (SLNT) which is part of the Loch Ness 360 passes through the area. This trail which launched in 2018 has been very successfully marketed worldwide by a number of tourism organisations.

To encourage more people, both locals and visitors, to use our paths, enjoy our environment while at the same time gaining health benefits.

Maintenance and Development

Following the award of £20K of funding from Highland Council in 2023 and £20K from the Trust, the group embarked on improvements over two sections of the SLNT. The first section between Inverfarigaig and Foyers was completed in February 2024. A collaborative project with Forestry and Land Scotland, improvements were made to the quality of trail over approximately 320m. This primarily entailed the resurfacing of the trail and improvement of water drainage with the installation of a number of culverts. The work was carried out by Mark Hedderwick, Hitrak, Beauly. Below are two images of the work.

The second section between Whitebridge and Foyers was completed in March 2024. The work entailed improvement of the crossing points of the two streams by the placement of large flat stones in the stream beds. The work was undertaken by Hitrak and project managed by Phil Thompson Ltd, Construction Management Services.

Both of these projects came in under budget which enabled the group to award a contract to Chamber Electronics, Inverness, to install people/ bike counters at two key locations on the SLNT at Suidhe and Inverfarigaig. The purpose of these is to measure usage on what we know to be a popular section of the trail (Inverfarigaig) and one lesser used section (Suidhe). This information will be used to guide potential future investment on the SLNT and other ‘off shoot’ paths. Recording commenced May 8^th 2024 and although the time periods are not directly comparable, the figures below suggest good use and an upward trend from walkers at both locations.   

Suidhe: 

May 8th – October 31^st 2024: 591people and 131 bikes

December 1^st – May 20^th 2025: 550 people and 29 bikes

Inverfarigaig: 

May 8th – October 31^st 2024: 1337 people and 59 bikes

December 1^st – May 20^th 2025: 786 people and 8 bikes

An important section on the SLNT which desperately requires resolution is at Ardochy. In June 2023 the Ardochy bridge was swept away by severe flooding and due to a combination of cost, no clear organisational responsibility for its replacement and further degradation of the riverbank at the site of the former bridge, two years on it has not been replaced. However, recent meetings with all key stakeholders in the SLNT have given cause for optimism that collectively the problem will be resolved eventually. The Ardochy bridge was vital in keeping walkers safe, off the main road between Whitebridge and Knockie, and given the popularity of the SLNT, a solution must be found.

Marketing & Promotion

Following the initial development of the ‘Walk the Walk’ campaign in early 2023 to encourage more people, both locals and visitors, to get out and explore our paths, this has been further developed by the group.  There are now 22 walks, with detailed descriptions listed under Our Local Environment here on the Trust website.  All these walks can be opened in the Ordnance Survey Maps app which is available to download free of charge. In addition, the group have approached accommodation providers in the area and provided a QR code which links to the Walk the Walk page on the Trust website. We hope they will use this code in their promotional materials and better inform their guests of the number and variety of walks in the area.  Also, unique Walk the Walk QR codes have recently been placed on way markers on the Foyers Circular path and Torran Tuill Circular. The purpose of this is once again to gain information on how and who is using our paths.

The second strand of marketing and promotion, that has been extensively explored by the Pathways Group over the past year has been the development of a path-based app. This culminated in a successful Community Engagement event in February this year and a short app survey made available throughout the wider community, to gauge whether-or-not this was a project they thought worthwhile. Despite 43% indicating support for it, 39% were against it and 18% not sure.  The group felt that this was not a strong enough basis on which to progress the project at this time. Should this change and funding be available this decision will be reviewed.  

Further project updates will be posted here as and when they occur. In the meantime if you wish to be part of this active group, please e mail sharon@sfctrust.org.uk