After my last post on ABRDN’s disastrous planting proposals for Far Ralia (see here) I was phoned by Renwick Drysdale of AKRE trees (see here) asking to meet so he could explain to me what they are trying to do. Unfortunately, I am out of Scotland for most of the six weeks but agreed to…
Author: Nick Kempe
I was in the Real Food Cafe at Tyndrum a few weeks ago but missed this sign ,about the lack of suitable toilets “changing places” for people with disabilities. It is absolutely fantastic to see local businesses in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park campaigning for better infrastructure, not just for tourists but for…
On 23rd June the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority issued a decision to Fountain Forestry UK Ltd that Prior Approval was not needed for “Construction of 800m of new forest track, upgrade of 330m forest track, formation of turning and stacking areas, upgrade of 2no existing bridges and construction of 3no small span…
Part of the reason for my recent visit to Balquhidder (see here) was to take a closer look at the forestry plantation in Monachyle Glen, the one which was sold off on the cheap by Forest and Land Scotland (see here). The road up the glen has been upgraded in preparation for timber harvesting/profit reaping…
Ten days ago I was in Balquidder and as far as I could tell most of the unlawful no access signs along the shore of Loch Voil are still there (see here). Some of these signs pre-date the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 which created access rights and the formation of the Loch Lomond and…
Yesterday Raptor Persecution UK published an excellent post calling for greater scrutiny of duck shooting on sporting estates (see here). By coincidence I had had my eyes opened to what is going on the week before when passing through the Ralia Estate to check on how Abrdn’s tree planting proposals at Far Ralia (see here). Anyone…
Two years Abrdn Property Income Trust (formerly the Standard Life Property and Income Trust) bought 1400 hectares of land from the Ralia and Drumochter Estate with the stated intention of using the land to offset carbon emissions by planting trees. Abrdn were advised on the purchase and the “habitat restoration project” (see here) by Fenwick…
A few weeks ago I was contacted by a person who had parked their car to go for a walk from Sallochy on east Loch Lomond and had been harassed by rangers for doing so. Last week I was sent these photos which show the gates are now being locked in the day to prevent…
The consultation on the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority (LLTNPA)’s National Park Partnership Plan (NPPP) 2024-29 has been live since 26th April and closes on Wednesday. There have been few responses so far through the online platform “commonplace” (see here) despite the LLTNPA’s attempts to frame the new plan as having a pivotal…
The owner of Akre trees, who has family connections with the Ralia Estate (see here), not only claims to have advised Abrdn on their purchase of “Far Ralia” but to be behind the native woodland project for the estate (see here). Akre also appears lined up to carry out the planting should Scottish Forestry give…
The Right to Roam campaign https://www.righttoroam.org.uk/ has taken a far broader approach to access rights than has traditionally been the case in England and has been building a broad campaign for a new legal right of access on the Scottish model. One of the outdoor recreational activities that has been highlighted by that campaign is wild…
The recreational, environmental and planning disaster in Coire Cas and HIE’s ownership of Cairn Gorm
Some people might at first sight find the new mountain bike tracks running down the lower part of Coire Cas attractive. Certainly Cairngorm Mountain Scotland must have thought so when they posted this aerial photo on their Facebook Page. In landscape terms and from the air the sinuous curves of the tracks certainly look better…
Following my most recent post on the Ralia hill road (see here), I was sent further photos which support my argument that the road upgrade work should have required full planning permission. The Construction Method Statement accompanying the Prior Notification, which was produced by Taiga Upland in conjunction with Kilrie Trees and approved by Highland…
Last week I took two relatives from Australia, ecologists both, on a tour of Scotland which included parts of both of Scotland’s National Parks. Our first stop was Inveruglas, on the west shore of Loch Lomond, land owned and managed by the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority. It was good to find the…
On 30th June the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) issued a news release (see here) stating that Sandy Bremner and Eleanor Mackintosh had been elected as new Convener and vice-Convener of the Cairngorms National Park Authority on 28th June. The elections were to replace Xander McDade, who had announced earlier in the year that he…
Background The successful re-introduction of beavers to Scotland owes very little to our public authorities and everything to the people who, whether accidentally or not, allowed beavers to enter the catchment of te River Tay. While the official trial in Knapdale floundered – the river system was too small and the catchment isolated so the…
The “repairs” (see here), (here), (here), (here) and (here) to the failed overflow channel between the Allt Mhor and Loch Gynack, intended to reduce flood risks in the village of Kingussie below and unused since 2018, are extensive. Indeed the evidence suggests the whole of the original footprint has been re-worked and this is not…
The Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority (LLTNPA) draft National Park Partnership Plan (NPPP), currently out for consultation (see here) says hardly anything about litter prevention or management and contains just one commitment that mentions litter: “Jointly plan visitor management with partners to ensure a co-ordinated approach to staff presence on the ground, litter…
Two parkswatch readers have sent in photos of current construction work along the line Old Military Road on the Ralia Estate near Newtonmore. I am most grateful. Six weeks ago Highland Council planners decided that, apart from a new bridge and section of road on either side of this, all the other track “upgrades” being…
Yesterday afternoon, after my post (see here) on Forest and Land Scotland (FLS)’s responsibility for the fires in Glenmore, the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) issued a news statement (see here) about how they were responding (to the fires, not my post). On the negative side, the statement contains not a mention of FLS and…
A significant row has developed in Glenmore, the most popular place for visitors in the Cairngorms, and various interests are now trying to stampede the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) into initiating measures to ban camping there. This post argues that primary responsibility for the problems in Glenmore lie with Forest and Land Scotland and…
The damage caused by Scotland’s exceedingly high numbers of red deer and muirburn are the two main issues that need to be tackled if we are to tackle the nature and climate emergencies in the uplands. This post takes a look at the three changes in the law the Scottish Government announced yesterday (see here)…
At the beginning of April a planning application (see here) was submitted in the name of Abrdn Property Holdings Ltd to build a “bothy” on Far Ralia, the property bought be the Standard Life Investment and Property Trust before it merged with Aberdeen Asset Management. Abrdn Property Holdings Ltd was registered as a company in…
I spent a couple of days this week on the Rhiedorrach Estate, east of Glen Shee. Walking up to the lovely Loch nan Eun to camp, we only came across this trap because the river was so low we decided to boulder hop across it opposite the Dalmunzie hotel. Two days before we had come…
Parkswatch has now been sent photos from four different readers resident in Kingussie who are concerned about the polluting silt that continues to run down the River Gynack over six weeks since repair work to the overflow started (see here), (here), (here) and (here). The latest was on Monday: “I walked up the River Gynack…