Stalled work at beauty spots to resume

Improvement works at two of Skye’s most famous tourist spots are being resumed as Scotland slowly emerges from lockdown.

Highland Council’s pathworks project at Old Man of Storr, managed in association with the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland (Oats), is due to restart on Monday.

And works on the construction of toilet facilities at the Fairy Pools car park, near Glenbrittle, have already resumed.

McGowan Ltd of Aviemore, principal contractor for the renovation of about

“We are delighted that this work is able to restart”

2,000ft of paths to the Old Man of Storr, had made good progress before lockdown.

Most of the path material was bagged and ready for a helicopter to lift it on to the hillside.

Once the material has been lifted into the affected areas works can start to make the path fit for visitors.

Principal contractor for the toilet block at the Fairy Pools car park, James McQueen, from Crossal, Isle of Skye, is in the process of installing an off-grid sewage system and processing tank.

It will have capacity for 200,000 visitors per year.

The toilets will be fully operational, alongside the recently completed 140-space car park, by mid-July.

Chief executive of Oats, Dougie Baird, is overseeing the schemes.

He said: “We are delighted that this work is able to restart with appropriate procedures in place.’’

Dave Till, who chairs SkyeConnect, said the resumption of work at both spots was “good news for potential visitors”.