IT’S UP TO US – but should it be?

It’s Up To Us is a campaign by Mountaineering Scotland and the Outdoor Access Trust Scotland to highlight the urgent need for long-term funding for upland path projects. The first stage of the campaign is to raise £300,000 for the An Teallach path repair as no other funding is available for this popular route on one of Scotland's most iconic mountains.

Scotland’s hill paths are deteriorating faster than ever before as more people are using them and extreme weather and climate change exacerbate the impact.

It’s Up To Us is about asking hillwalkers, mountaineers, outdoor businesses and all who care about Scotland’s hills to give something back.

Whilst lottery funding is available for path work on land in public ownership, in national parks and that owned by conservation charities, fundraising is highly competitive. Many paths don’t get funding and it’s not available at all for paths on privately owned land like An Teallach. In the past the EU provided funding, but this is no longer available post-Brexit.

As land campaigner Andy Wightman shows in his latest analysis, 83% of land in rural Scotland is privately owned so most hill paths will be outside the few funding options currently available. Public appeals like the one for An Teallach can only fund a few paths. Proper organised support from government and business is sorely needed.

You can learn more about the importance of paths and the funding gap – and donate if you can – at savemountainpaths.scot or by scanning this QR code.