In partnership with Forest Enterprise, WHAM (Waste Highland Action for Minimisation), Forward Scotland and the Northern Constabulary, the girls made a day of it by planting trees, learning how to make bat boxes, orienteering and turning junk into bird feeders.

The Environment Challenge set by the UK Guide Association has seen girls choose to recycle 1,000,000 aluminium cans, save 1,000,000 kgs of co2 or plant 1,000,000 indigenous trees in their area by February 2000.

Guides came from all over Ross-shire and from Inverness to the Black Isle to take part in what is proving to be one of the most popular challenges to be launched by the Guide Association. Elizabeth Duff, Ross-shire Guide Association County Commissioner, said, "the popularity of the day shows how seriously the girls take environmental issues, in fact we had so many girls who wanted to take part that we had to limit places!".