Loch Leven
The Cairngorm National Park attracts 1.4 million visitors a year with many of them taking to the paths and mountains where the habitat is particularly fragile. This continuous wear alongside the harsh climate conditions has caused erosion resulting in unsightly scars to the landscape and considerable damage to the important habitats.
This four year project will improve 17 upland paths with some of the routes dating as far back as the Middle Ages when they were used as droving tracks moving cattle from Aberdeen to the West of Scotland. The work will be carried out by hand with helicopters flying in building materials to protect the habitat from the damage that would be caused by using large machinery. Eight traineeships in conservation will bring vital skills to the area and a range of interpretation projects will give schools, volunteers and communities a chance to better understand the magnificent natural heritage on their doorstep.
Colin McLean, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Scotland said: “This is the International Year of Biodiversity, a year when we are encouraging people to connect with nature. The stark beauty of Scotland’s mountain heritage attracts and ever-growing number of walkers, climbers and tourists each year. This is a boon to our significant tourist economy, but we have to balance it with the conservation of our landscape, its flora and its fauna so that people can continue to enjoy it for years to come.”
Danny Alexander MP, whose home is in Aviemore, at the heart of the Cairngorm National Park took time off from his new budget cutting role in the coalition Government to say: “Scotland’s natural landscapes and wildlife are enormously valuable for their own sake, but they are also a major element of our tourist industry. Especially where there is pressure from visitor numbers, as in the Cairngorms, it is important that we are active in maintaining our asset for the future. It is excellent news that the Heritage Lottery Fund is enabling this investment to go ahead. It will enable thousands of people to continue to visit every year without damaging the special environment which they come here to enjoy.”
Dougie Baird, Trust Manager, Cairngorms Outdoor Access Trust (COAT), said: “COAT is absolutely delighted with the award as it will allow us to make a huge difference to the Cairngorm mountains. It is great that so many people come and enjoy our mountains, but it is really important that people also understand that this can create damage, through path erosion, that needs to be managed so that people can experience a pristine mountain environment now, and for future generations. The project will deliver important conservation work, create employment and involve people in the care of some of Scotland’s most valuable heritage assets.’
The Heritage Lottery Fund also made an award to the Semple Trail Heritage Project which aims to get more of the 350,000 annual visitors to Castle Semple Country Park beyond the immediate area around the visitor centre and out into the surrounding countryside. The park is rich in natural heritage with woodlands, lochs, ancient trees, rare flowers and one of the busiest RSPB reserves in Scotland supporting nationally important breeding birds and wintering wildfowl, as well as having a number of interesting man-made features and buildings.
Loch Leven Heritage Trail has been awarded £241,500 to build on the success of previous HLF investment which helped create an access trail around 13.5km of Loch Leven. The new project will complete access round the loch with an additional 6kms of path providing improved access to the varied wildlife and habitats around the loch.
Loch Leven is the largest loch in lowland Scotland and one of the most important sites for waterfowl in Britain. In the autumn and winter it plays host to thousands of migratory ducks, geese and swans. The path will, as well as providing ideal vantage points for these flocks of birds, link to the built heritage of the area including the 19th century mills which put Kinross amongst the world leaders in the production of cashmere. At present the lack of a complete circular route around the Loch and only a very limited seasonal bus service means that many people are missing out on a fabulous potential walking route.