1st April 2025
Walking home from Holyrood, on a perfect evening, in the clearest air, cool and sunny, I decided to take the scenic route.
The north end is still barricaded off with ugly green Cold War barriers, chestnut paling fencing and random signage, all within sight of Parliament. This reminds MSPs how the ‘Right to Roam’ doesn’t exist on their own doorstep. It also reminds the public that the MSPs and the Government are failing to hold Historic and Environment Scotland (HES) to account for their poor management of Holyrood Park.
An alternative access route is still used.
At the north end the ascending path is getting increasingly overgrown, largely with broom but also with whin. There are no signs of rock falls. There are some stones on the path, the size of potatoes and the occasional turnip, which may be debris from HES’s descaling exercises.
The Peregrine was back building its nest.
At the top quarry the old cast aluminum warning signs remain intact, but faded and graffitied.
Some of the graffiti on the rock has been over-sprayed in black but not removed.
People walk along the top of the crags in considerable numbers. Clearly this is infinitely more dangerous than walking along the path below. This is a risk people assess for themselves and are happy to accept. The public should be allowed to do the same for the Radical Road! When are HES going to put a railing across it or deny access?! Maybe they will do the same for the top of Arthur’s Seat; sadly these are places where there have been fatalities. This is all such nonsense.
There are two further ugly barriers, a middle barrier and the south end barrier, with signage in various states of decay. The middle barrier is heavily padlocked. The South end barrier is all locked too, but is no deterrent to climbers of any ability.
There were two students above Hutton’s quarry, climbing and enjoying the evening; they could not believe or understand how the place has been closed by HES for more than 6 years.
What an appalling mess by Historic Environment Scotland! They’re supposed to be the careful custodians of our history and landscape, yet act so irresponsibly like this – effectively closing off our right to enjoy this fabulous country. Total madness!
Just so.
Just reopen it. Stuff falls of cliffs everywhere on occasion, sometimes massively large rock falls and we are not banned from walking beneath cliffs anywhere else. the odds of being unluckily hit by a falling rock are miniscule. Post a warning sign and allow people to assess the risk themselves.
As usual, spend on barriers, signs, studies, reports. Actually fix the problem, no. Although in this case there is no problem to fix. Case law says there is no liability of the landowner for normal natural hazards of the outdoors.
Good to know peregrine present, though worth noting like all falcons they don’t build nests.
Holyrood is a Royal Park, not a Historic Monument. Perhaps the solution is for the park to be managed by a more appropriate organisation.
As you say, the fundamental problem with HES is its lack of accountability. It was created by the Historic Environment Scotland Act (2014): https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2014/19/contents
Ben’s excellent post shows that HES is doing the opposite of what it is legally required to do. The act says this:
“Historic Environment Scotland has the following particular functions—
(a)preserving, conserving and developing its collections,
(b)making the collections accessible to the public and to persons wishing to carry out study and research,
(c)exhibiting and interpreting objects in the collections.”
Health and Safety measures are often criticised for their risk averse negativity. As many have said, we, the public, have been denied access to this magnificent route for far too long. Let each person assess the risk for themselves. Get the Radical Road open. All the shenanigans started with a futile attempt to “tidy up” Salisbury Crags.
James Hutton must be spinning in his grave at this folly.
I’m so upset that you’ve highlighted and published the location of a peregrine falcon’s nest site. Are you so uninformed that you don’t know that these special birds are at risk from egg and chick theft? You have a right to criticise how Holyrood park is run. But, your picture or the peregrine nest site in the park with accompanying arrow shows poor judgment and an utter absence of common sense. I doubt we’ll ever see peregrines nesting in Holyrood Park again because of your thoughtlessness.
Hi Samantha, I did think about suggesting to Ben he might remove the photo but decided not to do so. Would be egg thiefs are almost always good birders and will know the peregrines are there just as gamekeepers knows where raptors are on grouse moors. The surest way to protect raptors is if more people are looking out for them and the very popularity of Salisbury Crags or offers significant protection – and there would be even more if HES reopened the Radical Road. I don’t think you are right to fear that if the site was disturbed peregrines would not return to Holyrood Park. There is far too much prey and Holyrood Park offers far too many rocky ledges for that to happen.