A funding package totalling £150,000 over the next three years has been put in place for the Kintyre Way.

The funds will allow the continued upgrading and marketing of the Way, which is already bringing significant economic benefits to Kintyre.

The package includes contributions from Scottish Natural Heritage, Argyll and the Islands Leader, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Argyll and Bute Council and the East and West Kintyre Windfarm Trusts.

Alan Minshaw, chairman of the Long and Winding Way Ltd which runs the route welcomed the news saying: "These funds will allow us to carry out some much needed upgrades on the path and get the message out that Kintyre has a world class long distance route."

Owen Paisley the route manager is also very pleased pointing out that these funds will allow some of the route to be taken away from the roadside, which has been a priority since the route opened. It will also allow upgrading sections of the path where the route has to cross soft ground with no proper path surface to speak of.

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It's not all path work though. The funds will also allow improved marketing of the route, the setting up of a volunteer group to help manage the Kintyre Way and biodiversity projects covering the length of Kintyre.

One of the biodiversity projects will be the Kintyre Way Big Cat survey where locals and visitors alike will be asked to report sightings of big cats along the Kintyre Way.

Once the hot spots are identified the plan is to install some infra red cameras along the route and resolve once and for all the continuing mystery of the Kintyre Big Cats. John Bakes, the Kintyre Way treasurer who firmly believes in the existence of the cats is planning to visit Kenya later in the year.

He is hoping that seeing a variety of big cats in the wild will make it much easier to find and identify the elusive Kintyre Big Cats.

In the meantime Owen Paisley is keen to hear of any new sightings and can be contacted via the Kintyre Way website www.kintyreway.com.

The 88-mile long distance route, which winds from Tarbert to Southend in Kintyre, is rapidly becoming one of Scotland's favourite long distance walks. In 2008 around 500 people walked the route bringing an estimated £100 000 into the Kintyre economy. Eventually it is hoped that 4000 people a year will walk the route, which will potentially inject almost a million pounds a year into Kintyre.

(GK/JM)