The strangers searching for missing hiker Neil Skinner

Phil Jones wading in Loch Dochard searching for any sign of the missing hiker Neil Skinner

A grey sky covers Loch Dochard as Phil Jones prods around the water's edge with a builder's pole.

"I'm just hoping to see a green jacket wash up," he says.

The 35-year-old builder from Chorley, Lancashire, is searching for Neil Skinner, a hiker who went missing near Bridge of Orchy last year.

Phil never met Neil but is the leader of a voluntary underwater search and recovery team, Beneath the Surface. His team spend most of their weekends helping families look for missing loved ones.

Neil, 72, from Doncaster in South Yorkshire, was last seen in his green jacket on 8 May 2022. He was camping on a peninsula that reaches out on to the loch in Argyll and Bute.

He remains missing despite extensive searches. Police have urged anyone with information to get in touch.

Neil Skinner pictured with his daughter Kate Armitage before he went missing

Phil contacted Neil's daughter, Kate Armitage, last year after hearing about the case and offered his assistance as there was a loch potentially involved.

"We didn't do any initial water searches at the time, the police search and rescue teams did that," he says. "But Neil's still missing a year later and I wanted to see if we could do anything extra to help the family anyway."

Phil organised a social media page for volunteers to carry out a land search of the area where Neil was last seen. The page had more than 90 people involved, all eager to find Neil and solve the mystery of his disappearance.

Last weekend five of them made the journey to the remote location where he was last seen.

"Whether it's one or 100 people, folk came out and volunteered so I'm very grateful for that," Phil says.

"And those people are amazing because they have given up their time just to come up and help another family."

William Curneen, left, brought his dogs to help search for Neil

One of the volunteers was 64-year-old William Curneen, a retired serviceman from Leicester who drove eight hours and camped the night before the search. An avid outdoorsman, he had been to Loch Dochard before.

"I come up to Scotland regularly and I came back here about a year ago and saw a sign on the bridge," he says.

"At first I thought it would be to warn that the bridge is down but I read it and it was actually about this chap Neil that went missing around the loch. It got me thinking about how the family must be feeling."

At the time, Neil and two friends had parked at Victoria Bridge before hiking six miles to the loch.

The friends continued on without Neil as he was not feeling well, his daughter says.

When his companions returned to the campsite a day later, he was nowhere to be found despite all his clothes and walking equipment being in the tent along with his phone and wallet.

Phil and the five other volunteers made their way down to the peninsula on Loch Dochard where Neil was last seen

A year later, the volunteers organised by Phil made their way to the peninsula on Loch Dochard where a pile of stones marked the place Neil's tent had been.

The wind and rain did not deter them from searching around the loch with builders' poles, hikers' sticks and even dogs being used to seek out any evidence of where Neil might be.

But there was no sign of him. Neil's last moments remain a mystery.

"I'll be back in this area two to three times a year," William says.

"Even if we don't find him this time I'll continue searching."

William Curneen learned of Neil Skinner's disappearance when he saw a missing person poster attached to a bridge

The next morning, Neil's family arrived at Victoria Bridge car park.

They had travelled from across the UK, coming from Doncaster, Chepstow in Wales and from West Sussex on the southern coast of England to retrace Neil's steps.

Neil's older brother, Richard Skinner, 76, declined the offer of a vehicle escort to Loch Dochard so he could follow the same trail his younger sibling had.

"I had trepidations about coming at all, but I'm glad I did," he says.

"It was really useful and at times quite moving to follow in his footsteps, his last walk really, where he was last seen."

Siblings Richard Skinner and Jen Kilyon both made the six-mile journey to Loch Dochard

All nine members of the family who made the trip up followed the same trail, traversing rough terrain, stepping over stones in a river and over a partially fallen fence.

It was an emotional moment when they reached the peninsula on the loch and arrived by the stones marking the site of Neil's tent.

His sister, 74-year-old Jen Kilyon, placed her hand on the stones.

"I wanted to come here for many reasons, to know, see, feel and be in the place Neil loved so much, he chose to be here," she says.

"I miss him, I didn't realise how emotional I'd feel. When I arrived and saw the stones it hit me hard and deep. I needed to feel the stones."

The family sat by the water and toasted drinks to Neil

The family had a picnic by the beach on the peninsula where they ate cake and drank homemade bramble whisky and sloe gin, in honour of Neil.

"Dad was a massive whisky fan, quite snobby about them actually," his daughter Kate says. "He was really into his single malts and I think that's another reason he loved his trips to Scotland."

"My brother made some bramble whiskey and sloe gin and we've had a tipple by the water and just done a toast to my dad which has felt really special."

In a symbolic gesture, some of the family added their own stones to the pile and a memorial plaque made of oak was placed overlooking it, marking his date of birth and presumed death.

Jen Kilyon said her brother would have loved the flowers beneath his memorial plaque

"It was hard to hear that the police and mountain rescue could no longer put any more resources into searching," Kate says.

"So to hear lovely strangers would be still looking for dad has been amazing and to meet some of them today has been really special.

"If anyone is coming to this area, have our family's story in your mind and just be vigilant and look out for dad's body. We dearly want to bring him home."