On 13th July Highlands and Islands Enterprise announced that Cairngorm Mountain was re-opening today (see here). While the Scottish Government had been advising people they could travel unlimited distances by car since the weekend of 4th July, HIE decided to keep the Coire Cas car park, the most popular access point to the northern side of the Cairngorms, closed.
The consequences were quite predictable:
By the afternoon there were at least 150 cars parked along the ski road. The possibility of such parking taking place was raised by objectors to HIE’s proposal to install barriers at the entrance of the Coire Cas car park but dismissed (see here). In all likelihood the Cairngorms National Park Authority planners knew this would happen – they are not stupid – it is just that they do not have the power to stand up to HIE.
Just what HIE thought the continued closure of the Coire Cas car park and toilets was doing to prevent the spread of Covid-19 is unclear. The contrast with HIE’s approach and that of Forestry and Land Scotland in Glen More below is striking:
Forestry and Land Scotland have quietly re-opened all their car parks in the last few weeks and also stopped trying to restrict campervans stopping off overnight. The pay and display machines are out of use meaning there is free parking.
This is very sensible and helps people to get out and enjoy the countryside safely. It adds to the argument that the Cairngorm Estate should be handed back to Forestry and Land Scotland to manage.
HIE have, however, more recently re-opened the Coire na Ciste car park. This is now also being well used by campervans:
This begs the question why HIE allowed one of its car parks to open and not the other? I suspect there is no rational answer.
It also illustrates the missed opportunities at Coire na Ciste which Alan Brattey highlighted in his post yesterday (see here). A few campervan hookups would help relieve some of the pressure in Glen More. Another argument for why both the Cairngorm Estate and the Glenmore Forest should both be owned by Forestry and Land Scotland. Until HIE is removed from the mountain, integrated visitor management is never going to happen.
Forestry and Land Scotland has however created one major problem in Glen More which has been highlighted by the corona crisis. Having outsourced the campsite, perhaps the most important of all the recreational facilities in Glen More, the outfit that now runs it had decided to keep it closed until April 2021:
Local Councillor Bill Lobban rightly condemned Camping in the Forest for this unjustifiable decision and the knock-on effects for visitor management in the glen. It is just a pity that, as one of the five directors of Cairngorm Mountain Scotland Ltd (see here), Cllr Lobban has been silent on the continued closure of the Coire Cas car park for which he has directly responsibility. While with proper cleaning of the toilets, there is no reason for the campsite not to open, re-opening the Coire Cas car park should have been even simpler. Perhaps Cllr Lobban will now call for Camping in the Forest to be brought back fully into public ownership or handed over to the local community?
The political contradictions at Cairn Gorm and Glenmore go further. Fergus Ewing is the lead Scottish Minister for both Forestry and Land Scotland and HIE and has overseen the disbursement of grants to rural businesses. He is therefore ultimately responsible for the diametrically opposed position HIE and FLS have taken on the re-opening of their car parks and any money Camping in the Forest may have received from the Scottish Government during the lockdown.
The Cairngorms National Park Authority rightly tried to promote an integrated approach to visitor management from Aviemore to the summit of Cairn Gorm in its Cairngorm and Glenmore Visitor Strategy (see here). Unfortunately that is unlikely ever to happen until the politicians who have a key role to take in the area start taking a more consistent and joined up approach based on the importance of outdoor recreation to the people of Scotland and the local economy.
The predictable influx of visitors to Glen More and Cairn Gorm as a result of the relaxation of the Covid-19 lockdown should prompt a political re-think of HIE’s plans to repair the funicular (see here). The area clearly doesn’t need the funicular to attract visitors in summer. What it is crying out for, however, is improved visitor infrastructure, including the Glen More campsite and increased provision for campervans. Instead of wasting £10-15m on the repair of the funicular, a fraction of this amount would deliver vastly improved visitor infrastructure in the glen, with plenty of money left over for the construction of new ski lifts to bring people back to the mountain in winter.
Great blog, Nick. You rightly point the finger at Fergus Ewing. The problem we have with our supposedly publicly accountable politicians is that they just ignore awkward questions, and Mr Ewing is a past-master at that.
What is disorganised mess in re-opening Glen More and Cairn Gorm. What message does that send to returning visitors? It would be interesting to find out whether FLS has asked CITF to justify their decision not to open this year.
Nick, your last paragraph is absolutely spot-on.
Will somebody from HIE please read it and start to think?
Not good for the area, as a local from the 60’s/70’s I am appalled by how things have gone downhill
I tried to book Glen More, pointing out that I had a self contained motorhome and just needed electric hookup. I got a standard email saying closed until next year. I’m left wondering why they don’t want my money and am going elsewhere in Scotland instead. Of course they’re run by the Camping and Caravanning Club, under their Camping in the Forest brand. They’re an English run outfit well known for their conservative approach to things, and, as the name suggests, aren’t really fussed about motorhomes. They’ve shut all their Camping in the Forest sites in Scotland for this year whilst opening their other sites which are mostly in England. Bizarre.
One reason for reluctance to reopen among many so called ” providers” in Scotland, is the various mixed , and contradictory instructions that have flowed in verbose torrents from the Scottish Government . Those self employed leisure industry businesses, that in any normal year could offer accommodation or camping facilities to visitors, are just waiting for finger of blame to be pointed in their direction. Public opinion is currently being manipulated so these owner operators appear “damned if they decide not to open, and yet they can see they really do risk being damned if they do. The insurance industry has newly inserted clauses into many public liability policies that might expose operators to personal liability , should someone who later succumbed to Covid-19 point to suspicions about inadequate cleaning regimes at some venue they had stayed at. Insurance companies now seek to exclude public liability in Covid -19 related situations. A second point at issue is the fact that many premises have received absolutely no support what-so-ever from various government furlough or support schemes to Alleviate loss of earnings. There is little thought given to compensate them for the need to cancel so many early bookings taken for this year. The wholesale cancellation and return of deposits taken, became an essential of fair and honest reputation to small “providers” , necessary only because Lock-down restrictions served to undermine and jeopardise their carefully maintained reputations. Yet many of these same remote locations might safely have operated accommodation at reduced capacity for several months already, had this been officially permitted. Only now, because the Scottish ministers finally decreed that everyone is now free and entitled to take a holiday, is the antagonism let loose. Somehow it now suits a wider political agenda to have those “providers ” who decline to reopen, considered to be “bad sports ? ” Yet the Covid-19 virus is just as much “out there” as it ever was. So, for whom is this – ‘off you go …take a holiday anywhere you wish’ a price/risk actually worth accepting ? Is it the case that Scottish Ministers are now conditioned to believe that a second wave is inevitable so why bother with lock down any more? ? Surely no one really needs to attach much blame to those who decline to respond to Official decree by “whim” in these contradictory scientific circumstances.
For generations British people took great pride in civil freedoms. The UK enjoyed a free market economy, not a state directed one.
Good post Tom. You illustrate the confusion and contradictory information about, and it also highlights what seems to be increasingly clear, hand responsibility to the public. The insurance issue could be real brake on future operations as well. But you lost me in your last paragraph. The post war settlement has not been free market capitalism, as the current Tory administration has amply demonstrated. Pandemics are a government responsibility. But they must get the decisions right.
Great blog. I have used the Glenmore site often and was sad to hear that it won’t be reopening yet. This has an effect on other smaller businesses as well. The Pine Marten Bar next door has been mentioned previously in comments on an earlier blog. Apparently it gets 80% of it’s business from the campsite. Still they seem to have some good ideas keep going. I for one hope things go well for them.