Grant supports more wild place adventures in 2026

The 2026 Des Rubens and Bill Wallace Grant is helping seven people seek out life-changing experiences in wild places.

The John Muir Trust administers the Des Rubens and Bill Wallace Grant, which commemorates two former presidents of the Scottish Mountaineering Club who each led inspiring and adventurous lives.

This year the grant funded seven adventures with a scientific or education focus that will lead to practical action to conserve wild places. The recipients of a Des Rubens and Bill Wallace Grant in 2026 are as follows.

Ian Cameron

GP Ian and his 15-year-old son Alfie are planning an epic walk from Cape Wrath to Cheltenham through some of Britian’s wild places to raise funds for a cancer charity. The duo plan to document Alfie’s progress and hopefully introduce others to wildness and adventurous hiking.

Ian said: “I'm delighted and very grateful to receive this grant which will help our expedition in the wild areas of the North West Highlands of Scotland. Alfie is looking forward to exploring the Cape Wrath Trail, bothies and wild camping along the way.”

George King

Edinburgh-based George is in training to be a Summer Mountain Leader and plans investigate to what extent huts, cabins, bothies and simple shelters can help create more sustainable and equitable access to wilderness areas – comparing North West Scotland to North Sweden.

George said: “I'm really grateful for the opportunity provided by the John Muir Trust to explore simple shelters – like bothies and huts – in remote parts of northern Scotland and Sweden this summer.

“The Grant will support my hikes on two long distance trails – the Cape Wrath Trail and Kungsleden to find out more about the different cultures around the practice of 'hutting'.

“On these journeys I hope to find out more about how we can improve access to wilderness areas sustainably, and what role simple shelters can play in facilitating that. 

“I plan to summarise and share best practice from my journeys, with the hope that learnings can be applied to improve Scotland's bothy network into the future.”  

Michelle Mackay

Michelle has recently completed a round of Munros and loves spending time in remote wild places in nature. Having recently joined her local Mountain Rescue Team she is keen to gain her Mountain Leader qualification to gain more confidence in the outdoors.

Michelle said: “This grant makes a real difference to my Mountain Leader training journey! I’m thankful for the support and look forward to using what I learn, to give back – helping others experience the mountains safely and confidently!” 

Sam Poultney

River restoration officer Sam has a particular interest in rare freshwater fish – most notably Arctic charr and the freshwater lochs they inhabit. He plans to accurately map previously uncharted hill lochs in the Cairngorms National Park for Arctic charr habitat suitability.

Sam said: “The grant means I can kick start long held ambitions to survey remote, high altitude Scottish lochans for their suitability for Scotland’s aboriginal fish, the Arctic charr. Little is known about these remote lochans, not even their depth, so shedding light on their physical characteristics could potentially support and sustain charr populations into the future. This climate sensitive species needs to be conserved and even if it is seldom seen or heard about and this will provide the first steps towards this goal. I am looking forward to championing Arctic charr conservation alongside the John Muir Trust.”

Will Rowland

Highlander Will volunteers with the Lochaber mountain rescue team and is planning a self-led exploratory (alpine style) climbing trip to the Himalayas. He plans to climb the south ridge of Tengkangpoche (6487m) and come home again.

Will said: “I’m over the moon! It is so very humbling to receive such significant support. Knowing that people are interested in what you are trying to achieve is really encouraging. Having people behind you at home is vital and can act as a real source of motivation when you're up against it.” 

Suzannah Scott-Moncrieff

Art therapist Suzannah plans to travel to Poland’s primeval Białowieża Forest, to listen to and record this densely alive ecosystem, placing its unruly wildness in conversation with the quietly homogenous experience of a Sitka spruce plantation in Scotland.

Suzannah said: “I am absolutely delighted to receive the Des Rubens and Bill Wallace Grant. It offers me the chance to journey to one of Europe’s last remaining primeval forests and to expand my creative and ecological work in ways I could only have imagined. My sincere thanks to the John Muir Trust for this extraordinary opportunity.”

Mandy Wright

Educator and passionate nature conservationist Mandy plans to hone her wildlife tracking and trailing skills and then share her skills to build a tracking community among young people in East Lothian, inspiring them to connect with nature.

Mandy said: “I have been engaged in focused, self-directed learning in wildlife tracking for some time. Until now, my contact with experts in this field has been limited to online events because of cost. Learning from books or videos, mostly alone, is one thing. Connecting with leading experts and learning alongside equally passionate people is something entirely different.

“Thanks to the Des Rubens and Bill Wallace grant, I can now attend an advanced tracking course and complete a cyber tracker evaluation with one of Europe’s most experienced trackers.”

• Find out more about the  Des Rubens Bill Wallace Grant.