Work on the first phase of the footpath restoration has been completed. Photo: Chris Puddephat

Next time the journey to work seems to drag, spare a thought for footpath contractor Alec McMullen, who has walked more than 450 miles getting to his workplace over the past four months.

Mr McMullen is one of the team who have just completed the first phase of a restoration of the route to Suilven.

The work also involved airlifting more than 100 tonnes of rock to the site in Assynt.

Conservation charity the John Muir Trust said by creating a good path line which will enable walkers to stick to a single route through the landscape, the encroachment on to the blanket bog peat, which has led to increasing losses of carbon dioxide, will hopefully be halted or even reversed.

What was once a trampled route across boggy ground, up to 30m wide in places, is now a robust but natural-looking path that walkers can use without sinking up to their knees.

The trust is managing the £200,000 project on the route leading to the popular 731m (2,398ft) mountain in north-west Scotland, on behalf of the Assynt Foundation, who own and manage Suilven on behalf of the community.

The work is being undertaken as part of the Coigach & Assynt Living Landscape Partnership Scheme with the aim of halting the loss of vegetation and erosion of soil, particularly fragile peat, along the path line.

Mr McMullen works for Arran Footpaths, one of two contracting firms on the project.

Chris Goodman, path officer for the John Muir Trust, reflected on what a difference the work so far has made: “At the start of the project I always walked out to the work site in wellies as the ground was so peaty and soft but now it’s a joy to be able to walk out in boots or a good pair of trainers and not get wet feet.

“Contractors ACT Heritage and Arran Footpaths have done an excellent job of constructing the path and stabilising steep mobile ground.”

Andy Taylor, who set up ACT Heritage, having learnt his trade originally through the local Culag Community Woodland Trust training course, said: “It was a big job, but I’m really grateful I got the opportunity to be involved with the work and really proud to have left my mark on Suilven.”

More work will be carried out on the path in spring 2018.