Highland Council decided today to renew Alladale Estate’s Dangerous Animals Licence despite objections from the Council’s own Access Officer and walking and mountaineering organisations. The licence relates to the keeping of captive elk and wild boar in fenced enclosures. The Estate also has a zoo licence pending which, if granted, will allow the keeping of wolves and other animals, in large enclosures with no general public access. Highland Council’s Access Officer for Surtherland and Caithness, Matt Dent objected on the basis of concerns about the obstruction of access rights by the current scheme, following a complaint sent to Mr Dent…

The Cairngorms National Park Authority is to stop funding the Heather Hopper bus service which currently runs in the summer months. The heavily-subsidised service, which runs twice a day in the summer and connects Ballater to Grantown on Spey with connecting buses to Aberdeen, only carried an average of 40 passengers a week last year. The National Park said it would consider how best to use funds to provide transport. As well as making the Park more accessible, one aim of the Heather Hopper service was to reduce car use and lower the carbon footprint of the Park.

The Westminster and Holyrood Governments have had a serious bust up over access to paths at Balmoral resulting in a humiliating climbdown by a Scottish Minister. It is understood that the Home Office put Roseanna Cunningham, Scottish Environment Minister, under pressure to scrap plans to include two paths near Balmoral Castle on a new paths map because of alleged worries about royal security. Previously Buckingham Palace, the UK Government and top police officers had expressed concerns about the inclusion of two paths on the new Core Paths Plan being developed by the Cairngorms National Park Authority. Ms Cunningham had dismissed…

Ramblers Scotland and Stirling Council have been successful in the latest attempt to keep walkers out of the Boquhan Estate near Kippen. Landowners Euan and Claire Snowie had sought to exclude walkers, cyclists and horseriders from 40 acres of their Boquhan estate near Kippen, claiming they needed such a large area for privacy and security. In April 2008, Ramblers Scotland and Stirling Council won their legal case against Euan Snowie and Claire Snowie, which came to court during May 2007. The judgement was appealed, and the case was set to be heard in the Court of Session. However the case…

Walkers and climbers are being asked if vehicle access should be allowed over certain Government-owned tracks, ending long walks to the start of ascents and crags. The Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) has been asked to comment on allowing vehicles on the approach track for Ben Dearg near Ullapool and five tracks in Galloway. The MCofS has traditionally not been in favour of opening up access on tracks to cars and other vehicles, preferring the idea of the “long walk in”. The MCofS is asking if climbers and walkers are now generally in favour of opening up access to these…

Walkers heading up Glen Feshie in the Cairngorms need to be aware that the Carnachuin Bridge was swept away by the River Feshie in spate on 3 September this year. The landmark but rickety wooden bridge has been in a state of disrepair for some years now. The Glenfeshie Estate had been planning to repair the rare bridge this year and have purchased the materials, however the Cairngorms National Park Authority have yet to respond to the planning application. If planning permission is ultimately granted, the Estate hopes to replace the bridge in May or June 2010. The Pony bridge…

The Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park have unveiled a series of measures to try and curb problems caused by a small number of visitors to the park. This will include a ban on wild camping in a number of hot spots where litter, human waste and anti-social behaviour has become a problem. The Park plans to provide a number of informal camping areas with toilets and ban wild camping from specific areas on the east shore of Loch Lomond, around Loch Venachar and near Luss. The Park is one of the most visited rural areas of Scotland with…