Adopt a Path Induction Day
Our Adopt a Path scheme is a key to the annual path maintenance volunteering programme.
Those who are passionate about Scotland’s mountains can become custodians of some of the most iconic hill paths and help to protect the upland landscape by reporting on their condition.
This spring, there have been new adoptees joining the scheme. Before they venture out and undertake their first surveys, we take them through one-day induction course which includes mountain awareness, path surveying and how to use our reporting system.
On Sunday 16th March, 10 volunteers arrived to Glenmore Lodge to take part in the induction day. One adoptee joined in virtually for the morning indoor session. It started by going over the scheme and the role of a path adoptee, the safety in the hills and then went over common path problems, what needs to be reported and how. After coffee and biscuits, it was time to go outside. We hiked the popular Corbett, Meall a’Bhuachaille, stopping often an looking closely at footpath features and the issues that can occur.
Recently, there has been a section of a footpath re-built on the way to Meall a’Bhuachaille from Ryvoan bothy. This was a great opportunity for the volunteers to see brand new drainages, and also to compare the re-surfaced sections to the badly eroded parts we came across earlier.
“A very informative classroom session – it was good to get an overview of the history of OATS, and good to have the various path features and the website explained so clearly. And then discussing it in a practical way was really useful too. ”
Andy, adoptee of Coire Domhain path
