Iain Murray and Astie Cameron, the team leader and deputy leader of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team (Lochaber MRT), Scotland’s busiest mountain rescue team, are to take on the Lochaber Round, their extremely tough 330km run and bike challenge, with 11,000m of ascent, to raise £10,000 of vital funds to support the team’s ongoing operation. They will tackle this punishing route that circumnavigates the team’s vast rescue area in the west highlands of Scotland, in one continuous push, over the best three weather days between Monday 08 and Friday 12 June 2026.
The concept of the Lochaber Round is a deeply personal challenge that has been formulated to showcase the best of Lochaber, highlight the vast area that the rescue team covers, and to push Iain and Astie to their physical limits. This challenge is bigger than anything either of them has ever tried before, and, from their own mouths, “our combined age of 105 is not on our side!”
They will run and bike the length and breadth of Lochaber in a circular route, linking the four hills in each corner – Rois-Bheinn, Ladhar Bheinn, Creag Meagaidh, and Ben Nevis. From the start in Fort William, they will travel through Moidart to Knoydart, then across to Creag Meagaidh, before returning to Fort William via Corrour, the Grey Corries and Ben Nevis; and all of this in just three days.
The Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team is made up of around 50 volunteers and is recognised as the busiest mountain rescue team in Scotland, with the call-outs taking place at any hour of the day or night, in all weather conditions, and often in extremely remote and challenging terrain. While the work is physically and mentally demanding, it is also deeply rewarding. However, maintaining such a vital service comes at a considerable cost. For example, a new rescue vehicle — equipped for rough terrain, remote communications and casualty transport — can cost as much as £120,000.
Iain and Astie are busy working dads who volunteer a significant amount of their time to Lochaber Mountain Rescue. In addition to their full-time jobs, they are responsible for a wide range of essential duties, including team governance, maintaining kits, vehicles and buildings, managing communications, and organising training. With the team responding to more than 160 call-outs each year, they are acutely aware of the rising operational costs involved in keeping the service running. It was this growing financial pressure that inspired the creation of this ‘brutal’ fundraising challenge.
Iain Murray, team leader of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, said: “As team leaders Astie and I are very aware of the ongoing costs required to keep the team running and operating effectively and efficiently. Purchasing and maintaining vehicles, upgrading communications equipment, and team training are just some of the upcoming priorities.
“Please support us in our crazy endeavour with any spare pennies you have. We are grateful for anything you can donate. It will motivate our training, help us complete the challenge, and support the ongoing operation of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team.
Astie Cameron, deputy team leader of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team,said: “Whilst we will be completing this 330km challenge in just three days as a pair, we will also be relying on the support of our team, and friends for logistics, and to help us survive! We aren’t exactly in the first flush of youth.
“It would be very much appreciated if you can support every one of our challenge team by digging deep and donating what you can to help us reach our £10,000 target.”
Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team’s Lochaber Round Challenge Just Giving Page:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/thelochaberround
ENDS
Online links:
- Lochaber MRT Website: https://lochabermrt.co.uk/
- Scottish M0untain Rescue:https://www.scottishmountainrescue.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lochabermrt
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lochabermrt
About Lochaber Mountain Rescue
Lochaber Mountain Rescue team is Scotland’s busiest team, often carrying out more than 150 rescues a year. Run entirely by volunteers, we rely on your generous donations to allow us to help those in need.
Based in Fort William, at the foot of Ben Nevis, Lochaber Mountain Rescue is an extremely active team. Born in the late 1960’s, it started as a group of committed local climbers getting out to rescue fellow climbers in need. The Lochaber team today responds to more than 160 call outs per year and has 39 full members and 14 aspirants. We are a member of Scottish Mountain Rescue and provide rescue services on behalf of Police Scotland all year round.
Lochaber Mountain Rescue – Area covered
Outside of Ben Nevis, our patch is large. We travel from Creag Meagaidh and Corrour in the east, up to Fort Augustus and across to the Loch Quoich munros in the north, remote Knoydart in the west and further out to the small isles of Rum, Eigg and Muck. Our southern boundary shares the Mamores with the Glencoe team and our teams regularly assist each other during large or challenging searches and incidents. We are very proud of our close relationships and collaboration with the local landowners. We often rely on and are very grateful for their support and knowledge of the area.
Ben Nevis sees several hundred thousand visitors each year, with another 60,000 taking the precipitous path up to Steall Falls and a large proportion of our call-outs are on the busy mountain track and in Glen Nevis. We are also regularly faced with large-scale technical rope rescues on the north face of the Ben and elsewhere on our patch. Although often assisted by the helicopter crews, we rack up serious mileage and height gain with heavy packs and in all weathers and seasons. We are also called to searches for missing hill walkers and climbers, which can become multi-day operations, swift water and gorge rescues and reports of vulnerable people in remote places in crisis.
