Volunteers from a conservation charity have opened up views of the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond from the busy A82 tourist route.
Friends of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs held a Make a Difference Day, removing stretches of the tree tunnel alongside the edge of the loch and the busy A82 as part of the Windows on the Loch initiative
The event, organised with support from Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority, Luss Estates and Scottish Water, saw some 22 volunteers rolling their sleeves up to clear trees and vegetation at key view points between Luss and Inverbeg.
They also cleared large quantities of litter from this stretch of the loch shoreline.
The group has committed to a ten-year rolling programme which aims to ensure millions of visitors, as well as local residents, can enjoy views towards Ben Lomond as they travel up and down the trunk road.
Until the Friends’ intervention this important tourist route was characterised by dense thickets and tree cover, creating a 20 mile corridor between Duck Bay and Tarbet with no glimpses of the famous loch.
Friends vice-chairman John Urquhart said: ’’This was the latest in a series of Make a Difference Days led by the Friends, and we are grateful to all the enthusiastic volunteers for their great support and hard work which is helping to ensure more people can enjoy the special scenic qualities of Loch Lomond.
“I was pleased we had a good cross section of volunteers from many walks of life and including staff from Scottish Water and Luss Estates as well as youth volunteers from the national park volunteer scheme.’’
A further Make a Difference Day is planned for Thursday November 14 at the Lauder Memorial site at Invernoaden in Cowal in the run-up to the anniversary of a major improvement scheme completed in December last year.
Anyone interested in taking part should contact Carol Lloyd at info@lochlomondtrossachs.org.uk or call 01389 727761.
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