A father and son from Crieff are set to retrace the ancient footsteps of cattle drovers to raise funds for charity.
Ewen Cameron (51) is getting ready to relive the hike he made back in 1986, following the 200-mile cattle trail from the Isle of Skye to his Perthshire home.
But this time, he will have his son Fraser (8) in tow.
The two-week challenge, which will see them taking on some of Scotland’s most challenging and scenic landscapes, will be in memory of Ewen’s mum, who died from a heart-related illness.
Ewen leaves Glen Brittle on Skye on Sunday, August 4, and the pair will finish their epic hike at Crieff Highland Gathering on August 8.
Even though they haven’t even started yet, Ewen and Fraser have already raised £2000 for Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA), based at Perth Airport, and the British Heart Foundation Scotland.
Ewen said: “We’ve set a £3000 target for these two charities which are close to our family’s heart.
“My mother Janette died of a heart-related illness and this money will support world leading research taking place at the University of Glasgow.
“Fraser’s school has been raising money for SCAA so he wanted to support the air ambulance, which is based near Perth where mum lived.
“There is also a strong link for us between our two chosen charities as I understand that approximately 22 per cent of SCAA’s call outs are to cardiac emergencies.”
Little Fraser, who regularly hikes with his dad, will take on six days of the challenge - the final 100 miles from Spean Bridge to Crieff.
Ewen continued: “I have no worries about his ability to keep up.
“Fraser is already a keen Munro-bagger, with 13 under his belt and one equivalent in Austria.
“He’ll probably set the pace for me to keep up with.”
Ewen intends to follow the historic route trampled by the cattle drovers bringing their livestock to central markets in Perthshire.
He added: “I walked this route with a friend when I was 18 years old and I’ve always wanted to do it again.
“This time it will be in memory of my mum - Fraser’s Granny - and hopefully raise funds for two amazing charities.”
Fraser said he is ready to get his walking boots on, having just come back from a family holiday hiking in Austria.
He said: “I’m really excited about it.
“It’s great to be doing the challenge with my dad and I’m really motivated to raise as much money as I can for charity.”
Nick Harvey, SCAA’s director of fundraising and communications, has thanked the pair for their efforts.
He said: “It’s great community spirit like this which has helped to keep SCAA flying and we wish Ewen and Fraser all the best for the challenge ahead.
“Their physical trial and fundraising efforts will help to save lives and ensure SCAA is there for those most in need.”
And James Cant, director of the British Heart Foundation Scotland, added: “Around 700,000 people in Scotland are living with heart and circulatory diseases and nearly 50 people a day die from these conditions.
“The British Heart Foundation wants to change this but we can only continue our life saving research with the support of the public and that is why we are do grateful to Ewen and Fraser for their fundraising efforts.
“We wish them all the very best and hope the weather stays kind for them too on their travels.”
To donate to the duo’s drovers challenge, visit www.justgiving.com/companyteams/camerons
