A Crieff father and his eight-year-old son are set to walk an ancient 200 mile cattle trail from Skye to Perthshire in memory of their mother and grandmother.
Ewen Cameron, 51, will walk the full trail from the Isle of Skye to Crieff for Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) and the British Heart Foundation (BHF) in memory of his mum Janette Cameron, who died from a heart related illness.
Young Fraser Cameron will join his dad for the last 100 miles of the two week trek, which is set to finish at the Crieff Highland Games on August 18.
Ewen, who grew up in Crieff but now lives in Giffnock, said: “We’ve set a £3,000 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 Glasgow University and Fraser’s school, Hutchesons’ Grammar, 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% of SCAA’s call outs are to cardiac emergencies.”
The dad, who walked the trail in 1986, believes his son will have no problem completing the last six days of the trek from Spean Bridge to Crieff.
Ewen said: “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.
“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.”
Nick Harvey, SCAA’s director of fundraising and communications, thanked the pair for their support through the testing trek.
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.”
James Cant, director of the BHF Scotland,said: “The BHF 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 so 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.”
