Shoppers at Dunkeld’s Co-op have successfully raised over £1,000 towards the development of the River Tay Way – a new long-distance walking and cycling route through Highland Perthshire – thanks to the Co-op Local Community Fund.

PKCT Trust Director Peter Quinn receives £1000 cheque from Grant at the Dunkeld Co-op © Co-op

Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust (PKCT), who are developing the River Tay Way, wanted to get the community involved in developing the route in Dunkeld and Birnam.

This funding will help PKCT develop signage, leaflet, interpretation, online presence, and other promotional activities to promote both active travel routes for the benefit of the community and visitors to benefit their health and wellbeing by being in nature and getting active.

The cycling route follows NCN 77 through the grounds of Dunkeld House Hotel; the walking route follows core paths from Griffin Forest to The Hermitage and on past Birnam Hill.

The Hermitage along the River Tay Way at Dunkeld © PKCT

Andy Barrie, PKCT’s Strategic Routes Officer, who is leading the development of the River Tay Way, said:

The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the importance that access to open spaces plays to everyone’s mental and physical health, and the River Tay certainly offers a huge variety of places to enjoy in nature and unwind.

As part of our goal to encourage greater use of the countryside, the River Tay Way offers visitors a way to explore to some of Perthshire’s most spectacular sites; it links communities between Kenmore at Loch Tay all the way to Perth; and is creating new and improved cycling infrastructure that will provide better active travel opportunities for work or leisure.

The project ultimately aims to help improve the health of users, create sustainable community links, and will develop tourism income when restrictions are lifted.

Dunkeld Co-op members buying Co-op branded products supported three community causes, including the River Tay Way, and can choose a new round of special causes to allocate 1% of their money spent on Co-op branded products towards, by going online to www.coop.co.uk/membership.

Find out more about the River Tay Way by visiting www.rivertayway.org.