In this age of austerity, the benefits of mountaineering and the need to fund responsible access to the countryside is more important than ever. This is the view of the Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) which has just launched a manifesto for the forthcoming Scottish Parliamentary elections in May.
Despite the huge range of demands on public money, the MCofS says that access to Scotland’s hills should be an election issue because they offer an escape from financial concerns, providing benefits to a wide community. Hebe Carus, Access and Conservation Officer at the MCofS, commenting at the manifesto launch, said, “We cannot afford to put the physical and mental well-being benefits that a large number of people gain from mountaineering on the backburner just when people need it the most.”
The manifesto calls for the Scottish Government to recognise the importance of Scotland’s uplands to tourism. The MCofS wants vulnerable landscapes to be protected from renewable energy projects, but says that small-scale community projects should be encouraged.