Volunteers improve access along Caithness Coast

Some of the volunteers pictured during a break

Members of the Caithness Countryside Volunteers teamed up with the Friends of the John O’Groats Trail on Sunday morning to improve access between Bruan and Ellens Geo on the East coast of Caithness.  The weather was beautiful and incredibly mild for the time of year which meant the volunteers worked up quite a sweat!  The volunteers cut back dense gorse and built stiles to improve access for people walking the long distance route from Inverness to John O’Groats.

Highland Council Ranger Marina Swanson said: “The gorse was very dense but our volunteers worked extremely hard to open up access in an area which has been impassable for a number of years. Some of the volunteers built a number of stiles making this amazing section of coastline much more accessible to the general walker. The efforts of our volunteers are very much appreciated and it would not be possible to carry out the work without them.

“The East Caithness Coastline has amazing coastal scenery and the small section we worked on Sunday has both natural and manmade points of interest. The Whaligoe steps are well knows but some of the natural arches, geos and waterfalls often go unnoticed. The trail passes many of these features and gives the opportunity to enjoy some very beautiful scenery.”

The Caithness Countryside Volunteers is organised through the Highland Council’s Planning and Infrastructure Countryside Rangers and is always looking for new members. If you wish to find out more about the group, please contact Marina Swanson on 01847821531 or e-mail marina.swanson@highland.gov.uk

If you are specifically interested in work of the Friends of the John O’Groats Trail please email Jay Wilson at jbw243@gmail.com