Morag and I went up Cairn Gorm Thursday 6th August via Windy Ridge and down the Fiaccaill of Coire Cas, all in glorious weather. We started out just after 10.30 but even so met numerous folk going up on Windy Ridge and, even by that time, others coming down. On the whole route we met, Morag reckons, about a hundred folk, with many at the summit which saw a constant through traffic. You could see people in numbers going round and down via the Fiaccail of Coire an-Sneachda and other routes.
The photo includes one mountain biker who was on his way to Etchachan and en route to Braemar. Two other bikers at the summit were going back down the Coire Cas track. There was a snow boarder (In the picture) and a cross country skier en route to a surviving snow patch in Glen Avon. Along the way we encountered groups of young guys backpacking in to wild camp at Etchachan etc. A major and very enjoyable component were families out and up to the summit with 2-3 small kids who were having a great time and full of energy!. My wife pointed out, rather worryingly, that, at 82, I was clearly the oldest person among the lot by a good margin.
Although the pressure by those on foot on Cairn Gorm is a worry, it was clear many people were having a really good time. The views were terrific. It was an intriguingly diverse set of people.and included folk of African origin and quite a few clearly of Asian origin. We had nice chats with quite a few of them and they were UK visitors rather than residents, part of the fascinating “internationalisation” of the Scottish hills. In recent hill outings we have met French, Swiss, German, Polish and Czech.
When we got down, although the funicular is hors de combat, the upper car park was nearing full. (On the way up, the Ciste car park had various overnight vehicles and cars). Down at Loch Morlich, it was unreal. Every car park was jam packed. Cars were parked nose to tail along the side of the road on the loch side for, we reckoned, one and a half miles!!! How do you distance yourself on that beach with that density of folk?
What this brought home to me was the sheer folly of Highlands and Islands Enterprise developing a masterplan for Cairn Gorm separate from planning for the lower half. Glen More needs one unified plan from the summit to the boundary on the road to Aviemore.
Excellent blog post! More than ever I remain convinced that Glenmore should be made car free. Extend the Trainline from Granton to Aviemore and onward to Glenmore. Train can be used by hikers, hikers and skiers. Make it a proper national park Scotland can be proud of.
So a ‘proper’ national park excludes everyone but hikers who arrive by train? I suspect that suits you… but you need to think about everyone else too. Take a look at how our continental cousins manage their parks to see a much more inclusive approach in action. The reason car parks get full is because there aren’t many of them, and the Highlands is an increasingly popular visitor destination. You can see an easy solution… and it isn’t by choosing to discourage visitors.
@Andrew.
> So a ‘proper’ national park excludes everyone but hikers who arrive by train?
Extend the existing Granton-Aviemore stream line onward to Glenmore with stops en-route for hikers, bikers and skiers. Making the Glenmore forest car free would enhance the visitor experience for majority of outdoor recreation purposes. The key attraction of the area is the natural environment. A car free national park could offer a unique visitor experience and selling point.
If more car parking is required then build it in Aviemore? Have trains running every 15minutes at peak times. Revenue generated from train could be re-invested into making tourism in the area sustainable. More walking paths, bike trails and suitable locations for camper vans (outside of Glenmore).
Either way I agree with the core point in blog : any development of ski area needs to be linked up with longer term strategy for Glenmore below.
@Andrew. Extend the existing Granton-Aviemore stream line onward to Glenmore with stops en-route for hikers, bikers and skiers. Making the Glenmore forest car free would enhance the visitor experience for majority of outdoor recreation purposes. The key attraction of the area is the natural environment. A car free national park could offer a unique visitor experience and selling point. If more car parking is required then build it in Aviemore? Have trains running every 15minutes at peak times. Revenue generated from train could be re-invested into making tourism in the area sustainable. More walking paths, bike trails and suitable locations for camper vans (outside of Glenmore). Either way I agree with the core point in blog : any development of ski area needs to be linked up with longer term strategy for Glenmore below.
A rather narrow and ill informed view, I’m sorry to say. Saas Fee and the Mattertal above Tasch are car free. Access by foot, bike, train for everyone with all ranges of mobility needs.
There is no reason why Glenmore should achieve the same but then our infrastructure is dated, our views are parochial and our politicians generally focussed on the next election.
It has become ever more clear, since lockdown was eased, that HIE’s claims that the Funicular Railway is a key driver of the local economy are simply untrue. They are so desperate to continue with the folly of their vanity project that they are completely ignoring the evidence that everyone can see. If the Funicular was a key component of the local economy then it wouldn’t be as mobbed as is very clearly the case. The Funicular is just something that people may take a trip on while they are here but it certainly isn’t the main reason that people come to Strathspey in the first place. It will be down to the Scottish Government to stand up to HIE and refuse to sanction the spending of 10-15m of public funds on what has always been a white elephant
Ms Sturgeon and co wont say a word to HIE as I reckon you well know too much of an embarrassment now to acknowledge a dept of theirs failure plus like all the rest of the things reported on Parkswatch Ms Sturgeon and co aren’t the least interested too busy looking to drum up support for indie ref 2 ,time the winds of change started blowing strongly in regard to Scottish gov
@David Warnock. The SNP tried to abolish HIE several years ago but were voted down by the opposition parties. By bringing party politics into this issue you make an obvious error. Remember this Holyrood vote? https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-38652032
The upper slopes of Cairn Gorm were wrenched from the control of the Forestry Commission in 1971, against FC wishes, by the Highlands and Islands Development Board, who subsequently became HIE. This split ownership has been a disaster ever since and the downhill spiral is bound to continue so long as HIE are in charge. Many politicians have been responsible for this shambles since 1971 – Tory, Labour, Lib Dem and SNP. Only George Younger, a Tory Secretary of State for Scotland, managed to demonstrate any understanding of the issues on Cairn Gorm when he rejected the proposals for westward expansion of the ski area in 1981 after the Lurchers Gully Public Inquiry. This is the last time there was any independent investigation into the merits or otherwise of any project on the mountain. Never in the history of Scottish mountain development has so much wool been pulled over so many political eyes. That is unlikely to change before the next elections to the Scottish Parliament.
An excellent posting capturing the beauty of the Cairngorms and the diversity of folk who enjoy the experience… so envious I wasn’t amongst them, especially in that quest for late season snow.
In benign weather the Cairngorms are spectacular. In foul weather extremely hazardous throughout the year. And how quickly that weather can change.
The funicular is indeed a white elephant. It’s now vital that no more time and money is wasted on this vanity project, and other means of uplift and indeed downlift are explored without further prevarication and delay.
A good news post! Highly positive. We’ve been out in the Peak National Park over the last few weekends. Okay, the hotspots where busy but it was great to see people of every colour and creed getting out there, responsible. This is what national parks are for. Thanks for posting.