{"id":19672,"date":"2019-05-07T11:50:36","date_gmt":"2019-05-07T11:50:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.walkhighlands.co.uk\/news\/?p=19672"},"modified":"2019-05-07T11:54:46","modified_gmt":"2019-05-07T11:54:46","slug":"access-the-authority","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.walkhighlands.co.uk\/news\/access-the-authority\/","title":{"rendered":"Access the authority"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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David Clyne, Recreation and Access Manager with the Cairngorms National Park Authority, discusses his role – and the rights and responsibilities of walkers in Scotland.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you enjoy the outdoors and travel outside Scotland, you will quickly appreciate just how amazing our rights of responsible access are. The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 is a ground-breaking piece of legislation that not only provides unparalleled access rights, but for the past 15 years, has provided me with a pretty cool range of outdoor jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luckily, I get to combine work with play. As the Recreation and Access Manager for the Cairngorms National Park Authority, the core of my job is to protect, develop and promote responsible access. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Work or play at Uath Lochans<\/a>?<\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I\nhave lived and worked in the Cairngorms for over 5 years. I have fond\nmemories of visiting the area throughout my childhood and in later\nyears on ever extended holidays. As a keen walker, mountain biker and\npaddler it wasn\u2019t a difficult decision to move my life to this\noutdoor playground. I have a passion for the stunning landscapes and\ninternationally important plants and animals. The combination of\nbeing active outdoors and appreciating my surroundings is integral to\nmy life and wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Access\nauthorities are here to help <\/strong>\n<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\nis my team\u2019s duty to uphold access rights in the Cairngorms\nNational Park, one of the most heavily protected areas in the United\nKingdom: National Park, Special Area of Conservation, National Nature\nReserves, RAMSAR sites and SSSIs. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With\nover 7,000 km of paths in the Park it\u2019s also wonderfully easy for\nour 1.84 million annual visitors to explore by foot, bike, horse and\ncanoe.\nEnjoying such a special place means we all have to be mindful of our\nsurroundings and change our behaviour when asked (e.g. dog on lead in\nsensitive area during bird breeding season).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This\nmeans we need to promote recreation but also conserve and enhance the\nnatural heritage of the area. Sadly a small, but growing number of\naccess takers forget they only have rights if they act responsibly.\nAccess\nrights are not supreme – it is our job to find a balance between all\nthe legislative duties to promote access whilst protecting nature. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Managing\nan access authority is not solely focused on internal challenges; it\nrequires partnership across national sectoral boundaries (public\nhealth, recreation user groups, land management organisations and\ntourism). \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Luckily,\nI also lead one of the most experienced access teams in Scotland. We\nare all outdoor people (not one grey suit is owned between us) with a\nhuge range of professional outdoor education and land management\nqualifications. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nteam has over 40 combined years of access management experience. We\nare committed to upholding and promoting access rights and have been\nat the forefront of national delivery for many years. Did you know\nthat we:have resolved hundreds of access issues, complaints and obstructions through negotiation <\/p>\n\n\n\n