Company Profile

Highland Conservation was established in 1992 by Andrew Coleman and John Urquhart to undertake work on behalf of a variety of clients to combat the effects of erosion on some of Scotland's most scenic and well used footpaths. After working on a number of challenging projects the newly-formed Ross and Cromarty Footpath Trust began running training courses to provide footpath contractors for the contracts they were managing. With 4 years of experience already Andrew Coleman attended the very first course run by RCFT.

After completing the course we undertook contracts not only for RCFT but also the Skye and Lochalsh Footpath Initiative, the John Muir Trust and Scottish Natural Heritage. This client list has now expanded considerably to include The National Trust for Scotland, Forest Enterprise, the Upper Deeside Access Trust, the Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust and the Scottish Wildlife Trust amongst others. From 1998 onwards we would generally run two teams of skilled workers through the summer season, often cutting back to one team in the winter when the Scottish weather intervenes and forces us onto lower level and coastal contracts.

From undertaking most of our footpath work by hand, we have developed an extremely flexible approach to footpath construction. In order to save clients money, without increasing the environmental impact of our work, we have led the field in technological developments. Where appropriate, we will use hydraulic machinery and/or helicopters, to provide value for money while building environmentally sensitive, quality footpaths.

We have never lost sight of the reason for carrying out footpath work. We are concerned about the erosive impact that seeking access opportunities can have on Scotland's mountains.