BIVVI TALK
‘Star Letter’
The winning letter published this issue in Bivi Talk to receive a Victorinox “Swiss Champ” Swiss Army knife (RRP£49.95) is Robert Noble.
Fencing
Dear Editor,
As Nick Kempe states in his article, deer fences can present quite a problem to the hill walker in Scotland. In my younger days, I usually managed to climb them without too much difficulty (with the exception of an electrified one with no warning notice on Mull). Unfortunately this is no longer the case and I have had to make long detours to gates and stiles. On several occasions I have been exasperated by encountering a locked gate. There can be no excuse for this. A determined poacher would be carrying appropriate tools. At times like this the hill walker may decide that wire cutters should be carried in future.
Barbed wire fences do not present too much of a problem if they are just low enough to step over. I carry an old fertiliser bag to protect clothing and it is also useful for sitting on wet ground.
Rowland Bowker
Dear Editor,
The tone of Nick Kemp’s article on fencing suggests that hills and wild areas should be for the sole enjoyment of walkers. In fact these areas are used by many different groups and by land managers. Of course there will be conflict of interests. It is essential that greater understanding and consideration of other users is achieved, and the various parties must reach a compromise.
As a mountaineer for 50 years and a sheep farmer for almost as long, I believe I understand most points of view. Sheep fencing is necessary and is not a symptom of bad management. The days when shepherd boys could be employed to prevent sheep straying ended almost 200yrs ago. Scottish law places an onus on the owner of livestock to prevent straying. SERAD and the FC have encouraged occupiers of land to exclude sheep from some areas to encourage natural regeneration. How can this be achieved without fencing?
Mr Kempe mentions the adverse effect of deer fencing on Capercaille. This may be well documented, but there is little evidence. It is probable there are many factors including pine martin and other predator numbers increasing and disturbance by walkers. Whilst I am pleased more people are enjoying the countryside, it has to be accepted that the results are not all beneficial.
It is advocated that gates be provided at intervals of 50-100m. Is Mr Kempe aware of the costs of such a measure and the extra burden on managers to ensure they are not left open? It is insulting to hill walkers to suggest they are unable to make a detour of more than 50m.
I feel very disappointed that a member of the board of SNH should be so misinformed and adopt an uncompromising attitude.
Bryan Wright
Renewable Energy Schemes
Dear MCofS,
There are at least three projects under consideration right under the noses of MCofS HQ. I know the Shieldaig proposal currently being reported in Scottish Mountaineer needs to be challenged, but what do your readers feel about Schiehallion (2 proposals) and Glen Lyon?
The JMT has been approached by Green Power and the landowner, Mr S Macadam, to allow a reservoir to be constructed on the south side of the hill (at GR7284 5330), damming the Allt Mor and piping water to a turbine several kilometres downstream. The local Schiehallion Group of JMT were aghast that the developers did not appear to know that JMT is an advocate of wild land. JMT owns the land where the dam and reservoir will be constructed.
Another scheme just outside the JMT boundary has also been proposed to the Highland Perthshire Communities Land Trust (Dun Coillich Group). I do not know how this is progressing, but a weir would need to take water from the same Allt Mor. For both proposals service and construction facilities and environmental damage and landscape intrusion will be permanent.
Lastly, the landowner of North Chesthill, Mr A Riddell, is proposing to extract water from the burns flowing south from Carn Mairig towards the River Lyon at Invervar. Many locals in Glen Lyon are opposed to this scheme.
And all this for a TINY contribution to the need for renewable energy targets. What we do know is that energy companies will be fined for not meeting these targets, the government’s subsidies will back their quest and landowners also gain grants. The temptation will be too much for some to refuse. But at what price the Scottish environment.
John Allen
A charaid,
Bha e math litir bho fhear Donald Morris fhaicinn air an làrach agaibh. Tha e ceart nuair a tha e ag ràdh nach biodh daoine idir toilichte ri leasachaidhean mar muilnean-gaoithe fhaicinn air na slèibhtean is toigh leotha air tìr mòr ged a tha iad coma mu àiteachan eile anns na h-eileanan. A thaobh an fhacal 'wilderness', nach eil àite a'dol na fhàsach nuair nach eil daoine a'fuireach ann? 'S gann gu bheil àite sam bith air a'Ghàidhealtachd far nach eil fianais gun robh daoine ann uireagin.
Deagh dhùrachd, Seon Caimbeul
Dear Sir,
I would like to add my comments to the debate on windfarms. It seems that the highlands of Scotland – one of Europe’s most unspoilt landscapes is on the verge of a long term change. I fail to see how anybody cannot see the massive impact of 100m high turbines on the mountain landscape, apart from other issues of noise, and bird strike.
Most worrying of all is that these kinds of objections seem to be being almost totally ignored by the national government and the Scottish Executive in a wholesale scramble to earn green brownie (sic) points. The issue of sustainable energy may be an important one, but onshore wind energy is not the only option.
How ironic that now that Scotland has its first National Parks, there is such a major threat to the landscape. I believe that the MCofS has a duty to represent the Scottish mountaineer’s view on this, which must surely be to minimise the impact of these developments.
Neil Savory
Dear MCofS,
An independent view – having read many letters and articles in issues 16 to 20 of Scottish Mountaineer, I feel angry and frustrated when I survey the dismal outdoor scene in Scotland. A list of the urgent problems that need action now include National Parks, Shieldaig, Windfarms, Outdoor Access Code restrictions and Powers, Bothy removal and car parking charges, the activity of SEPA, Land Reform Act and Local Authority Access Fora etc etc.
Common sense and accountability to us, the ‘consumers’ is not being applied. We are not being informed about the fait accompli [performed] behind our backs by The Scottish Executive who encourage advance deals and release minimal information to the general public.
Professor Charles Gimingham (Issue18) points the way in his article on National Parks. The PARC question is a glaring example of mismanagement in high places by people who should know better. Having had the pleasure of walking, talking and listening to Professor Gimingham, I feel he should have been put in charge of the whole matter with a standing committee of multi-talented academics and persons of vision on land preservation and renewal placed under his tutelage. Land development would not feature.
I was also impressed with Gillian Bishop of ‘Views of Scotland’ who has her ear to the ground on the wind farm situation. [The whole question of renewable energy is a total disaster]. Why the indecent haste for renewable energy? Scotland exports electricity so why beg companies like Highland Light & Power to desecrate our ‘last wildernesses’ for a mess of pottage and bribed inhabitants? Wind farms are notoriously inefficient, unsightly monstrosities whose damage outweighs their utility. The buck must stop here – no more wind farms, no more hydro, no more ‘balancing the difference’ between renewables and the desecration of our last wild places.
Alexander J K Monro.
Dear MCofS,
The mountains and glens of Scotland are perhaps the country’s greatest national treasure. It is said that walking and climbing is worth around £600m per year to the Scottish economy. If that is the case, why does the Scottish Executive want to destroy the countryside for the next 25yrs, or perhaps for ever, by granting permission to build wind farms all over the place? They are destroying our heritage; our spirit and our country will no longer be a special place.
The Land Reform Act will give the best access anywhere in Europe. The conditions applying in this legislation are to make people respect and preserve the landscape while they explore it. I totally agree with that. Now I request local MSP’s give serious consideration to the visual impact, ecological and environmental damage the wind farm schemes will cause. Wild Scotland will resemble an urban estate, the opposite portrayed by Cameron McNeish in ‘Wilderness Walks’ or in Tourist Board brochures.
Hopefully MCofS will oppose these developments and support the use of natural sustainable resources.
Robert Noble
Border Bothies Thank You
Dear Editor,
Thank you for arranging the inclusion of the article on our four bothies in the April issue of The Scottish Mountaineer. It stirred up a bit of interest and we have had our busiest year for some time, with bed nights almost doubled. Most folk who have gone seem to have enjoyed the experience.
There have only been three or four bookings from the meet secretaries of clubs, perhaps because there are only a handful of folk in each club who are interested in going to a Munro-free zone. One thing I should have made clear in the April issue is that we welcome bookings from small groups even if they do not come through the meet secretary. Parties of eight or so are just about the right fit for three of our four bothies in any case, although there is good camping at all of them for bigger bookings.
Joe Duffin
What a Boar
Dear MCofS,
The dangerous animals act has been in existence to protect man from hungry packs of wolves, bears and wild boars, all known to kill man without mercy. Why are they now regarded as safe fenced into farms? One wild boar escaped from a farm and was shot in Laggan. These wild boars may dig their way out or be let out by activists. The landowners obviously have friends in high places to get around the laws. As mountaineers we have enough to worry about navigating, scrambling, observing weather and the many other tasks in the mountain environment. This is extremely worrying and seems destined to keep us off the land. Boar also exist at the end of Loch Ossian and Foyers Craigdarroch hotel as a meet delicacy. The MCofS must campaign to get rid of these killers before we are confined to indoor activities forever or in future wild boar and wolves will hunt us down in packs and kill us.
Craig Roy
Winter Climbing Ethics
Dear MCofS
I have been following the ‘Dry Tooling’ debate with growing disappointment at the way Scott Muir is being lambasted. First off. Good for Scott for opening this proverbial ‘Can of Worms’. A can well past its sell by date and one that should have been opened years ago. Having spent the last two years in Alberta and the preceding twelve teaching climbing in Scotland I thought I would add my two-penneth worth.
Canadians don’t have a problem with people using axes and crampons on established rock climbs. Why? Because no one does it. The reason being that there are enough developed crags in the area to keep folk happy, hence no conflict. Please don’t try to tell me that there are not enough old quarries and chossy crags in the UK that some of them couldn’t be developed for mixed climbers to train on. I can think of eight such venues in the Aviemore area without even racking my tiny brain.
It’s a fact that the techniques honed at these sites, when employed on the mountain crags, lead to more secure climbing, less sketching ......QED.....less damage to the rock.
Whilst working at the ‘Lodge’ we knew we could increase students winter climbing standard by a grade or two simply by giving them a two hour ‘dry tooling’ coaching session on the outdoor tower. I am witnessing the success of coaching at low lying venues, week in, week out in Canada as I see novices climbing WI4 (Scottish Grade 5) and M7’s within a few days of starting.
To those people who are aghast at the concept of training for winter climbing at indoor ice walls and dry tooling venues, don’t be surprised as you watch the ‘enlightened’ climbers sweep past you on all the harder routes.
Surely if people want to improve their technique, then better to do it at some quarry or crag than in the mountain environment we are all so eager to preserve. I don’t want to see the mountain routes being bolted but the development of low lying crags does not conflict with the councils policy on bolting and should ultimately help preserve the winter climbs.
I would like to see the governing bodies of our sport step in to this vacuum and take a more pro-active stance by drawing up new guide-lines for mixed climbing/dry tooling as well as encouraging the development of sites away from established rock climbing areas for winter climbers to ‘scratch’ around on.
Well done to the MCofS for publishing Scott’s article as well as facilitating a debate on winter ethics; a step in the right direction.
For those upset by Scott’s sponsorship deals; wake up and smell the coffee. How else are our top athletes meant to finance themselves when there is no public funding.
Having held Scott’s rope recently on a very near send of Mushashi, M12 (reputedly the hardest route of its kind in the world) I know this young man has the moral courage and fortitude to withstand the insults being cast by his detractors. Personally I would like to see those people ‘cut him some slack’ and spend a little bit more of their time and energy supporting people like Scott, Malcolm Smith and Alan Mullin who are all in their own way trying to carry our sport forward despite the hurdles being placed in their way. Happy climbing.
Steve Blagbrough,
Mountain Guide, Alberta
Dear Editor,
Further to the letters page in the last 'Scottish Mountaineer' I feel it necessary to add my pennies worth. Dry tooling is an exciting development of ice and mixed climbing and fully deserves to be supported by the MCofS. Without moving on to rock ice climbing has gone as far as it can. Dry tooling allows hitherto unclimbable ice to be linked, providing tremendous challenge for those strong and able enough. It is the future of ice climbing and itis great that there areScottish climbers keen to move forward.
There isa potential conflict between dry tooling and the traditional Scottish wintermountaineering ethic but I am confident that dry toolers will have sufficient respect for the latter to confine their activities to suitable venues. There's room for us all.
Jim Blyth, Guide de Haute Montagne.