Upgrade for Rannoch’s river routes
£50k will improve paths for all
Riverside paths in Highland Perthshire are to be given a £50,000 funding boost to improve their natural beauty and increase accessibility.
Rannoch’s stunning riverside paths have until now been muddy and slippery in places. They will be made more accessible for the local community and visitors thanks to a big funding boost.
The money - awarded by Avondale Environmental as part of the NPL Group through the Scottish Landfill Communities Fund - will help develop an allabilities access point from the village to the riverside path and upgrade the current path along the River Tummel providing a link to the wider local path network.
It will be smoother and more accessible for all users, with improved signage being installed to raise awareness of the upgraded route.
The project will be managed by Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust (PKCT) in partnership with Cycling Scotland’s Transport Planning and Engineering (TP&E) and the Rannoch Paths and Open Spaces Group (RPOSG) to enhance the local environment for everyone.
Annie Benson, chair of RPOSG, commented: “This is really welcome news and takes us one step further in realising our ambition to make an accessible riverside path, joining the path network around Kinloch Rannoch.”
Bid Strachan, PKCT communities officer, said: “The riverside path is a valuable local amenity, but the current narrow and uneven earthen surface of the path can often be muddy and slippery in adverse weather.
“The path benefits the village in having three access points, however, the central one requires a gradient solution to enable shared use and easier access for all. Currently the steep incline and some steps are a barrier for many users.
“By upgrading the route, both residents and visitors of all abilities shall be able to safely reach various destinations and amenities in and around the village, by walking, wheeling or cycling.”
Further funding to realise the entire project is currently being sought, with aspirations to begin work early 2022.