Access & Conservation News
Birds and Climbing In Scotland
By Kevin Howett
Spring is in the air and birds are nesting. That means climbers need to be more vigilant when out on the crags from now until the end of July, both for the sake of the birds breeding success and to make sure they do not inadvertently fall foul of the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
The main birds to look out for are especially protected species including eagle (golden and sea), peregrine falcon and chough. But other birds such as buzzard, raven, kestrel and some sea birds are just as prone to disturbance. The law protecting the birds at their nests (and their dependent young off the nests) is currently being enhanced and it is important climbers educate themselves as best they can about what constitutes ‘disturbance’ and ‘how close is too close’.
MCofS issued guidance on this subject last year (an 8 page Information Sheet: “Nesting Birds – A Brief Guide to Birds at Crags for Climbers in Scotland”) and it is currently to be found in full on our website. Copies are available from the office.
You can also help by talking to other climbers you meet at crags and alerting them to any potential disturbance they may not have noticed. A full list of Police Wildlife Liaison Officers across Scotland was published in Scottish Mountaineer Issue 18 (June 2003) or is on our website. If you notice any suspicious activity around nests contact the local Officer, and help stamp out wildlife crime.
The following crags had Schedule 1 birds nesting in previous years and climbers should particularly follow MCofS guidance at these sites, or look out for local Police Wildlife Liaison Officer’s advice. Many sites are monitored by Raptor Study Groups:
- Clints of Drumore (climbing is being discouraged on all crags until late July)
- Glen Afton (Stayamrie Wall sometimes holds an occupied nest)
- Loudoun Hill (Eastern Buttress is often occupied and constantly watched, and look out for ravens elsewhere)
- Glen Ogle (look out for activity round ‘White Wall’)
- Creag Mac Ranaich (there is a nest in the centre of the crag)
- Ardnamurchan Ring (birds choose between Meall an Fhireon and Meall Meadhoin each year so alter your plans accordingly)
- Sron Ulladale (there is a nest on ‘Stone’)
- The Camel – Creag nan Clag – a newly developed sport venue (where local residents and study groups ask climbers to refrain until after July)
In England & Wales?
The BMC “The Access Focus and Seasonal Restrictions” Leaflet outlines agreed restrictions at various sites across these countries. Available from the BMC Office, at Climbing Walls, as well as the MCofS Office.
Find out before you go south! Send a SAE marked ‘BMC Birds’ to the MCofS Office or call in and collect one.
Critical Days for Shieldaig
By Mike Dales
As we go to press in early February, the Ministerial decision on the proposed Shieldaig hydro scheme was due. The MCofS has fought hard for the last eight years to keep one of Scotland’s most spectacular mountain ranges free from concrete and steel and in its rugged and natural state; the Torridon Mountains are right up there with the Skye Cuillin in our top two or three finest mountain landscapes.
Hopefully the Minister’s (Lewis Macdonald) decision will be to reject the proposal, or at least call a public inquiry to provide the opportunity to look at the contentious issues in greater detail. However, if the Minister grants consent to this proposed scheme then it will send out a clear message that Scotland’s landscape has no value whatsoever, and designations to protect landscape and species are not worth the paper they are written on. It will prove that this nation has no will to protect its natural treasures.
The Torridon Mountains belong to Scotland and it is our generation’s duty to pass them on in good condition. If our politicians and civil servants agree to destroy them then their shame will last for generations to come. Our website will provide up-to-date information about the consequences of the Minister’s decision.
Scottish Outdoor Access Code
By Mike Dales
Scottish Natural Heritage has finalised its recommended version of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and submitted it to Scottish Ministers. The revised version, known as the Proposed Code, was prepared following SNH’s analysis of last summer’s consultation exercise. If Ministers accept this Code, with or without modifications, it will be laid before the Scottish Parliament. The new statutory access rights cannot come into effect until the Code has received Parliamentary approval.
The anticipated date for the access provisions in the Land Reform Act and the Scottish Outdoor Access Code to be enacted is sometime later this year. Our bet is on November, but that is by no means certain. Watch this space for further news as the year progresses.
The Proposed Code, and three accompanying SNH reports on the consultation process and analysis, can be found on the SNH website at http://www.snh.org.uk/SOAC/.
Network Rail
By Mike Dales
The issue of access across railway lines is still in the news, and it appears that Network Rail is still oblivious to concerns. According to Network Rail, there are 708 railway crossings in Scotland, only 109 of which are on roads authorised for public use. The company says the remaining 599 crossings are “private” and can only be used by the named landowners or shepherds for whom they were created many years ago.
The public have been taking access across a number of these crossings for many years and should not be prevented from continuing to do so. The thought of being denied access to the hills on the west side of Drumochter because we can’t be trusted to cross the railway line is ludicrous. Network Rail should remember that it is the public who travel by train and pay for the lines and trains.
Any further developments on this story will be reported on our website.
Deer Stalking and Access:
‘Heading for the Scottish Hills’
By Mike Dales
MCofS volunteer, Dugal Roy, has spent the last two years working with the Scottish Landowners’ Federation (SLF) and Association of Deer Management Groups (ADMG) to produce another edition of Heading for the Scottish Hills. Unfortunately, the response from estates has not been as enthusiastic as in the past.
We had felt that there was a place for one more edition of the book before the information eventually appeared on a website, but with the timetable for the book over-running and responses having virtually dried up, we have decided to concentrate efforts on the website. Whereas we would need all the information gathered before producing a book, we can quickly set up a website then add to it as time goes by.
We are now working with the SLF, ADMG and SNH to develop a web-based Access Database that will provide Heading for the Scottish Hills kind of estate information that is especially useful to hillwalkers, alongside information on access to crags that will be useful to climbers. We hope to launch this database on the MCofS website later this year.
Snapshots
From the Access & Conservation Committee
The grant received from Scottish Natural Heritage for the work MCofS undertakes in this field is on a project basis; this includes all the activities that our Access and Conservation Officer is involved in as well as issues that are taken up by many volunteers on the Access and Conservation Committee, including the National Officer.
The key Access and Conservation issues that we report on in the pages of the magazine can give the impression that we spend all of our work time on three or four big projects. The reality is that there is a wide range of issues that rarely get reported.
Snapshots is a new feature that will attempt to list some of the other issues we have tackled on our members’ behalf. Whilst there will not be space to describe these in any detail, it should give members a flavour of the wide range of issues we are involved in. Many will be covered in greater detail on our website, so, for example, if you read in Snapshots that we have responded to a consultation then the response or outcome can be found there.
Over the past three months we have carried out the following.
- Responded to Scottish Executive consultation on Modernising Public Local Inquiries.
- Submitted written evidence to the Scottish Parliament Environment and Rural Affairs Committee on aspects of the Nature Conservation Bill.
- Organised 3 Footpath Maintenance Training Days for MCofS members.
- Held the annual Access Symposium in Dunkeld.
- Reviewed the 2003 Hillphones season with SNH and participating estates.
- Discussed the possible improvement of paths and car parks with Forest Enterprise in Oban.
- Gave a presentation to Callander Ramblers on the plans to develop car parks and paths on Ben Ledi.
- Continued representation on the SNH Access Forum debating the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.
- Provided advice to an affiliated club on dry composting toilets.
- Helped organise and attended Scottish Environment LINK Landscape conference.
- Had discussions to resurrect the ‘British Upland Footpath Trust’.
- Dealt with two access incident reports and passed to appropriate local authorities.
Wind Farms
By Kevin Howett
The issue of the proliferation of wind farm applications continues with many more proposals being submitted than we can keep up with individually. Many concern areas of land that are not designated in any way for their special character or scenic quality, but would nonetheless have a major impact on the landscape of the countryside that many people enjoy, both local residents and tourists.
This was brought home to us in the office when a number of objections from local residents to two huge projects based on the hills of Highland Perthshire between Dunkeld and Amulree were copied to MCofS recently. One proposal is by I&H Brown at Calliachar for forty six 100m high turbines, whilst a nearby site in Griffin Forest will have eighty 122m high turbines, almost twice the height of the trees. The residents in Strathbraan and Glen Quaich are concerned about the scale of these proposals, their likely impact on the community and the wider area (for further information on this particular proposal email windfarminfo@ntlworld.com).
This has been quickly followed by a proposal by Catamount Energy and Force 9 Energy to erect 24 turbines of 104m height over 13 sq km on either side of the Sma Glen, north east of Crieff (the Abercairny Estate) a popular historical and tourist scenic spot. The developers here feel that the turbines will create a new point of interest on the A822 scenic tourist route! A Sma Glen Protection Group has been set up and although objections had to be made before 27th February you can find out more from the group by contacting sandy Black on 01764 681 730 or look at http://www.muthill.org.uk/.
Clearly there is growing concern from the general public living in the countryside about wind farm issues, never mind from mountaineers. However, MCofS has initiated ashort termproject to keep track of applications from now until the end of June and to assess their effects on walking, climbing and mountaineering. We have taken on Keith Millar to coordinate any information over the next few months in order to prepare us for an informed discussion at our Annual Gathering on June 19th. Keith will also be establishingdedicated pages on the MCofS website to keep members informed of what is happening on this issue.
If you have information about wind farms (either proposed developments, deadlines for objections or accepted and planned developments) please send details to Keith. You can do this either via mail to the MCofS office or by email to info@mountaineering-scotland.org.uk.