The project was launched at Glencoe

A specialist team has been appointed by the National Trust for Scotland as part of a �2m project.

They will aim to protect the mountain paths which are crumbling under the strain caused by the popularity of climbing and hill walking.

The five-year programme is seen as the start of a long-term solution to the problem.

It is targeted at protecting some of the country's most popular routes from the backlog of erosion built up over the last few decades.

A three man "flying squad" has been appointed to shuttle between mountains, fixing erosion problems before they reach crisis point.

Maintenance programme

Once the most pressing repairs are carried out, they will also train others in the art of path building.

This will aim to ensure that the skills are available to put in place a rolling maintenance programme for the future.

It will also create the equivalent of 35 full-time jobs.