Glen Affric havoc

[Gythral]

Fortunately there is no hydro schemeing at Alltbeithe hostel in Glen Afric yet.

Does anybody know how it will impact the moorland? No bog anymore or is there no impact on this?

I am astonished how much money has to be in there.

Also petland restoration is another money making scheme so only diverting some existing water through the sites

[BlackPanther]

I see I opened Pandora's box here...

Thanks a lot for all comments. I have a special emotional bond with Glen Affric (personal reasons) and I felt like being stabbed in the heart when I walked past the building site...

Even if this hydro scheme will generate justifiable amounts of energy, I still think this is not the right place to build one. I can only hope that the scars heal in time. But it will take years.

At the moment I must warn anybody who is planning to do the Carn a' Choire Ghairbh and Aonach Shasuinn route from Glen Affric car park, that the start of the path turning off the main track along Allt Garbh is now under the piles of rubble from the building site and the detour looks very boggy and overgrown

As for trying to engage local politicians... They are now preoccupied with the coming Westminster elections

if the construction teams will actually remove or tidy up any of the appalling mess they've created, remains to be seen.

The whole area around the building site was "decorated" with rubbish: coke cans, food wraps, glass, paper, you name it, it's there. It doesn't speak well of the cleaning habits of the workers...

[prog99]

You'd hope that your msp shouldn't be occupied by such things?
I'd be prepared to write something.

[GillSte]

Good grief! I walked past there last year, and it seemed to be quite a tidy site. What a mess it is now...gruesome. If you climb the Corbetts, you'll see more construction work on the Glen Moriston side of the hill also.

The way forward is to report the messiest sites to Mountaineering Scotland, and also to the Local Authority. The hydro schemes have multiple restrictions imposed in the planning permission, such as maintaining access for hill walkers, environmental restrictions and restoration of the site post construction. If they breach this, the Local Authority can take enforcement action. You can find the planning permission documents on the Local Authority website.

I reported the Loch Eilde Mor scheme to Highland Council, where hill access was blocked, and got a good result, so I would strongly recommend taking action.

It's very sad to see so many of the wildest but less popular hills being devastated by hydro and wind power stations. It seems that the Corbetts and Grahams are seen as fair game for development, because so few people go there. We're losing the wilderness folks...

[GillSte]

I see I opened Pandora's box here...

At the moment I must warn anybody who is planning to do the Carn a' Choire Ghairbh and Aonach Shasuinn route from Glen Affric car park, that the start of the path turning off the main track along Allt Garbh is now under the piles of rubble from the building site and the detour looks very boggy and overgrown

At present, the better routes to the Corbetts are up the very fine stalkers path from the end of Loch Affric or from Cougie

[kmai1961]

Somewhat fortuitous to this topic, there's an article in this month's Scottish Mountaineer about the Munro Society and Mountaineering Scotland joining forces to help monitor the success (or not) of restoration work that's meant to be done by hydro contractors. As many authorities lack the capacity to follow this up year on year, there's a call for volunteers to "adopt" a track and observe its progress every six months or so.

If there's a local track / hydro scheme that you visit several times a year, and you're interested in helping with this project (not much involved: take a photo or two and note the condition of the track), you can drop an email to info@mountaineering.scot

[Peedee]

Sorry this is so late in the day, and it's maybe worth a separate topic, but here's an article exhorting all walkers to photograph diggers or other activity and either report it to LINK or to check with the local authority.

Oops - unfortunately this site won't let me post links, but if you google this....

proliferation-hill-tracks-stop-example-drumochter

It's really quite easy to check if they have approval for the work - I work as a volunteer for LINK looking for applications.

Essentially, nobody really checks up on estates. They sometimes don't reinstate to the standard promised, sometimes retrospectively ask for temporary access tracks to be made permanent and sometimes they just build tracks. Here is an article showing how the Cairngorm Park is having to fight to get Drumochter reinstated.

Google... cnpa-takes-action-drumochter-enough

[mynthdd2]

......could they not be required to plant trees as part of the regeneration project there?

[Peedee]

As per the second link, there is a requirement to plant a belt of trees, but the estate was trying retrospectively to remove that condition. CNPA has objected.

[BlackPanther]

Update!!!!!

After a recent visit to Glen Affric, I can see a dim light at the end of the tunnel. The area south of Loch Affric still looks far away from wild, but it has been tidied up a little bit, hopefully as soon as the construction work is finished, the nature will start to heal the scar.

A few photos (snaps from low quality camera - apologies for bad quality).

Sadly, the layby by Chisholme Bridge, at the start of the traditional route to Tom a' Choinich and Toll Creagach, no longer exists. It has be plowed over and you can't park by the bridge anymore

It is still possible to park in the old quarry a few hundred meters up the road, at least at the moment. It has been used recently as parking space for all the heavy machinery used in construction of hydro schemes, but last time we drove past, it was empty. Also the Forestry Commission car park in Glen Affric is open as usual, but this week access will be limited due to... some big Hollywood film maker shooting a movie down around the loch. I hope they don't film the hydro mess

"Due to filming taking place in the area between 21 and 27 March, there will be some restrictions within the car park. Please observe any signage and instructions from marshals."

One more note for those heading for Glen Affric, the Dog Falls car park is partially closed at the moment, as well, quoting Forestry Commission:
"works to the toilets and car park will be ongoing from the week commencing 19 February, so access may be limited."

Cheers all
BP

[Coop]

Cheers BP.
OS415 just arrived through my letterbox. Plan on heading up Tom and Toll next month sometime.
Bummer about the parking near Chisolme bridge.
Looks like I'll be hoping there's space at 201233.

How can they just wipe a parking area off the map!!

[Peedee]

According to the CEO...

"Throughout the construction phase we will keep all car parks clear, and there will be no path closures. As part of the Abhainn Gleann nam Fiadh project we will provide a new path at Chisholm Bridge, tying into a new FES car park, which will provide a new low level circular walk,” Mathieson says."

And...

“Once the site is complete and fully remediated, there will be very little visual impact,” Mathieson concludes.

[Skyelines]

“Once the site is complete and fully remediated, there will be very little visual impact,”

Environmental Impact Assessments always have this or similar sentences in them and planning committees for some reason fall for it.

[Peedee]

Belated Update - I was up there in June when they had allegedly remediated the road and it still looked pretty bad. Not least there was a lot of leftover plastic...

I complained about this to the contractor, copied to Highland Council and got promises that it would be sorted. So if it's still there now (3 months later), feel free to complain again !

[mikebeattie1]

our country is slowly but surely getting eaten away with wind turbines hydro dams and the roads to services these things ..we are in a sorry state and we are losing the remoteness and wildness of our land for the sake of what they call green energy which in real terms is greed by land owners (who don't all stay in this country )and energy companies putting money and profit before all .. i feel sorry for our kids growing up in the next 20 years there will be nothing left no wild camping no bothies and you will more and likely be able to drive to our remote hills ... wonder what our ancestors would say