Walking Wild: The West Highland Way for the Mammal Society

Blog written by Mammal Society Youth Ambassador, Liane

Mammal Society Youth Ambassadors: Meg, Felix, Liane and Foujia. PC: Foujia.

This June, I’ll be finding out just how many midge bites I can truly endure…

Myself and three other Mammal Society Youth Ambassadors are setting off on an exciting journey along the West Highland Way. In essence, we’ll be walking a very long transect through the Highlands—playing detective with mammal tracks and signs as we go.

I’m currently in my final year of A-levels and hoping to study ecology at university. I’ve been a Youth Ambassador for the Mammal Society since August last year, and in that time I’ve learnt so much—not just about mammals, but also about how they can be protected beyond scientific research, and the important role charities play in conservation. I've had the chance to meet inspiring environmentalists, both established and emerging, all while learning more about the world of conservation. To mark a year as a Youth Ambassador, I want to give something back and help the Mammal Society continue its vital work.

At the end of June, the four of us will be marching for mammals across the Scottish Highlands. We’ll walk the full 154 km of the West Highland Way over the course of a week. Our journey begins in Milngavie, a town just a couple of hours north of Glasgow. From there, we’ll head north past Loch Lomond and into the heart of the Highlands. The West Highland Way will lead us past lochs, rivers, and through ancient woodlands—landscapes rich with mammal life.

Throughout our walk, we’ll be carrying out a transect survey using the Mammal Mapper app, contributing to citizen science by recording sightings and signs of red squirrels, otters, and other native species along the route. We’ll end our adventure in Fort William on the west coast, where, if we’re lucky, we might even catch a glimpse of John Coe and Aquarius—the last two remaining orcas of the West Coast Community.

Our journey will contribute valuable data on mammal distribution in the Highlands. Citizen science like this helps conservationists design better-informed projects that protect wildlife more effectively. We hope our 154 km survey will add useful insights to this growing body of data.

This fundraiser will support the Mammal Society’s ongoing efforts to monitor and protect British mammals—including polecats, mountain hares, shrews, red squirrels, and many more. The Society’s work goes far beyond scientific research—they engage the public, raise awareness, and involve young people through hands-on experiences and programmes like the Youth Ambassador scheme that I’m proud to be a part of.

The Mammal Society also organises competitions, training, webinars, and workshops to get both budding ecologists and the wider public involved in protecting our wildlife. We want them to be able to keep growing this important work—so our British mammals can thrive.

You can support our native mammals by following our fundraiser and donating via our JustGiving page.