On Monday I watched, or tried to watch, the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority Board meeting online (see here for papers) . The “lifesize” video link kept cutting out soI had to log back in ten or so times. It appeared from disappearing Board Member and vice-convener Willie Nisbet that I was not…
The problem with the Scottish Government’s response to the Werritty Review (see here), which I blogged about almost a year ago (see here), is that fails to tackle the central issue, the intensification of moorland management in order to produce more grouse for shooting. The conversion of Scotland’s moors into vast farms for grouse is…
Last Monday the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority Planning Committee approved the Hunter Foundation (THF)’s proposals (see here) and (here) for a “Global Leadership” (and wedding) Centre on the shore of Loch Lomond unanimously. While the meeting was webcast live, unlike other public authorities our National Parks do not make recordings of their…
Signs in the countryside form part of the narrative about access and help shape public understanding about what the right to roam in Scotland means. Even if ignored by many, I find it hard to pass signs without taking a photo. Six weeks ago, on spotting a cluster of signs behind a Welcome to the…
In the summer of 2017, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) organised the demolition of the Coire na Ciste and West Wall chairlifts (see here). That work was done at the same time as other clear-up work and it came at a cost of £267k in public money. Now that Coire na Ciste has been all…
At the end of September, almost three years after I had first seen it, I went back to look at the River Gynack overflow (see here) for the fourth time. It was still not functioning and since my last visit it appeared rocks had been bulldozed from the bed of the river against the…
This post takes a critical look at the new laws on travel that the Scottish Government introduced last week and their implications for outdoor recreation, in all its forms. I argue that the restrictions would, if interpreted by the police and courts as the Scottish Government apparently intends, be unjustified and discriminatory and fail to…
The Planning Application for the Hunter Global Leadership Centre at Ross Priory, which I wrote about in June (see here), is due to be considered by the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority on Monday. The Planning Report makes sorry reading and throws any pretence at objectivity to the wind. As in the…
Highland and Islands Enterprise/Cairngorm Mountain Scotland Ltd are now pushing ahead with repair work to the Funicular and the smoothing ground-work outside the Daylodge has been completed (see here). There are also plans to install two new tube slides, create a new access track, move the snow factory and install car park barriers. Meanwhile, nothing…
Backed by a host of environmental NGOs, the Greens have secured a debate in the Scottish Parliament this week about the Nature Emergency. With the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful still closed, it seems to be a good time to highlight further the challenges posed by landslips (see here for Glen Falloch and…
In September I visited the Pentlands Regional Park twice and was quite concerned about how access was being managed in response to the influx of people into the countryside. Parking was restricted, toilets closed and there was a proliferation of “no” signs (see here). Apart from some quite helpful signage about social distancing and one…
I was pleased to have this letter published in the Herald on Monday. While Nicola Sturgeon didn’t introduce legal restrictions on travel yesterday, she made it clear that her government is working on them (see here): “These will remain in guidance over the next week but we continue to prepare the regulations, and resolve the…
On 3rd November Highlands and Islands Enterprise announced that work to repair the funicular had started (see here). A large number of planning documents were published on the Cairngorms National Park Authority Planning portal the week before (see here). Among these is a timetable for the works: It would appear work has commenced two months late. …
In October I went for a walk over Brown Cow Hill on the Delnadamph Estate, which was bought by the Queen in 1978 and gifted to Prince Charles on his marriage to Diana. I had not been for many years but was keen to see how the estate was being managed given Prince Charles’ role…
It is hard to know whether to be inspired or depressed by the battle over vehicular use of “green lanes” which I touched on a year ago in post comparing what was going on in the Lake District National Park and the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park (see here) The latest newsletter of…
This post takes a look at the planning application for a proposed distillery, visitor centre and warehouse in the conservation village of Luss submitted on 11th August by the Hay Partnership on behalf of Glen Luss Distillery Ltd. The proposal The application (see here) is in two parts. The first, the area in red on…
After blogging about how this sign breached access rights ten days ago (see here), I was delighted to be informed by the Cairngorms National Park Authority yesterday that it has now been removed by the Balmoral Estate. The CNPA Access Team have said that they now going to talk further with the estate about a…
On 21 Oct the Herald newspaper published a letter from myself about the need for the Scottish Government to revise the plans for dualling the A9 trunk road, currently under construction, so that new rest and parking areas can be provided. Such areas are the norm in many other European countries. To bring Scotland up…
Following my post on how “trespass” had reared its ugly head at Aviemore (see here), it has done so again in the Scottish Countryside Alliance’s rural crime survey (see here). The survey is due to close this weekend and the SCA states it intends to present the results to the Scottish Parliament before the…
Recently a new publication appeared on the LLTNPA website under Our Plans and Publications. This is headed “Indicative Regional Spatial Strategy (Draft) – 2020” (see here). The following includes excerpts from it. You will see that there are areas included for potential development where there has already been controversy and public outcry, notably proposals for…
I had not been up Glen Callater for a number of years but last week, after a wet morning, went for a run over Creag nan Gabhar returning down the northern half of the glen. Credit should be given to Invercauld Estate for provision of the car park at Auchallater which is very well used…
Moulsdale Properties’ planning application at Tarbet In a welcome decision, this week Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority planners rejected a retrospective planning application from Moulsdale Properties for the enlarged entrance and road leading up the Ben Cruach Lodge (see here). Key points from the report (see here) are: There was widespread opposition to…
On Saturday, I walked with friends up Lochnagar from the old Invercauld Bridge, through the Ballochbuie forest and then across the moor to scramble up the Stuic. Shortly after the start, at a junction, we came across this sign at the start of a road leading off to our right . While apparently intended to…
Last year Parkswatch posted a number of articles opposing the planning application to smooth and re-grade ground by the Day Lodge at Cairn Gorm to create a new beginner’s ski area (see here– includes links to all posts). Ten months after the Cairngorms National Park Authority approved the planning application from Jim Cornfoot, a member…
I have been staying in Braemar for the week and so far have seen almost no litter (and no fly tipping) in the Cairngorms National Park, quite a contrast to the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park in the summer (see here). Even accepting that it is now quieter than August, the differences are quite…