Festival fun for all the family

Trust celebrates wild places, rainforests and fantastic films at this year's Fort William Mountain Festival.

Huge thanks to everyone who joined us at this year's Fort William Mountain Festival in mid February. 

The Trust’s local team - Nevis Property Manager Alison Austin and John Muir Award Officer Steph McKenna - enjoyed sharing news on our work in the Nevis area on our stall throughout the weekend. 

The duo also worked with the Scottish Rainforest Education Centre to lead a 'Discover the Scottish Rainforest' walk aimed at helping families learn about and connect with a hidden natural wonder they may never have encountered before.

To complement the family walk in the rainforest, our stall included samples of lichen, moss, and liverwort from Glen Nevis, enabling attendees to examine and learn about the plants' roles in the ecosystem.

People were encouraged to touch and smell the plants, while Alison and Steph explained their names and functions in the rainforest. A slideshow showcased images of Nevis’s habitats, including peatland.

As well as being invited to share their favourite wild places with us, visitors were asked to sign up for our email newsletter for a chance to win a bottle of Ben Lomond Gin's Schiehallion edition gin with the winner announced on the final day of the festival.

And finally, we were delighted to present our 2025 John Muir Trust Wild Places Film Prize to Rachel Sarah for her film Finding Bo. Rachel's short film documented photographer Karen Miller's winter visits to Monadhliath Mountains to track a mountain hare she called Bo.

Our Nevis Manager Alison said watching 'Finding Bo' reminded her that revisiting familiar places is as important as searching for the next big thing or an amazing epic adventure.

"There is joy getting to know a place or wild creature intimately. This film shows us that with patience and love this is possible."

Alison continued: "As a charity dedicated to protecting wild places and the nature it supports, storytelling and imagery from talented individuals like Rachel Sarah and Karen Millar help us gather a bigger community to protect these places and wildlife. It's important we champion and celebrate those people who help us gather that support."

Congratulations to Rachel and Karen - and all the other entrants to the competition. We enjoyed looking at all of their work.