Access issues

New advice to dog walkers

Posted on April 12, 2011 by Helen Webster

In response to increased levels of two diseases found in cattle and sheep which can be spread by dogs, new advice has been issued to dog walkers. Neosporosis, which can cause abortions in cattle, and Sarcocytosis, which can cause neurological disease and death in sheep, have been linked to the presence on grazing land of dog faeces from infected dogs. Dogs can be infected without showing any symptoms and are most likely to pick up the disease by eating contaminated material, including raw meat, infected placentas or other material which the dog might find on farmland. In the advice, which…

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Wind farms an election issue say MCofS

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Helen Webster

The Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) is calling on political parties in May’s Scottish Parliamentary election to show a commitment to Scotland’s wild land and world famous landscapes by speaking out against wind farm proposals in our dwindling areas of wildness. The MCofS says the proposed Allt Duine wind farm, on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park, is a prime example of a renewable energy project that will cause irrevocable damage to a cherished wild landscape and ruin views in the Monadhliath mountains. The mountaineering body believes the character of this special area is in the hands of the…

Posted in Access issues, Nature, News

Minimal Impact training offered

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Helen Webster

Following the launch of its Minimal Impact Mountaineering Advice earlier this year, the Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) is planning a series of training events to take place in 2011. At the time of the launch of the advice, known as MIMA, the MCofS said, “Scottish access rights are a balance of having statutory rights of access to land and exercising those rights in a responsible manner. MIMA provides detailed information on a wide range of topics that hill walkers, climbers, ski tourers, instructors and other leaders can refer to in order to gain a better understanding of the practical…

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Ben Lawers tree planting boost

Posted on March 26, 2011 by Helen Webster

Work is underway at the National Trust for Scotland’s (NTS) Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve near Killin as staff and volunteers prepare for the peak visitor season once again. Last year the visitor centre building, which was closed during a round of NTS cutbacks, was removed from the car park and there are ongoing plans to re-site the existing car park and undertake landscaping. The reserve is the site of the Central Highlands’ highest mountain and six other Munros, as well as some of Scotland’s rarest alpine flora, beautiful birds including the Ptarmigan and Red Grouse, fascinating archaeology and stunning…

Posted in Access issues, Nature, News

Hill Tracks consultation published

Posted on March 22, 2011 by Helen Webster

The Scottish Government has published the consultation on proposals to change Permitted Development Rights for the construction of Hill Tracks. At the moment most hill tracks are constructed without the need for planning permission as they are deemed to be Permitted Development. This consultation is in response to a campaign to change the Permitted Development Rights (PDR) which resulted in a parliamentary debate in June last year. The consultation document stops well short of proposing removing PDR for this sort of development totally or from specified designated areas which was recommended in research carried out by Herriot Watt University. The…

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Date set for Hill Tracks consultation

Posted on March 19, 2011 by Helen Webster

The Scottish Government have finally set a date for publishing the consultation on plans to limit Permitted Development Rights for the construction of Hill Tracks. The Scottish Parliament will be disolved on Tuesday 22 March prior to the elections. The Hill Tracks Campaign believes the Government plans to publish the consultation paper on that final day. Peter Peacock, one of the MSP’s behind the Campaign says that this last minute action by the Government is, “in no small part thanks to the strength of the campaign and in particular the work done by the Mountaineering Council of Scotland (along with…

Posted in Access issues, Nature

Tyndrum gold mine appeal submitted

Posted on March 18, 2011 by Helen Webster

The company behind plans to mine gold at Cononish near Tyndrum have submitted an appeal against the refusal of planning permission for the scheme by the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority. The application by Scotgold Resources Ltd to drill for gold at the abandoned Cononish gold mine was turned down last August. Since then Scotgold has had several meetings with officers from the National Park to address the concerns that led to the planning refusal and the developer says that it intends to submit a new planning application for the same site in due course, but that…

Posted in Access issues, Nature

East Loch Lomond camping ban passed

Posted on March 10, 2011 by Helen Webster

New laws to ban informal camping along a section of the East Loch Lomond shore will come into effect on 1 June 2011 following approval from Environment Minister, Roseanna Cunningham. Under the seasonal camping byelaws, it will be an offence to camp overnight on the east side of the Loch in an area covering 9 miles between Drymen and Rowardennan, from 1 March to the end of October every year outside designated camping sites. Camping restrictions are just one of a number of solutions being introduced by Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park and partners to improve the quality…

Posted in Access issues, Nature, News

Cairngorms shelter to be rebuilt

Posted on March 7, 2011 by Helen Webster

The Fords of Avon refuge for walkers and mountaineers in a remote part of the Cairngorms National Park is to be re-built by volunteers from the Mountain Bothy Association after permission was granted by the Cairngorms National Park Authority last Friday. The meeting on 4 March 2011, heard how the existing stone-clad, timber hut in Glen Avon has provided emergency shelter for walkers since it was built by a military unit in 1970 and in that time has saved many lives. CNPA Board Member and Moray Councillor, Allan Wright, said: “The shelter lies on the historic Lairig and Laoigh walking…

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Loch Lomond car park closure at Sallochy

Posted on March 4, 2011 by Helen Webster

The car park at Sallochy on the east side of Loch Lomond is currently closed for maintenance work and is likely to remain closed for the rest of March. West Highland Way walkers are being diverted onto the beach for a short distance and car drivers are being directed on to Rowardennan. Work is also being undertaken at the Rowardennan car park although an area will remain open for parking. Rowardennan is very popular with walkers tackling Ben Lomond and therefore walkers might want to take account of the restrictions on parking space when planning their trips in March.

Posted in Access issues