As a keen hillwalker and sometime climber I am conscious that there is a whole industry of people working hard to make my time on the hills enjoyable and safe, from Rangers, to weather forecasters, landowners who repairs stiles, and path builders. So having some leave in hand, I decided to give a day to the 'Ben' - Ben Nevis. One of my favourite hills which has given me, in particular, lots of great days out especially in winter.

I joined the Nevis Partnerships 'Friends of Nevis' working party last Friday, 15th August. You can give as much or as little time as you like to help Ben Nevis through the 'Friends of Nevis' and it is a great way of putting something back. I only had a day but the working party started on Friday and finished on Monday. We were scheduled with path improvements up at the Half-way Lochan, where an informal path splits off from the Lochan path and curls round to the North Face. I hadn't done anything like this before but experience isn't necessary. It was hard work but good fun. We started by carrying up our tools which made the ascent that much harder. Once up we got stuck into making the path more comfortable to walk on , hoping to stop the inevitable widening that happens paths become rutted and stony. We removed stones on the path and put them onto the side, landscaped a side section and then I helped create a water run off feature.

Bob who led the party was informative, patient and knowledgeable and showed me that good paths are created with a lot of skill and thought. I finished my day pleasantly tired and with a much greater understanding of the difficult job of putting in upland paths, in particular how much skill and work goes into creating and maintaining these paths.

Click through to the http://www.friendsofnevis.co.uk/ to find out how you can help.

The John Muir trust also put on work parties and litter picks on Ben Nevis and other Scottish mountains, go to www.jmt.org/support-us-get-involved.asp to see how you can get involved.

Anna