The Newtonmore Community Woodland Trust was formed in 1998 on the initiative of the Newtonmore & Vicinity Community Council with a view to creating new amenity woodland to replace some areas lost to development. Twenty-three thousand native trees were planted around the village. The project was completed by the target date of 1^st January 2000. The Trust also took on the management of areas of mature trees with the help of Woodland Grants from the Forestry Commission. The Trust then decided to link the areas of new plantings and the mature woodland the maintenance of which they had undertaken with a way marked footpath. The 10km Wildcat Trail was launched with an inaugural walk on New Year’s Day, 2000, in which nearly 400 people took part. Cameron McNeish, well-known writer and broadcaster on walking, and a Trustee, cut the ribbon. Financial help towards the establishment of the path was given by Scottish Natural Heritage. In April 2000, ready for the new season, the Trust opened the Wildcat Centre, an information centre for visitors and walkers. Visitors can find out about the Trail, current conditions, and other walking using Newtonmore as a base. The Centre also houses the Millennium Book of Newtonmore, a photographic and handwritten record of the population of the village at the turn of the century. Trust members are all volunteers, all residents of the village of Newtonmore. The Board encompasses farmers, crofters, a lorry driver, a retired museum curator , business owners as well as two housewives. All Trustees are active in maintenance of the trees and paths. A volunteer replaces the tie on a Scots pine, planted in 2000, in the Strone plantation. The trees are doing well despite being very exposed to the prevailing South-West wind. Note the highly successful natural regeneration of heather, birch and grasses due to the exclusion of stock from the area, by agreement with the crofter. Trustees planting trees on moorland above Craggan.

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