Jigsaw skills on Ben Lomond

Keeping a path surface in place at these gradients often needs stone pitching, where the rocks are locked together to provide a solid stone surface that can withstand extremes of weather. The old pitched surface, built in 1996, was fairly rough and many walkers were avoiding it, instead trampling over the vegetation at the path edge. Erosion was spreading either side of the path. We have found this problem has been exacerbated by many more people coming up the mountain in thinner-soled shoes and trainers, rather than walking boots.

The ranger service have spent a week replacing some sections of the stone surface, building the pitching in such a way as to create level tread surfaces. These give more of a stepped surface that people find easier to walk on, bringing walkers back onto the path and enabling us to block the trampling on the soft ground to the sides.