Boleskine to Expand Community Access and Biodiversity with SSE Hydro Community Fund Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Inverness, Scotland — 5 October 2026 — The Boleskine House Foundation SCIO has secured a £98,000 award from the SSE Hydro Community Fund for a major programme of improvements to community access, biodiversity, and sustainable transport at its South Loch Ness estate. The funding will support the next phase of the registered Scottish charity’s plans to establish Boleskine House as a heritage and nature hub for the Stratherrick and Foyers area.
Plans include new and improved accessible paths through the Boleskine estate, including the wildflower meadow, wetland areas, and a route towards a viewpoint overlooking the surrounding landscape. The project will also include tree planting, biodiversity improvements, community planting, and flowerbeds, together with improved public transport infrastructure serving the site.

“We have a beautiful natural environment around Boleskine, and we want local people to be able to enjoy it, regardless of age or mobility,” said Keith Readdy, Chair of The Boleskine House Foundation, which restored the property. “The new paths, planting, nature areas, and improved public transport access will help us make a significant step towards that.”

The Hydro Community Fund is a £10 million initiative designed to share the benefits of renewable energy and to support local projects in Scottish community council areas hosting SSE hydro assets.

“Having spent several years restoring Boleskine House itself, the next stage is about looking beyond the building and making much more of the wider estate available for community use and access to nature,” said Mr. Readdy. “We are extremely grateful to the SSE Hydro Community Fund for supporting that vision and are delighted to have received this award.”

“What is particularly important to us is that this isn’t simply our idea for the site,” Mr. Readdy continued. “Much of the project delivers priorities identified by the local community through the Stratherrick and Foyers Local Place Plan.”

Lindsay Dougan, Senior Community Investment Manager at SSE, said: “The Hydro Community Fund exists to ensure communities sharing their area with our hydro assets can benefit from lasting local investment, and we’re pleased to support this exciting next phase for Boleskine House.

“By improving access to nature, enhancing biodiversity and supporting sustainable transport, this project will deliver a wide range of benefits for residents and visitors alike. It also demonstrates the value of community-led planning, with the proposals directly responding to priorities identified through the Stratherrick and Foyers Local Place Plan.”

The proposals respond directly to priorities identified through the Stratherrick and Foyers Local Place Plan, which supports the development of Boleskine House as a heritage and nature hub and identifies improved paths, access to viewpoints, environmental improvements, and better bus infrastructure among local priorities.

Built in the 1760s on the south shore of Loch Ness, Boleskine House has stood for over two and a half centuries as one of the Highlands’ most intriguing properties and a key witness to Highland history. Following devastating fires in 2015 and 2019, and years of painstaking restoration, the house and its 35-acre estate officially opened its doors to the public in April of this year as a living centre for heritage, culture, and conservation.

The Foundation will now undertake the detailed design and procurement work and obtain formal quotations for the project. Works are expected to be completed in phases between autumn 2026 and autumn 2027.

To stay up to date on the progress of this project, follow The Boleskine House Foundation on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/boleskine.house.foundation/ or on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/boleskine.house/.

The Boleskine House Foundation

The Boleskine House Foundation SCIO is a Scottish Registered charity whose mission is to restore and preserve the historical legacy and heritage of the Boleskine House estate for the greater benefit of the public. Having completed our conservation-led approach to sympathetically restoring Boleskine House, we aim to educate the public on the heritage of the house and lands, to welcome the public enjoyment of its structure and surrounding gardens, and to facilitate learning, growth and well-being. For more information, please visit www.boleskinehouse.org.

Contact:
Keith Readdy
info@boleskinehouse.org