I was prompted to start Parkswatchscotland as a means of combatting the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority (LLTNPA)’s proposals to create camping byelaws. Having been involved, as President of the Mountaineering Scotland, in negotiating the agreement which was eventually enshrined in the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 I believed there other ways to…
Category: Loch Lomond and Trossachs
On 2nd July the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority (LLTNPA) announced (see here) a 12 week public consultation on the camping byelaws which legally require to be reviewed every ten years. Six days later they announced (see here) that all the permit and camping places that had been created to enable the public to…
At the end of June I went for a walk over Conic Hill, starting from Milton of Buchanan and then back along the main road from Balmaha. The first part of the route, which I have followed several times before, takes the West Highland Way through the western edge of Garadhban forest, owned by Scottish…
Following my post on the Loch Lomond South Community Development Trust (LLSCDT)’s registration of interest in Scottish Enterprise’s land at Balloch (see here), their accounts were published on 6th July by Companies House (see here). This was the day before the deadline and these were first accounts to appear since the company was incorporated on…
They don’t want you to know – the Caledonian Pinewood remnant in Glen Falloch is now at serious risk
Yesterday, I discovered by accident when looking through Scottish Forestry (SF)’s register of woodland creation and felling permissions (see here) that a public consultation on native woodland restoration proposals for the Glenfalloch Estate opened on 23rd June. While SF’s website now provides a tab allowing the public to comment on grant applications, it provides little…
After the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority (LLTNPA) had effectively excluded the local community from the planning process which led to Flamingo Land (see here and here), a Community Development Trust (CDT) provided an alternative means for people in Balloch to have a say over the future of the land in the village. By setting up…
An article (see here) that appeared in the Helensburgh Advertiser last Saturday 13th June in the name of Dr Heather Reid, the Convener of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority (LLTNPA), appeared about a month too late. It states ‘nominations are now open’, when they closed on 4th June, and ‘We’ll be hosting…
Eleven months after the largest wildfire ever recorded in the British Isles burned large parts of Dava Moor, hare’s tail cotton grass has expanded to cover much of the exposed peat. Out of destruction a scene of beauty! Carbon emissions from peatland are estimated to add c3.5% to the UK total. Bare peat, some of…
Looking West down Glen Falloch to Garabal Hill from the West Highland Line May 2026. Glen Falloch, the location of a large part of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority (LLTNPA)’s lottery funded…
Recently, while researching my post on the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority (LLTNPA) local member elections (see here), I came across this revealing post on Linked In (see here): Having been writing for a number of years about how staff at the LLTNPA control board members (see here for example), I should have…
After my post about how the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) no longer provides emails to board members on grounds of national security (see here) a reader sent me a link (see here) about board members on the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA). The LDNPA, like the CNPA, has a new website but seems to…
This post provides a follow-up to the uncontrolled fires I observed on Morar on 25th April (see here). The map shows that so far this year far more land has been burned in the east of Scotland than the west and that most of these fires have been on intensively managed grouse moors in the…
Kirsty Young, the broadcaster, and her husband Nick Jones have put Inchconnachan back on the market through Sotheby’s, with two options for purchase: Mr and Mrs Young bought the island, famed for its Wallabies, four years ago for just £1,550,000 (see here). The Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority (LLTNPA) then allowed them to use…
At the start of this year I was alerted to the construction of the new access road to what was until recently called Conachra farm. The new road, which is west of Croftamie, lies within the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park and is their responsibility for planning purposes. The farm itself lies within the…
[This post was updated late on 14th April to reflect the fact the Slanj restaurant business no longer exists. The new business is called Kirk ‘O The Lochs and no longer allows campervans to stay in their car park overnight] The large car park owned by the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority (LLTNPA)…
On Tuesday I took advantage of the nice day and went for a walk in Glen Lochay past Killin. Driving back along the A84 we passed Loch Lubnaig at about 5.30pm. Both the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority (LLTNPA) car parks were locked. Across the A84 from the cafe and main car park…
On 1st April the BBC reported (see here) that Flamingo Land had decided to appeal Scottish Government’s Ministers decision to turn down their proposed Lomond Banks development in Balloch. They are in fact seeking a judicial review. The difference is important because, as I explained after Scottish Ministers made their announcement (see here), a judicial…
[This article originally appeared last year in Mountain Views, the excellent journal of the North East Mountain Trust. I am pleased to republish it, following my post on Seedy Sitka (see here), using some additional photos from other areas to illustrate the points Drennan makes] A walk up Bern Vrackie is a good day out…
Last week this post appeared on the Facebook Callander Discussion Forum about overflowing litter bins in the town (see here). The comments which followed helped explain the reasons why the bins had not been emptied and what is likely to happen when the tourist season takes off: These problems are not new. After fairly extensive…
The person who sent parkswatch this photo was taken aback by the number of Sitka spruce they saw below the summit of Ben Vorlich, the Munro south of Loch Earn. Last month, while climbing on Beinn Dothaidh, near Bridge of Orchy, I passed a Sitka sapling on a ledge at over 900m (sorry no photo). …
The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 requires byelaws to be reviewed every ten years. Currently, the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority (LLTNPA) is secretly preparing a review of the camping bye laws, which prompted the creation of this blog, prior to a public consultation later this year. The review should start with some…
The Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority (LLTNPA) Board meeting on Monday (9th March) considered a paper on the Standards Commission for Scotland (SCS) decision to suspend Sid Perrie, the locally elected member of Balloch, for six months for sending six emails (see here). Public bodies which come under the aegis of the…
[This post was updated and corrected 6th March – see post on apologies to Sandy Bremner 6th March] The Scottish Government’s budget for 2026/27 included significant cuts for both the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority (LLTNPA) and the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) (see here for budget documents). Over the course of two…
I was taken by surprise by the Scottish Government’s announcement on Tuesday that it had decided to reject Flamingo Land’s current planning application to build a holiday resort at Balloch five months after the Reporter, Mr Buylla, had submitted his second report on the proposed development (see here). I had thought the Scottish Government had…
Last Wednesday, 18th February, the Standards Commission published (see here) their decision to suspend Sid Perrie from the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority (LLTNPA) Board for six months for sending six emails questioning the Flamingo Land Planning process. The decision document is almost 24 pages long and, from my memory, appears to be…