Farlary Footpaths croft open day this weekend will raise money for Rogart Hall
A Rogart crofting couple are holding an open day on Saturday, July 6, to show the public their garden and network of footpaths as well as to raise funds for their local hall.
Bob Meeres and his wife Louise moved to the 360-acre croft at 43 Farlary 34 years ago and they have since improved the biodiversity of the land by planting thousands of trees and creating a number of ponds.
They embarked on the footpath project during the 2020 lockdown with the help of their daughter Megan and her partner Aaron Europa who were staying at Farlary due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In total, the family laid over four miles of footpaths, laying mats over peat and boardwalks in boggy areas, building small bridges and a small car park and installing seating and picnic benches.
Bob, a former postman, said: “It was a big undertaking but a really enjoyable and rewarding challenge. We worked on it full-time for a year until completed. We laid 1500 tonnes of gravel and planned out the routes as we went along.
“I started the project because I always wanted a path through our woods so we could have the opportunity to develop and enjoy them more. Once we had completed them I thought it would be lovely for others to be able to enjoy them as well.”
Farlary Footpaths have been open to the public since 2021, and provide easy access to the croft’s woodlands and open heather hills.
There are three routes, the 1.5 mile blue path or Quarry Pond Walk, a circular path with a 166ft rise, that takes walkers over the hill. The 1.8 mile red path or Woodland Walk goes through a 100-acre woodland and the one-mile black path or Meall Odhar takes walkers up the hill to a viewpoint to Ben Horn.
“On a fine day, the view at the top is fantastic,” said Bob.
He and Louise are keen to continue to develop Farlary paths, possibly by building a ‘learning classroom’ as a base for people to use and where outside experts could be invited to run woodland activities and workshops
Visitors to the open day will be encouraged to walk the trails themselves, but activities have also been organised including foraging walks with Emma Armstrong at 1pm and 3pm. There will also be a tree hunt and a raffle.
Entry is by donations - the event is to raise money for Rogart Hall and the hall committee will be serving teas and coffees.
“Hopefully if it is a nice day people will sit around the garden,” said Louise.
The exact location of the croft can be found using what three words (w3w) - stated.mindset.backpacks.
For more information visit the Farlary Footpaths Facebook page.
