Gathering Shelter to boost John Muir Trust ‘gateway’ to Scotland’s wild places

A former commercial conifer plantation near Peebles in the Scottish Borders, Glenlude is owned and managed by the John Muir Trust.

Over the last decade the site has been transformed into a mosaic of native woodland, peatland and upland habitats through natural regeneration, tree planting and habitat restoration.

Today Glenlude serves as both a restoration landscape and a living outdoor classroom, welcoming volunteers, schools, community groups and conservation partners.

And it is creating a self-sustaining woodland for future generations, with trees grown from locally collected seeds now producing seeds themselves.

The site has already become nationally recognised through its award-winning partnership with Phoenix Futures, where practical conservation supports recovery from drug and alcohol addiction.

Now, the next phase will make Glenlude accessible to even more people while remaining true to the landscape and the Trust's conservation ethos.

The Glenlude Appeal recently exceeded a target of £50,000, unlocking the next stage of transforming Glenlude into one of Scotland's leading conservation and outdoor learning hubs.

And they are hoping donations will continue coming in to help them go further in allowing as many people as possible to access and experience wild places.

Alongside ongoing habitat restoration, the next phase will see the construction of a new accessible Gathering Shelter that will enable many more volunteers, schools and community groups to experience and care for this special wild place.

The Gathering Shelter will be far more than just a building. Designed to sit lightly within the landscape, it will become a welcoming base for volunteers, schools, families and community groups, providing shelter, learning space as well as a place to gather before heading into the surrounding wild landscape.

Every aspect of the shelter has been designed to respect the wild landscape and reflect the Trust's philosophy of keeping places feeling wild.

It will be constructed using 70-year-old locally sourced Scottish larch, with craftsmen using traditional timber framing and minimal ground intervention wherever possible.

Construction will use mill-rule framing techniques, with oak pegs instead of steel fixings.

The shelter will provide an accessible base for conservation volunteers and outdoor learning, and will improve opportunities for schools and community groups to enjoy Glenlude.

It will also improve accessibility for wheelchair users and others with mobility needs, enbling more people to participate in volunteering and outdoor learning, while also creating a safe space for younger people experiencing and volunteering in the outdoors.

The shelter will also provide a fantastic asset to support future events, training, and community engagement on the site.

Gareth Morgan, Head of Engagement, at the John Muir Trust, said:

“We have identified an excellent local contractor who is a real craftsperson and we are looking forward to getting started as soon as possible. It will be a really interesting building, built using traditional methods and designed to last for generations.”

Karen Purvis, Glenlude Manager, said: “We are thrilled to have received so much support for the building of our new gathering shelter at Glenlude.

“Blending seamlessly into the landscape, this open-air, timber-framed classroom will provide protection from the elements, offer space for community groups to come together and act as a gateway to learning about and exploring this unique wild place.

“Alongside our plans to upgrade paths and build new accessible raised beds within the adjoining tree nursery, the gathering shelter will help make Glenlude accessible to more people, welcoming volunteers, school children and community groups to experience how natural processes are regenerating this landscape.”

For the past 14 years, the John Muir Trust has hosted Phoenix Futures’ Recovery Through Nature programme at Glenlude. Hundreds of people recovering from drug and alcohol addiction have planted over 3000 trees at Glenlude, with each tree representing one person's recovery journey.

In 2025, the partnership received the RSPB’s Nature of Scotland Health & Wellbeing Award.

And the Trust now hopes funding can be found to create more accessible paths around the site, and develop an accessible tree nursery, allowing people who are in wheelchairs or who have significant mobility issues to get out and volunteer working there.

“We have more work to do to link up different spaces. We want to create raised beds for wheelchair users to work on and other similar projects,” said Gareth.

“Glenlude is a really interesting balance of a wild place that people can fairly easily get to and experience. It is a gateway into wild places and we are always wanting to do more to upgrade the infrastructure there to make sure the site is accessible to all groups.

"We've got an incredible group of volunteers who have been absolutely fundamental to Glenlude's success. As we continue our work in this wild place, we'd love to welcome more people to get involved and help shape its future."

The John Muir Trust is the UK charity dedicated to protecting and enhancing wild places, for the benefit of all. To learn more about the charity’s work, volunteering opportunities, or to support the Glenlude appeal, please visit: www.johnmuirtrust.org