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Report from the Access Meeting
By: TinaIrving Date: April 29, 2023, 11:02 am
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In attendance: Matt Dent, The Highland Council and Tina Irving
REPORT FOR DISCUSSION AT MEETING ON 17TH APRIL 2023
AIMS: To look at funding for the eastern end of the North
Highland Way.
To look at any issues
1. I have asked Jamie Stone MP to look into the Dounreay
Stakeholder Group. They have provided
no money at all for the North Highland Way, even when we applied
twice under the Dunnet Head
Educational Trust. They fund Venture North, but Venture North
refuse to engage, and expect my
services free of charge which is not going to happen. ~See below
my interaction with Andrew
MacKay of the Norseman. Venture North would not even put the
Climate Fringe Festival on their
web site. I am not going to make a fuss about this, nor about
the lack of interaction between myself
and the Highlands and Islands Climate Change Hub.
I had a conversation with Andrew MacKay at the Norseman. This
was a conversation relating to his
personal view, and nothing to do with Venture North. He is not
interested in Green Destinations
even though he actually knows nothing about it. I have offered
to assist using my SuperProf
account. I told him that I would not be attending tourism
meetings. I have told VisitScotland the
same.
We discussed the eastern end of the North Highland Way. As I see
it, the main sticking point is
around Dounreay itself and I have tried many times to alleviate
this situation and failed. There is a
route. Of course it is outwith core path so Dounreay would need
to pay for it. Is there some way we
can persuade them, either through political means or through the
Council. The Vulcan site is also an
issue, but the route I have in mind avoids that as well.
4. Response from the Geopark regarding the proposal to making
the GeoPark the western end of the
North Highland Way. No response from Lorna.
5.
HTML https://www.highland.gov.uk/meetings/meeting/4773/caithness_local_access_forum.<br
/>? Off road
at Smokehouse. What signage is there?
6. The below was reported by lorna mascall
<flocom04@btinternet.com>. She is the health walk
leader in Thurso.
“Thu, 8 Sept 2022, 16:55
to me
Hallo Tina,
I am a volunteer walk leader who walks with mostly retired
members of the local community round
routes in Thurso on a Wednesday morning.
After a quick look at the website I see no reference to any work
on paths around Thurso.
I am also a retired person who would not attempt coastal
pathways on my own.
My Risk Assessment is to avoid them due to the rough nature of
the walking and the often closeness
of the cliff edges.
1 Prepared by Tina Irving BSc PgDip 4th April 2023
While I welcome better access for walking unfortunately many
people do not risk assess the
dangers which could be involved.
The Local plan for Thurso identified the need for a boundary
path round Thurso for walking and
cycling but the funding is not there to provide this at the
present time.
News of another fatality on the shore line near Thurso makes me
say Sorry but I don’t want to
become involved with this project.
Sincerely
Lorna”
ANY OTHER BUSINESS
1. Climate Action Plan: Venture North are not doing this either.
VisitScotland said I “can go ahead if
I want to”. I will explore with interested parties, but they
will have to pay an administration fee.
Loch Ness have one. VisitScotland think we should have one.
2. Email sent - I do not expect a reply, but have put Ron Gunn,
Matthew Reiss, Carl Rosie and
Raymond Bremner on my mailing list. I will discuss with the SNP
and Jamie Stone (5th and 6th
April 2023 respectively)
“Dear all sent 1/4/23 Ron Gunn, Matthew Reiss, VisitScotland,
Nature Scot, HIE
As some of you will have noticed by now, there is to be a
Climate Fringe Festival from 10-18 June
2023 with its base at the Station Hotel in Thurso. I have
included the Climate Change Hub’s web
site on my web site at www.tinagostravelling.wordpress.com, and
now put up a couple of travel
options - not, of course, anything to do with air travel or
motor vehicles. This is to assist the
Highland Council with their ongoing problems with too many cars
on the roads during the summer,
and of course to alleviate the problem with the awful state of
the roads.
I would point out here that had HIE, the NDA and Dounreay been
supportive of the development of
the North Highland Way, the Highland Council’s budget would not
have been so stretched on road
maintenance. As it is, the only thing the NC500 achieved was to
put the north of Scotland on the
map. For the rest, the Highland Council Access Officer and I
have redeveloped the western end of
the route so it goes over the Mhoine and there is of course the
coastal path as well. The Geopark is
seen to be the western end of the North Highland Way, and the
eastern section will be discussed
with the Access Officer at our meeting on 10th April 2023. I do
not attend tourism meetings. I
have enough knowledge of the area and the businesses not to have
to do that.
Venture North have declined to have anything to do with this
Festival and refused to put the event
on their web site. I am not going to make a fuss, I will just
carry on as I always have, doing my
best for the North. The Highland Council, specifically Matt
Dent, will be the central point for
gathering information from the various tourism meetings. I will
not be involved. We meet on line
once a month. Nature Scot input to my plans on a regular basis,
as do VisitScotland. We hope to
start building the Climate Action Plan in the autumn, although
there will be no money, so businesses
will have to pay in for my administration expenses, as they did
at the start of the development of the
2 Prepared by Tina Irving BSc PgDip 4th April 2023
North Highland Way when 40 businesses contributed to costs of
the web site and some of my
administration. My travel costs to meetings were never paid for,
but then I was the proud owner,
with my partner, Brian Sparks, of the Dunnet Head B&B and tea
room in those days.
I have applied to Joan to be a member of the Hub with my
research page at
HTML https://tinairving.academia.edu/
and look forward to becoming a
member in due course. I am in
any case part of SCCAN in Argyll through my project there - see
web site.
There are councillors and MPs included in the distribution list
for this email, as well as HIE, Nature
Scot and of course the irrepressible Matt Dent.”
I have not received a response to this, and do not propose
spending my time following up. I have
better things to do than fight with public services.
Accommodation businesses can pay £20 to go on the map on the web
site.
If you have any comments or suggestions, or if community groups
would like to put on an event
during that period, please let me know before the end of April
when the programme will be
finalised.
5. I note the problem at Ormlie problem at “the Moors” with
bikers ripping up the walk route. This
was taken off the access issue list on 2018 as it was not a Land
Reform Act issue. For discussion?
6. Caithness and Sutherland Ranger Service
No interaction.
“Tina Irving <tinadirving@gmail.com>
Fri, 2 Sept 2022, 09:56
to Imogen, Matt, Paul
Dear both
I have had a discussion with the Scottish Government and they
have confirmed that there is no
funding available for infrastructure for the North Highland Way.
It is, in fact, in the interests of
Highland Highlife to have good paths so that they can extend
their activities into mountain biking
and even horse riding. There are a lot of places which need
work. So, in short, it is over to you to
develop the route with the Access Officer, as I will be spending
no more time on it. Paul, does, I
believe sit on the Access Forum in Caithness.
As mentioned to Imogen yesterday, there is an opportunity for
Highland Highlife to prove their
green credentials by accrediting their visitor attractions under
the scheme with Green Destinations.
Of course, this comes at a cost. You do not pay me, you pay
them.
This is written in my report to Highland Adapts as a threat to
NetZero.
Kind regards.”
7. Nature Scot
3 Prepared by Tina Irving BSc PgDip 4th April 2023
From Graham Neville
“Have you been alerted to the Melness/Strathy area masterplan
exercise? I’m on tangentially aware,
but I assume it will be of interest. Many of the discussions I
have had around the World Heritage
Site have expressed similar frustrations about the impact of
“fast” tourism and the need to slow it all
down and have a far more sustainable approach.”"
Geopark - what is their view on the idea of the trail of two
parts?
8. My research into trees is finding all kinds of little
sections which could be joined up. As the
research is not due to be published until 2024, we won’t have
all of the information, but I will of
course examine the core path plan as I go along.
9. Did you update the document I sent you which included all of
the hot spots which Ian originally
did some years ago. I am not sure if I still have it,
10. Cycling: I met George Ewing, and said I would tell you that
I had met him. He knows the
project is in hand, so if he is interested he will contact you.
Prepared: 4th April 2023. We can discuss any updates on 17th
April 2023.
4
4 Prepared by Tina Irving BSc PgDip 4th April 2023
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