A band of volunteers in a Moray village are pressing on with a £16,000 vision to restore a popular beauty spot.
Residents in Cullen want to create a network of paths leading to the summit of Castle Hill to encourage tourists to enjoy stunning views of the Moray Firth.
Members of the village’s Past and Present Group have already reclaimed the hill from nature by clearing tonnes of vegetation.
But now they have applied for lottery funding to ensure everyone is able to take in one of the most stunning views in the region.
Chairman Dennis Paterson said: “The whole thing is about trying to attract more people into Cullen – give them more things to do while they’re here for a coffee, fish and chips or whatever.
“There’s a lot of pride in the village from the members. They just want to see it looking its best.
“It’s mainly retired people we have helping – it’s been harder to recruit some of the younger ones. Maybe when you get older you have a greater sense of history, what matters and an attitude to do your bit to help.”
During the summer, about 20 members of the Cullen Past and Present Group worked tirelessly to clear a path to Castle Hill.
Restoring paths to the summit is expected to cost about £16,000. Volunteers have raised more than £1,000 on their own and have already been pledged support from Historic Environment Scotland if their lottery bid is successful.
The determined squadron of volunteers have also turned their handyman skills to sprucing up the town’s famous viaduct and Nelson’s Point.
The group now intend to fashion flower pots from whisky barrels to add a sprinkling of colour to the centre of the picturesque coastal village.
Since the Castle Hill summit was cleared of vegetation droves of visitors have been making their way to the summit to take in the views.
Tourists have also been encouraged to share selfies at the peak on social media to showcase the impressive panorama to a wider audience.
Mr Paterson said: “We want to reinstate the paths – but to a better standard. At the moment they’re on slopes and you can’t get up with pushchairs, buggies and wheelchairs.
“We want to level them off so anybody can get up there. That’s the aim.”
