Path funding secured

A PATH joining Penpont and Thornhill is set for completion, as the final pot of funding is secured. The Keir, Penpont and Tynron Development Trust (KPTDT) have been working on the path project to link the villages for a number of years. Now the funding to complete the final off-road link to Thornhill has been confirmed by Dumfries and Galloway Council, with £75,000 from the council’s Transport asset class budget and a further £878,000 allocated from the UK government’s Levelling Up Fund. It is hoped once the path is completed in spring 2026, it will provide more opportunities for local residents and visitors to walk, wheel or cycle instead of driving some journeys, leading to improved health and wellbeing as well as air quality for the community. With support from regional transport partnership SWestrans, the community group received funding from SWestrans’ Places for Everyone fund to deliver the first phase of the project linking Penpont to the Drumlanrig access road. SWestrans provided further funding through Transport Scotland’s Tier 2 Active Travel Infrastructure Fund to complete a further section, between Drumlanrig Road and Nith Bridge which was completed in April 2025. KPTDT Chair Maureen Halkett said: “We are so pleased that the end of the construction of the Penpont to Thornhill active travel path is in sight. “The first stages of the path are in constant use by dog walkers, joggers, wheelers and some cycle commuters going to Thornhill, as it replaces much of the on-road route, making the journey much safer and enjoyable. “I’d like to thank Dumfries and Galloway Council, SWestrans, Transport Scotland, the UK Government, Places for Everyone (SWestrans), Annandale, Nithsdale Community Benefit Company Ltd, Buccleuch Estates Ltd, Marchbank Bros and Transport Planning and Engineering for making this possible.”