Plans to create Loch Ewe WWII trail after funding agreed for exhibition

AN ambitious new war-themed trail in Ross-shire is set to trigger a money-spinning visitor boost and directly tap into the success of the hugely popular NC500 route.

The vision of a World War II trail around Loch Ewe came a significant step closer after funding for a project to establish a permanent exhibition commemorating the perilous exploits of the Russian Arctic convoys which set sail from the area to make what Churchill described as "the worst journey in the world".

More than 3000 British seamen lost their lives maintaining the war-time lifeline poignantly commemorated with a memorial at Loch Ewe and, now, the Aultbea exhibition. Hopes for a visitor trail around an area that was heavily militarised during WWII are now full steam ahead after the project team behind the Aultbea museum secured almost £73,000 from the Scottish Land Fund towards the purchase of a former butcher’s shop it has been renting to house the display.

People from 19 countries outside the UK were amongst the 5500-plus visitors dropping in between May and October last year and that number is set to mushroom as the facility is improved and plans for a wider trail developed.

The project’s chairman Francis Russell told the Journal: "To some extent we have become masters of our own destiny. This opens up new avenues of funding. The location on the NC500 is very important.

"We ask people when they come in how they heard about us and some say it was while they were driving by. It puts us on the map. We’ll look at the feasibility and cost of a major refurbishment and possibly an extension. We could do with much more space."

Fellow project volunteer Elizabeth Miles said the boost "will allow us to get on to develop it the way we would like".

She said: "Owning the site will open new possibilities. We will look to create a WWII trail where everywhere gets visited. We’re hoping to really do something with it."

Research found the NC500, which passes the makeshift museum, brought 29,000 extra visitors in its first year, adding an extra £9m to the Highland economy.

The £72,820 award will contribute towards the purchase of the former butcher’s shop and surrounding land.

Honorary president of the RACP George Milne said the aim is to create a multi-site museum for current and future generations to learn about the convoys.

He said: "The overall aim is to establish a unique multi-site museum in Wester Ross. Around Loch Ewe we hope to create a permanent exhibition centre, a WWII Trail with interpretation panels, a memorial garden, and the preservation of selected wartime buildings to honour all who served in the Arctic convoys to and from Russia from 1941-1945."

The 75th anniversary of the last convoy to sail from the area will be marked in 2020, with relatives of servicemen and visitors from around the world expected to come in their droves.

Gairloch Heritage Museum, which itself secured backing from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Highlands and Islands Enterprise for a £2m project to convert the old anti-aircraft operations room in the centre of the village into a state of the art new facility, welcomed the news.

It said: "Congratulations to our friends at Russian Arctic Convoy Museum on procuring the funds to purchase their exhibition centre. Their volunteers have worked really hard to achieve this. We are delighted to see this investment in their project, which recognises a very important aspect of the heritage of our area."