Friends of the Ochils Newsletter 20: Spring 2002LETTERS...LETTERS...LETTERSAccess to the OchilsI write in an attempt to persuade your committee to campaign for improved car parking facilities in Glendevon and so to encourage more car users to take to the hills. I live in Milnathort, in Perth and Kinross district, and often envy the efforts of Clackmannan and Fife councils which have done well in providing car parking and related facilities. The Hillfoots are well served and Fife is to be commended with the facility at Craigmead in the Lomonds with its large car park, toilets and picnic area. Compare this with the pathetic car parking in Glendevon. When I was younger I used to park in a layby at the west end of the glen under [the hill called] the Seat. This and other laybys in the area have disappeared. At the other end of the glen, I used to park on the verge near the entrance to Glendevon House in order to ascend Innerdownie. This is no longer possible as the verge has been built up. Where are the parking facilities for the very many people who walk through from Dollar to Glendevon? Are they supposed to park in the private car park at the hotel? Surely not. The only parking which has appeared in the glen over the last 20 years is at Castlehill Reservoir and at the end of the reservoir road to Frandy. In total this amounts to only 15-20 spaces. Let me now turn to the question of the reservoir roads. These roads were built by and are maintained by public funds. Why then are we not encouraged to use them? If there were agreements with the landed interests to restrict access, is it not time to renegotiate these? One of the most delightful ascents of Ben Cleuch is from the Upper Frandy. If you wish to enjoy this you have, at the moment, to park at the end of the reservoir road - if you are lucky enough to find a space. I was asked at the FotO AGM in November if I would like to see 200 cars parked at upper Frandy. A leading question, if ever there was! My considered answer is that I would personally avoid any peak time when there is likely to be peak "traffic". You can be sure that on a fine Sunday in the summer there will be hundreds of walkers setting off from Dollar, but in midweek only a handful. On the other hand I would be pleased to see a younger generation leaving their cars and taking to the hills. We must encourage a new generation to appreciate the marvellous scenery at their back door, to relinquish the delights of TV, video and computers and to become Ochil enthusiasts, the guardians and conservationists of the future. Yours, D Lindsay Sands Milnathort Ed. - The committee feels there are two differing issues here. In terms of motor access up the various reservoir roads, we wouldn't, in general, be in favour of any great increase in traffic beyond the various A823 turn-offs. The chair admits to having been a tad flippant at the AGM in speaking of a "couple of hundred" cars at the upper Frandy, but the feeling in the subsequent committee discussion was that any increase in the number of cars going up the glen would reduce the quietness and overall appeal of the area. Having said that, the committee recognises that the local angling clubs, along with various individual walkers and motorists, appear to have privately arranged agreements with landowners such that they, as individuals or club members, can drive up the roads and park there. We have absolutely no objection to this - FotO isn't in the business of trying to reduce the small-scale vehicular access that currently exists, merely to stop any substantial increase. We intend to keep an open mind on this, particularly with regard to the public-money aspect of the situation. As to the lack of roadside parking spaces in Glen Devon, the committee agrees with Mr Sands that the current situation is absurd and imbalanced. Once north of Castlehill Reservoir, it is difficult to find a decent pull-in, let alone a place where a car could be left for several hours without causing offence or obstruction. As Mr Sands says, this contrasts with the situation round in the Hillfoots, where walkers are able to park without difficulty not just in Dollar Glen but also in the Alva/Tillicoultry area. Here there is as much parking as anyone could ever want, not only in car parks such as that at Alva Glen but also via the simple option of parking in the villages themselves. The committee would be strongly in favour of a couple of decent-sized car parks being put in north of Castlehill, and we have started to make enquiries with the relevant departments of Perth and Kinross council. Quite what can be achieved remains to be seen however: any provision would presumably need some small compulsory purchase orders, and such things are not easy to acquire. Of course the two parts of Mr Sands' letter interlink to an extent, in that should car parking in Glen Devon improve, then problems relating to reservoir-road access might be reduced as the overall distance to walk up the glens would effectively be reduced, particularly at "peak" periods. Write to Friends of the Ochils at 3 Ferry Orchard, Cambuskenneth, Stirling, FK9 5ND or email Dave.Hewitt@dial.pipex.com |