Skeegan’s Way

Ken Johnston

Since 2014, when the idea of creating a continuous green footpath link from the high density housing around Ross Place and Moray Place through to the Cow Hill Circular Path and ultimately to Glen Nevis and the West Highland Way, was first conceived, the Upper Achintore Regeneration Group (UARG) has been fundraising to achieve this aim. In February of this year, thanks to funding from HiTrans, Highland Council, Lochaber Rotary and Broadland Energy together with £2,000 worth of path-making materials donated by the Breedon Group at Banavie Quarry, almost all of the footpath is now in place and has been warmly welcomed by the Upper Achintore community. The project involved repairing a number of existing old legacy footpaths, mainly built by the former pulp mill workers team in the 1980s, upgrading some trodden trails, together with constructing short lengths of new footpath to complete the 750m long trail connecting onto the Scottish Water track that joins the popular Cow Hill Circular track. The group also intends to install waymarking signage for both the route itself and for alternative wheelchair access links. The group is indebted to former Highland Council retired chartered civil engineers Bob Spence and Jim Tolmie for giving immense amounts of their time and expertise to this important community project. The Ross Place housing area comprises mainly four-storey family housing without gardens and is the highest density housing in Fort William. The path will be hugely beneficial to this community’s resilience, health and welfare to enjoy this direct link into the lower reaches of Cow Hill and onto the popular circular path. The path project has been named Skeegan’s Way in recognition of the earlier exploratory work undertaken by former local councillor Donald “Skeegan” Cameron who founded the Regeneration Group, invested much of his time and energy in supporting local projects and came up with the idea of joining the network of footpaths together. On being approached by the group, he very reluctantly agreed to the path being named Skeegan’s Way.