Gift to mark 20 years of route
A winding rural Perthshire tourism route is set to receive a gift to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
The Hugh Fraser Foundation has agreed to donate £3000 per year towards improvements on the Cateran Trail for the next three years.
The Cateran Trail is a fully waymarked, 64-mile circular route through Perthshire and the Angus glens in the heart of Scotland.
The trail is a circular route divided into five stages and can be walked in five days.
It has no official beginning or end and can be joined at any stage.
The Cateran Trail has been officially open since 2000, but restrictions due to the COIVD-19 pandemic did not permit a formal celebration for the considerable milestone in 2020.
Andrew Barrie, who managed the Cateran Trail as strategic routes officer at Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust, said:“It has been a great way to start the new year with new funding towards the much-loved CateranTrail.
“We weren’t able to celebrate the route’s 20th anniversary last year but receiving this funding from the Hugh Fraser Foundation will go a long way to helping us keep the Trail one of the most accessible in Scotland.
“Being outdoors is great for mental health and wellbeing, so maintaining and improving routes like the Cateran Trail is important for local communities during COVID-related restrictions and for visitors when they’re allowed to travel here again.
“As the Cateran Trail has been recognised as one of the 10 best long-distance walks with overnight stays in Britain and one of the best bikepacking routes in Scotland, we want to be able to make it even more accessible along its whole length, including updating interpretation and signage, installing benches and self-closing gates, repairing path and walls, and much more to make it an unforgettable experience.”
Patricia Fraser, chair of the Hugh Fraser Foundation, commented:“The trustees are delighted to be able to give support and help mark the 20th anniversary.
“I look forward to being able to come and walk/cycle some if not all of the trail in the coming year.”
Find out more about the Cateran Trail at www. caterantrail.org