This lovely positive film http://www.hakaimagazine.com/video/right-roam puts Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park to shame. People are filmed driving to beautiful places and camping by the roadside to paddle on lochs – just as they do in the National Park. A great counter argument to the LLTNPA and FCS who wish to remove roadside camping…
The Standards Commission has arranged a hearing for Owen McKee, the former Board Member of Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park’s Authority who failed to declare he was trading in shares in the Cononish Goldmine, at 11.00 am on Tuesday 12th April at the the LLTNPA HQ, Carrochan, Balloch. I also understand that the Commissioner…
There was more press coverage last week about the reduction in cycle storage capacity on the West Highland Line http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14388363.Campaigners_warn_that_train_refurbishments_will_slash_space_for_bikes/ On Friday I received a response to my letter to Gordon Watson about whether the Park had made any representations about the impact this would have on tourism in the Park. I covered the…
There is an interesting thread on mountain hare persecution and National Parks on Raptor Persecution Scotland https://raptorpersecutionscotland.wordpress.com/2016/03/30/sustainable-mountain-hare-culls-wheres-the-evidence/ Its very good that people are beginning to question not just why mountain hare persecution is happening but also why, of all places, its being allowed in our National Parks. Mike, my climbing partner on Thursday,…
Driving up to the northern Cairngorms yesterday to climb, protests by people in Aviemore about the disgusting taste of their drinking water was headline news on Radio Scotland. Scottish Water’s response was technocratic, that they would introduce a different process in 2017 which should make the water taste better http://www.scottishwater.co.uk/investment-and-communities/your-community/aviemore-2016 There was…
Last week, the Tory Government at Westminster published an 8 – Point Plan for National Parks in England http://www.cnp.org.uk/sites/default/files/uploadsfiles/National%20Parks%20Plan.pdf In the introduction it states the Government has an “ambition to put National Parks at the heart of the way we think about the environment”. Contrast this level of interest with this week’s Political Hustings…
Douglas McAdam, Chief Executive of Scottish Land and Estates had an article in the Sunday Herald today http://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/14386203.A_landowner_s_defence_of_culling_mountain_hares/ defending the killing of hares in which he referred to the Cairngorms at the end. He was obviously trying to persuade our politicians, who I have heard read the Sunday Herald, and the CNPA that everything is…
On Friday I took advantage of the only good day forecast for the holiday weekend to visit Loch Chon (dog loch) before going for a walk over Beinn a Choin (Ben of the dogs). Most of the road between Aberfoyle and Inversnaid, covering Loch Ard, Loch Chon and Loch Arklet is part of the proposed…
A copy of Voice, the excellent publication from the Friends of Loch Lomond and Trossachs (I am a member), arrived in the post this morning. Voice gives over a page of the publication to Gordon Watson, LLTNP Chief Executive, to provide an update from the Park Authority. It includes a section on the proposed camping…
On Tuesday the RSPB reported the death of a Hen Harrier on a moor near Newtonmore last September http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/ourwork/skydancer/b/skydancer/archive/2016/03/22/hen-harrier-lad-found-dead-on-speyside.aspxhe It was good to hear Grant Moir, the Chief Executive of the Cairngorms National Park, condemn the probable killing outright – a more upfront response than the Park’s reaction to the Mountain Hare massacres last week. …
As a result of campaigning against the proposed camping byelaws, I have uncovered a number of failings in respect to how the LLTNPA operates, many of which concern a lack of openness and what I would describe as cover-ups. Today I received further proof of this. I hope you will bear with me while I…
Following the parkswatch post last week on what the Cairngorms National Park could do to stop mountain hair massacres, claims have been made about another massacre on Balmoral http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14371147.Queen_urged_to_stop_mass_killing_of_hares_at_Balmoral/ Ever since Queen Victoria bought Balmoral, the royal family have set the standard about what is acceptable in terms of hunting. Deer hunting used to be…
KPMG, one of the big four accountancy firms, have acted as internal auditors for our two National Parks from 2011/12. Just why public authorities would want to appoint KPMG, who have as auditors failed to pick major failings with banks such as HBOS or the Coop and organisations such as FIFA, is a mystery…
On Monday I drove along the A 82 stopping at laybys & sites used for camping along the Loch side. Most of the land is owned by Luss Estates who last year blamed campers for the state of the country-side http://lussestates.co.uk/news/litter-problem-worsens-wild -campers Apart from the usual litter thrown from car traffic, which is ubiquitous throughout…
The Scottish Campaign for National Parks (I sit on their Executive Committee) has published its report on Tourism and Future National Parks in Scotland, see SCNP press release for tourism report 16.03.16 This follows on from http://www.scnp.org.uk/News/Docs/2013/Unfinished-Business-a-national-parks-strategy-for-scotland.pdf While the purpose of Parkswatchscotland is primarily to scrutinise our existing National Parks, I would hope that…
When I was out on Monday on west Loch Lomondside I was struck by the number of cyclists. It was a lovely sunny day and lots of people were out on the main National Cycle route. Get the West Highland Line to Tarbert and cycle back to Glasgow or Dumbarton- a great day out. …
I have long wondered why Scottish Land and Estates, the organisation representing landowners, was so vocal in its support for camping bye-laws. After all Forestry Commission Scotland is by far the largest landowner in the National Park and the voluntary sector, including the Woodland Trust, NTS, RSPB and Royal Scottish Forestry Society also own sizeable…
After a morning looking around west Loch Lomond (to be covered in future posts) I attended today’s LLTNPA Board Meeting as an observer with Peter and Mary Jack from the Loch Lomond Association. A member of Buchanan Community Council had also turned up to see how the Board operates. In governance terms the March meeting…
The CNPA have responded to the media coverage of the mountain hare cull http://cairngorms.co.uk/mountain-hare-cull-statement/ The response is quite predictable – as a member of staff the Director of Conservation was not in a position to launch the CNPA in new directions – but very sad. It demonstrates some of what is wrong with so-called conservation…
There has been some excellent coverage today of the mass killing of hares in the Cairngorms National Park by Rob Edwards http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14340402.Outrage_of_landowners_mass_killing_of_mountain_hares/ Raptor Persecution Scotland https://raptorpersecutionscotland.wordpress.com/2016/03/13/more-mountain-hares-massacred-in-cairngorms-national-park/ and Mark Avery http://markavery.info/2016/03/13/mountain-mountain-hares/ I am delighted that some of the commentators are now asking why this practice is taking place in a National Park which was set up…
In the last week I have come across a couple of obituaries of Tom Hunter, who died in February, and whose idea of a long distance walking route from Glasgow north led to the creation of the West Highland Way http://www.milngavieherald.co.uk/news/local-headlines/in-memory-of-tom-hunter-creator-of-the-west-highland-way-path-1-4061152 and http://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/14329809.Tom_Hunter/ Its worth quoting an extract from the Herald “In those days,…
I welcome the creation of parkswatchscotland because our National Parks are so important for outdoor recreation and they are not always getting matters right. Every item in this briefing on outdoor recreation issues for the Scottish Parliament elections is relevant to National Parks and some concern them directly. Briefing by Dave Morris This…
I was delighted to see early on Sunday morning on my way to climb on Beinn Udlaidh that the abandoned car that has been lying off the road south of Inverarnan has been lifted – five months after I asked the Park what they were doing about it https://parkswatchscotland.co.uk/2016/02/17/litter-a-mote-in-the-eye-of-the-national-park-authority/ I wish I could claim…
Among the papers for the LLTNP Board meeting on 14th March is a letter from Aileen McLeod, Minister for the Environment, setting out why she explained camping bye-laws. Agenda Item 8 – Appendix 1 – Ministerial Letter to Linda McKay – Byelaw decision It is essential reading. Beneath the spin about listening to a range…
Yesterday the Campaign for National Parks, which operates in England and Wales, launched a new blog and survey http://www.cnp.org.uk/blog/we-need-talk-about%E2%80%A6national-parks which I received via the Scottish Campaign for National Parks (I am on their Executive). What I like about the blog piece and the survey is that is aimed at everyone, residents and visitors, and that…