MP: Is there a link between the spirit of Scotland and the people that you attract?

SD: A lot of people that come to us are outdoor-focused and have a similar mindset of protecting the natural world. Many will leave with a renewed spirit and those will often return for another visit to recharge their batteries.

In 2009, The East Highland Way was created by Kevin Langan as a new long distance walk of over 70 miles. This is a wild walking route, and links to the end of the West Highland Way, which comes up from Glasgow through Glencoe into Fort William. He did not expect it to be become so popular with the general public and many of the walking companies that offer full backup services. Backup services are things like the baggage transfer, pick-ups and drop-offs at places along the route, contact telephone numbers, detailed maps and guide information that is really engaging.

MP: That is a concept that is slowly catching on in United States, but it is not as prevalent as it is in Europe.

FD: It’s been around quite a while here. There are three main companies we work with on the East Highland Way. The biggest one is called “Macs Adventures.” There’s another one called “Gemini Walks,” and another one called “Easy Ways.”

It’s a very nice way of doing a walk. The person just carries a rucksack, a day bag. They can still have a suitcase with nice clothes, and nice shoes to put on after their hiking boots of the day. With walk companies, you’re paying slightly more for the service, but they look after all the bookings, baggage transfers and full information.

MP: What other types of visitors do you typically have?

SD: A portion of our guests are mountain bikers. Two miles away is a mountain bike center called “Wolf Trax.” That was built in ’04; it’s a purpose-built, single track mountain biking trail. It’s built for different grades, a bit like the ski areas, there’s blues, and oranges, and green routes. It gets about 20,000 to 30,000 visitors a year.

This particular center is considered the most technical in the UK, possibly Europe. It’s a high-grade black. In some places it’s double black, so a lot of people come here because it’s high-skill.

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