Following on from the  ‘Lessons from the Pyrenees’ posts I recently visited the Jotunheimen National Park which covers a mountainous area of more than 1,000 km2 including Galdhoppigen, the highest peak in Northern Europe.   It’s not surprising that this is Norway’s premier walking area and, with increasing visitor numbers, there has been significant pressure on the footpath network.

The Jotunheimen National Park has come up with a solution that seems to be working well for them – since 2009 they have been employing Sherpas from Nepal during the summer months to help meet the challenge of maintaining and improving their footpaths.

We happened to meet the team on a mountain path and it is clear that the Sherpas bring considerable skills and expertise to this work.

Are there lessons here for our National Parks?