Walkhighlands

I was in Dalwhinnie over the weekend and parked in the Walkers car park then used the crossing over the railway. There are signs in the car park that the crossing is to close this coming week - it seems like a permanent closure. There will be access for "authorised users", but the pedestrian and bike gates will be padlocked.

Does anyone know what is going on and what the alternative will be?

It's seems odd given that provision of the walkers car park is a recent and welcome development.

First I've heard of it. I'm planning to go up there wild camping next weekend!

It could possibly be related to repairs following a derailment earlier this year

https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/inverness-line-to-reopen-for-passengers-and-freight-services

maybe there's some more work to complete on the crossing.

Think there's a railway arch if accessed from behind the little petrol station (Dalwhinnie Services!).

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@56.9280916,-4.2450347,3a,60y,230.62h,81.61t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1svsyMbMCQdGYLHk80D3T9nw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

With the close proximity of a much safer crossing maybe the closure to pedestrians makes sense to the safety people at Network Rail.

OS map shows the railway arch, as does google streetview.
I can't find any details online as to why the level crossing is being closed. Have there been reports of trespassing?
Fair chance that someone in an office has decided that it should be closed for "safety reasons" on the basis that it doesn't get used often enough to justify keeping it open.

I hadn't heard of this but the railway do come out with stuff like this every now and again, with not much thought going into the process. It may well be that they want walkers to use the access at the other end of the dam but they need to communicate this. Also there is a footbridge at Dalwhinnie station. It shouldn't be too difficult to provide access from the platform onto the land at the other side if safety is seen as an issue at the crossing.

One thing for sure, it will take a lot more than a padlocked gate to stop a munro bagger.

Mal Grey wrote:Think there's a railway arch if accessed from behind the little petrol station (Dalwhinnie Services!).

That is useful information, but it's at odds with the car park provision. So now you park up near the crossing and have to walk back to the petrol station. Not so bad on a bike, but instead of reaching the Walkers Car Park at the end of a hard day/ 2 days/ 3 days after a nice stretch of downhill, you have to do a bit of uphill from the arch to the car park. I would do it just because I follow the rules and try to avoid any confrontation with locals, but it will just encourage parking in the village. Unless the filling station wants to use their car park to charge for longer term parking (just now the charge is by the hour and would be prohibitively expensive for a day or more in the hills).

Sunset tripper wrote:I hadn't heard of this but the railway do come out with stuff like this every now and again, with not much thought going into the process. It may well be that they want walkers to use the access at the other end of the dam but they need to communicate this. Also there is a footbridge at Dalwhinnie station. It shouldn't be too difficult to provide access from the platform onto the land at the other side if safety is seen as an issue at the crossing.

One thing for sure, it will take a lot more than a padlocked gate to stop a munro bagger.

Aye, but getting a bike over with the weight I had in my panniers at the weekend would probably break my back!!!!

Does the footbridge at the station take you out onto the Ben Alder side of the tracks?

If so, I imagine that they want people to go that way as it's safer than the LC.

davekeiller wrote:Does the footbridge at the station take you out onto the Ben Alder side of the tracks?

If so, I imagine that they want people to go that way as it's safer than the LC.

Yes but as far as I know there is no access from there to the Ben Alder track which is around 200 metres away. It would probably need a gate at very least.

Alex W wrote:

Sunset tripper wrote:I hadn't heard of this but the railway do come out with stuff like this every now and again, with not much thought going into the process. It may well be that they want walkers to use the access at the other end of the dam but they need to communicate this. Also there is a footbridge at Dalwhinnie station. It shouldn't be too difficult to provide access from the platform onto the land at the other side if safety is seen as an issue at the crossing.

One thing for sure, it will take a lot more than a padlocked gate to stop a munro bagger.

Aye, but getting a bike over with the weight I had in my panniers at the weekend would probably break my back!!!!

I reckon you would have managed if it was the only option.

If they do lock the gates hopefully they will come out with a viable alternative.

If you turn down the road at the garage there is parking next to the tunnel. You can take a bike through and turn right along a good track at the top of the loch which joins the track from the level crossing to take you to Ben Alder etc.

Alex W wrote:

Mal Grey wrote:Think there's a railway arch if accessed from behind the little petrol station (Dalwhinnie Services!).

Unless the filling station wants to use their car park to charge for longer term parking (just now the charge is by the hour and would be prohibitively expensive for a day or more in the hills).

It's £3 per day for parking.

Takes me back a bit to the 1960's when Mountaineering Clubs had access in vehicles up the shed close to Loch Pattack.
I guess an arrangement by phone to the keeper's Cottage accessed from the then A9 probably just a short distance from the current filling station. From what I recall the key was needed to get through a gate prior to the Dam and maybe further on alongside the Loch at roughly the spot where I have got onto The Fara Corbett. The relationship with the then keeper Mr. Oswald seemed to be a good one and I did hear him speak very knowledgably at one of the MBA meetings that I went to. Also his concern about the whereabouts of missing walkers when he took a few of us across the Loch in a boat to enable a check to be made along the far side of Loch Ericht.