Sustrans Scotland, the sustainable transport charity, has invested £880,000 in towpath upgrades on "Britain's most beautiful shortcut", the Crinan Canal.

Crinan Canal in Scotland provides a strategic long-distance walking and cycling route. Scottish Canals and partners invested over £20million in establishing the canal towpath as an enjoyable, convenient and attractive place to undertake sustainable travel journeys.

Scottish Canals worked closely with Sustrans and other funding sources to continue the investment to improve the experience of active travel and leisure users along the canal towpath.

The Crinan canal provides the most direct link between key trip generators and attractors, creating an attractive alternative to using a car or motorised vehicle for short distance (or even in some cases, long distance) journeys.

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The project delivered two missing upgraded links providing active travel users with an uninterrupted bound surfaced towpath from Ardrishaig via Lochgilphead to Crinan. This project within Argyll and Bute Council completed the towpath upgrade from Bellanoch Bridge to Crinan Ferry Bridge (2.17km).

George McBurnie, Project Manager at Scottish Canals, said: "The Crinan Canal and the surrounding area offer some of the most beautiful scenery in Scotland, the project ensures that as many people as possible can safely enjoy the space for years to come.

"The new surface installed throughout the network resulted in increased usage, which is fantastic to see. The upgrades have encouraged even more people to engage in active and healthy lifestyles, whether that's local people using the path as an alternative to driving short journeys or more cyclists taking on the Route 78 challenge!"

The towpath forms part of the Sustrans National Cycle Network – Route 78 The Caledonia Way – and provides an important link between the villages of Crinan, Bellanoch and Cairnbaan, and the towns of Lochgilphead and Ardrishaig.