Alternative walking route along North Coast 500 gets biggest development yet after generous £10k donation

The biggest development yet on a walking route that runs parallel to a section of the North Coast 500 (NC500) in the Scottish Highlands has been completed thanks to a generous donation.

A new bridge has been built at a point on the John o’ Groats Trail (JoGT), which stretches across the east Sutherland and Caithness coast between Inverness and the northerly mainland point.

Since the trail was officially launched in 2016, walkers wading through chest-high waters at Loth Burn, which is about halfway, was a regular occurrence.

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The brand new bridge over the Loth Burn on the John o' Groats Trail | Ken McElroy

When in spate, this burn was more likely to turn into a dangerous torrent. Walkers at this point on the route, which is between the villages of Helmsdale and Brora, would have to ford it either by gingerly walking across an unstable weir, or braving a dook into fast-moving waters, which flowed into the North Sea.

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Some walkers have claimed the trail is not for the faint hearted due to it still being developed in some parts.

But thanks to the Association of Northern Trails Scotland (ANTS), the trails development charity behind improving JoGT, a bridge has now been erected at this tricky crossing point.

Walkers can enjoy a much easier crossing over the burn thanks to the new development | Ken McElroy

The construction of the the 22m single span of wood and steel cost some £90,000 and is the trail's biggest project to date, ANTS said.

The bridge is named after Rob and Caroline Pickard, two early trail walkers who completed a journey from the south coast of England to Dunnet Head, the most northern point on the British mainland.

Mr Pickard passed away in 2018, but an incredible £10,000 donation was made by his wife in his name towards the JoGT.

Ken McElroy who is working on developing the John O' Groats trail more and starting on the new North Coast Trail between John O' Groats and Cape Wrath | John Angerson

The donation helped secure trail development manager, Kenneth McElroy, in 2022, who went on to fundraise towards the bridge at Loth, securing the money from a variety of groups. These bodies included SSE Sustainable Development Fund, SSE Gordonbush Fund, Gordon and Ena Baxter Foundation, Kilbraur Wind Farm Community Benefit Trust, People's Postcode Lottery and North Highland Initiative, which all contributed to making the bridge happen.

The John O' Groats Trail started as just one man on a walk - Jay Wilson - in 2014. It has grown from there to be a collective effort of walking groups and individuals, and volunteers of all types | Katharine Hay

Jay Wilson, founder of the JoGT and chairman of ANTS, said: “This bridge spans one of the last major obstacles along the trail and has been a goal of our charity for many years. But I think it’s also symbolic of the trail project reaching new heights and a much wider user community.

“So if anything can embody ten years of hopes and dreams of our many volunteers, walkers and friends, this is it for us all.”

This month marks almost a decade since volunteers made early attempts to remove encroaching vegetation from the embryonic trail. Since then, the route has been surveyed, signed and waymarked and better delineated by the ever-growing number of walkers who take on the challenge.

Last year, ANTS reported a 65 per cent increase usage of the JoGT, with thousands walking the route. This has led to a reported near £1 million windfall for the local economy through tourism spend, ANTS said.

There will be a Loth Burn bridge opening ceremony, located at the village of Loth between Brora and Helmsdale on Thursday.

ANTS is also behind developing the North Coast Trail, which runs from John o’ Groats to Cape Wrath.