Month: August 2018

August 31, 2018 Nick Kempe No comments exist

After my post on the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority war on campers, which referred to the Park’s failure to open the new campsite at Loch Achray as promised (see here),  local rumours are that the campsite has not opened because the water from the borehole is not drinkable.  I have asked the…

August 27, 2018 Fiona Mackinnon 9 comments

Proposals for a huge development around the shores of Loch Lomond at Balloch are being considered by the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, which is the planning authority within the park boundaries. There are arguments to be had about whether tourist developments bring economic benefit on one hand but the loss of public space…

August 23, 2018 Ron Greer 19 comments

Hydroelectric power generation  features prominently in the firmament of  the renewable energy icons of the ‘green movement’ and indeed among its most avid supporters, there is almost a zealous fervency about it, bordering on religiosity about its promulgation, indeed one tantamount to a holy dictum of hydro. There is no doubt, in a  political environment…

August 22, 2018 Nick Kempe 5 comments

Following my piece, illustrated with David Lintern’s fine photos,on the would be desecration of Glen Etive by 7 hydro schemes (see here) Tim Parkin, who runs a landscape photography magazine (http://www.timparkin.net), offered  to get more photos for use on Parkswatch to help show what is at stake.  One of the things I should have said…

August 21, 2018 Nick Kempe 2 comments

Highlands and Islands Enterprise sold Cairngorm Mountain Ltd (CML) to Natural Assets Investments Ltd in 2014.  The ostensible thinking behind the sale was that the Natural Retreats group of companies would bring new investment to Cairngorm and make it a profitable business. HIE probably also saw this as an opportunity to recover some of the…

August 17, 2018 Nick Kempe No comments exist

The consultation on the second five year Cairngorms Nature Action Plan was launched on 20th June and closes on Friday 14th September at 5pm.    The draft plan is easy to read (just 36 pages with big print and lots of photos) and there in an online survey form which focuses on whether the aims, objectives…

August 16, 2018 Anne MacIntyre No comments exist

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…

August 15, 2018 Nick Kempe 1 comment

As of today, there were 1008 documents on the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority Planning Portal (see here) associated with the Flamingo Land Planning Application.  Most of them appear to be objections but even letters of support express significant concerns.   Among local residents, whether objectors or supporters, one major concern is that Balloch…

August 13, 2018 Alan Brattey 3 comments

Natural Retreats, the operator of the CairnGorm Mountain business, introduced compulsory parking charges at the end of June 2018. These parking charges replaced a voluntary scheme, that had been in operation since 2012, because insufficient funds were being donated, according to Natural Retreats. The amounts donated during each year since 2013 were: £10,426, £11,174, £11,427,…

August 9, 2018 Nick Kempe 10 comments

The Glen Etive hydro proposals After the developments at the head of Glen Coe (see here), just when one thought it couldn’t get any worse, seven planning applications have been submitted for hydro schemes in Glen Etive on land owned by the Dalness Estate. Each scheme has been submitted as an individual application with its…

August 8, 2018 Nick Kempe 2 comments

Last week the Herald reported figures from Trip Advisor showing that a trip through Glen Coe and other unnamed parts of the Highlands was rated as THE top visitor attraction in Scotland.  The central importance of landscape and cultural history to tourism, not to mention our own physical and mental well-being, is well researched.  Despite…

August 4, 2018 Nick Kempe 5 comments

Listening to Radio Scotland on Wednesday, I heard a reporter extolling the wonders of Loch Lomond as the venue for the European open water swimming championships which takes place over four days starting on Wednesday 8th August (see here).  Spectating at the event is free of charge and unticketed.   The Reporter seemed blissfully aware of…

August 2, 2018 Nick Kempe 1 comment

  After my recent posts on the lack of agricultural (see here) and (see here)   hydro tracks in the Pyrenees National Park and surrounding protected areas and how we could learn from this in Scotland, I thought it worth reminding readers what best practice in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park  currently looks like.     The…