Hello from our headquarters in a very wet, windy and wild Pitlochry. We hope you are having a great 2026 so far.
You might notice things look a little different here in your newsletter from the Trust. In these monthly updates, we’ll be sharing more of our work, including the progress being made and the challenges we’re facing, to the moments that matter most for wild places.
Over the coming months, you’ll hear more directly from the teams at the heart of the John Muir Trust: from the land in our care, to the policy work shaping the future of wild places, and the people making it happen on the ground.
Thanks to your ongoing support, we are starting 2026 with momentum, protecting and restoring wild places, advocating for their legal protection, and helping more people connect to nature. Here are some of the highlights from the start of the year.
Protecting Scotland’s wild places increasingly means engaging in complex and contested policy debates, and 2026 will be a critical year.
In January, Trust staff met at Nevis to set priorities for the year ahead, bringing together land managers and policy colleagues to align our work on the ground, with the Wild Places Index and with our national advocacy. Our team has been engaging with MSPs on amendments to the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill as it enters stage 2. Lots to play for on how we shape the future of tree regeneration through deer management.
Another key focus is how Scotland’s planning system responds to growing pressure from large-scale developments in wild landscapes. Our campaign Power the Future: Protect the Wild addresses the accelerating industrialisation of Scotland’s wild heartland and calls for a planning system that delivers renewable energy without sacrificing the wild places that define Scotland.
This month, our policy team has been preparing a detailed briefing on proposals for a wind farm near Kinlochbervie, close to the land we care for at Sandwood - one of Scotland’s most iconic wild beaches and a designated Special Area of Conservation. The decisions made here will set important precedents for how wild places are treated in the years ahead.
Your support allows the Trust to engage credibly and persistently in these debates, combining evidence from our land with policy expertise to speak up for wild places when it matters most.
Protecting and restoring wild places
Our teams at Nevis, Glenlude and Skye are in full planning mode for a busy year ahead. They are working closely with our fundraising team to submit compelling grant applications for various projects – including an accessible Gathering Shelter at Glenlude. Watch this space for more about this exciting project in the months to come.
The Nevis team is getting ready to work with the next generation of rangers and has met the latest cohort of students on the Countryside Skills with Ranger Training course at UHI Fort William. Thanks to the Scottish Government Rainforest Restoration Fund, the team has started to work with our partners Nevis Landscape Partnership on the Nevis Nature Network’s Rainforest Restoration Project by carrying out community engagement in a local school.
In preparation for the upcoming Fort William Mountain Film Festival in mid-February, we are busy choosing the winner of the 2026 John Muir Trust Wild Places Film Prize, arranging events and organising our rainforest themed stall – so please drop by and say hello!
Connecting people to wild places
Our Award team has already supported 371 people to complete their John Muir Award in 2026, reflecting strong early engagement across schools, youth groups, families, individuals, and community organisations across the UK. Meanwhile, our educational hiking partnership programme Connect Outdoors is recruiting five new groups of people from under-represented communities, helping more people experience Scotland’s outdoors in 2026.
Bookings for volunteering days, education visits and community events at Glenlude in the Scottish Borders are already filling up, with strong demand for dates later this year. To explore upcoming opportunities at Glenlude, or to enquire about your own event, please visit here.
Meanwhile, our team at Charterhouse Heritage Park in Coventry is shaping a programme of guided walks, volunteering days and family-friendly activities for local communities. To keep up to date with events at the Trust’s first urban wild place, please visit our events page.
Up in the North-West of Scotland at the Trust’s Kylesku Lodges, Members and supporters can enjoy 30% off a stay in April 2026. Simply apply the discount code ‘JMT30’ when booking.
Behind the scenes, our Kylesku Lodges team is preparing for the season ahead, including recruiting a full-time seasonal housekeeper, and getting everything ready for doors to reopen on 1 April.
And finally, at the heart of Pitlochry, our Wild Space shop team is busy putting the finishing touches to reopen our visitor centre on 5 February. The Wild Space sells a fantastic selection of local artwork, wildlife books and gifts, all of which can also be found online here. All profits go towards helping us protect and restore wild places.
Thank you for your continued support of the John Muir Trust. We look forward to sharing more updates from across our work in the months ahead.
Meanwhile, our work continues every day. Visit our website for the latest stories, campaign updates and news from across the Trust.
Becoming a Member of the John Muir Trust will help us protect the wild places in our care, campaign on the urgent issues facing wild places and connect more people with them.
