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First jointly hosted event between Lochaber Natural History Society and Friends of Nevis Monday 15 th June saw the first jointly hosted event between Lochaber Natural History Society and Friends of Nevis at Upper Inverroy, when 17 members met for an afternoon of wild plant identification in this flora-rich area of Lochaber. This diversity is related to the band of Ballachulish limestone that passes through the area, contributing to the wide range of soil types. The event, led by local botanists Ian Strachan and Jim McIntosh, identified a total of 74 plant species, including 5 Orchids, which included the Lesser Butterfly Orchid shown below, 7 Ferns and Horsetails, and 13 Rushes, Sedges and Grasses, as well as 7 insect species, including Chequered Skipper Butterfly, shown below, and Golden-ringed Dragonfly. Anyone interested in hearing about and taking part in future events is asked to consider joining Friends of Nevis.
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Sunday 26th April saw a small but select and dedicated group of supporters take part in the Friends of Nevis annual spring litter pick to prepare the Glen for the influx of tens of thousands of tourists that arrive every summer. Many thanks to all the volunteers who turned out and collected significant quantities of litter from up and down the Glen. Also, many thanks to the Ben Nevis Highland Centre for again supporting the event.  Friends of Nevis AGM: Friday the 17th of November, 6.30pm, Nevis Range Conference Room Join Friends of Nevis for a brief AGM followed by a talk from Iain Cameron, Britain’s foremost expert on snow patches and author of ‘The Vanishing Ice’. Citizen scientist Iain has authored and co-authored 27 papers on patches of snow on UK hills, all of which have appeared in the Royal Meteorological Society’s ‘Weather’ journal, and is a regular contributor to the Times and the BBC. He will talk to us about environmental change in Scotland and his passion for seeking out elusive patches of snow in wild and often inaccessible locations. Sign up here!  Friends of Nevis Autumn Litter Pick: Sunday the 19th of November, 10.30am, Woolen Mill Meet in the Ben Nevis Highland centre for a briefing and cuppa before heading out in smaller teams to give the Glen one final clean before the Winter. A variety of routes for different abilities will be available, from the All-Ability-Path to the Ben Nevis Mountain Path - come along for a fun day out and some good conversation! Sandwiches, soup, and snacks are available for lunchtime refreshments. Sign up here!  After some very speedy volunteer work completed this month, we managed to squeeze in one more day of path maintenance on Ben Nevis! The Ranger Team from Nevis Landscape Partnership, with the help of some brilliant Friends of Nevis volunteers, have managed to clear almost all the cross drains on the Ben Nevis Mountain Path at least once this summer. Gradually working our way up, we started at the bottom of the path in May and cleared every drain, culvert, and waterbar up to the Halfway Lochan.  Then, in June, we tackled the far end of the Halfway Lochan, starting at the switch back by John's Wall, and making our way down towards the North Face path - on a rather hot day!  In July we took on some bracken bashing and a Curling Ponds tidy up, but then we were back in August, splitting into two teams that worked from the start of the Halfway Lochan upwards, and Corner 1 downwards - the weather wasn't so kind this time!  And finally, we completed the remaining section with help from the John Muir Trust, working from the Red Burn down to the Halfway Lochan this September!  A huge thank you to all the volunteers who helped us this summer, we couldn't have done it without you! The last section we plan on tackling this season will be the Allt a Mhuilinn path - we're joining forces with the Lochaber Trail Association on the 29th of October to clear the crossdrains from the Top Car Park to the CIC Hut.
For a brilliant and rewarding day out on the hill, sign up here - we'd love to see you there! A huge thank you to Friends of Nevis volunteers Gavin and Mhairi, who joined the Nevis Landscape Partnership Ranger Team, Ellie, Robbie, and 'other' Ellie for a very wet path maintenance day at the Halfway Lochan on Ben Nevis at the end of August! The group split into two teams, working from Corner 1 downwards to the Red Burn, and the Halfway Lochan upwards towards John's Wall, clearing the cross drains to stop the water from eroding the busy path.  The Team were pretty damp and tired after a proper day out on the hill, only stopping briefly to munch some soggy lunch! Great job gang! We have plenty more volunteer days and events coming up, like an Invasive Species Removal Day on the 15th of September! Head to the Events section if you'd like to get involved. The Nevis Landscape Partnership Ranger Team is supported by NatureScot, through the Better Places Fund.
It's been a busy time of year for Friends of Nevis with events and volunteer days! Read on for an update... On Friday the 28th of July, we had Clare Holohan of West Highland Herbal run a day of herbal foraging and remedy making for a group of enthusiastic locals and the Nevis Landscape Partnership Ranger team. Clare led a guided walk where we explored how many amazing plants we have in our local area and their uses, and then spent the afternoon making tinctures and vinegars with what we'd learned!  Clare Holohan of West Highland Herbal discusses herbal plants in Glen Nevis Then on Monday the 31st of July, three brave Friends of Nevis volunteeres joined the NLP Ranger team on an annual Curling Ponds clear up day! Despite the rain, the group managed to strim the paths, edge and weed the installations, cut back brambles and encroaching foliage, sweep the debris, litter pick, and turn over the fire pits. A huge thank you and well done to everyone involved!  Volunteers Gavin, Claire, and Joy with NLP rangers, Ellie and Robbie We have yet another exciting event to add to your calendars! On September the 23rd, one of Scotland's leading field mycologists, Liz Holden, will be hosting a morning's funi foray at Fassfern. Liz's guided walks are always guaranteed to shed light on the fascinating lives of fungi and the essential roles they play in many ecosystems. Come and learn about our local, native fungi here in the Highlands. We will be meeting at the Fassfern car park/picnic area for 10am and taking a leisurely walk up the paths and around the woodlands. Fairly sturdy footwear is recommended as we may drop down amongst the trees to get a better look at what's growing. To get your ticket, visit the Eventbrite page here!  We've got some exciting events and volunteer days coming up - be sure to add these to your diary!
 Last year's West Highland Herbal walk with Clare Holohan. Last week was National Volunteers Week, and we ended it with a brilliant day out at the Halfway Lochan with 3 fantastic Friends of Nevis volunteers! A huge thank you to Mhairi, Safron, and Robbie who joined Engagement Ranger Ellie to clear the cross drains from the start of the Halfway Lochan on a very warm Saturday! Great work team, and if you want to join in any future events, check out our events page here! A huge thank you to four fantastic Friends of Nevis volunteers; Jenny, Rory, Robbie, and Gavin, who joined Engagement Ranger Ellie for a path maintenance session on Ben Nevis on Saturday the 5th of May! This speedy crew made it all the way from Achintee to the Halfway Lochan, clearing the cross drains, water bars, culverts, and ditches on the Ben Mountain Path. The group shared some interesting info about the work and Friends of Nevis to plenty of enthusiastic Ben walkers, and got lots of great feedback on their efforts. Well done team! Fancy joining in next time? Head to our Events page to sign up and get involved! |
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June 2026
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