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Mar Lodge Estate. 29,340 hectares. Woodland Moorland Montane River. NNR SSSI NSA SPA National Park. Mar Lodge Estate. Caledonian Forest. Pinewood Area 836 Hectare. Regeneration Zone 2,300 Hectare. Cultural Landscape. Wild Landscape.
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Mar Lodge Estate • 29,340 hectares • Woodland • Moorland • Montane • River • NNR • SSSI • NSA • SPA • National Park
Mar Lodge Estate CaledonianForest • Pinewood Area • 836 Hectare • Regeneration Zone • 2,300 Hectare
Wild Landscape “Wild land in Scotland is relatively remote and inaccessible, not noticeably affected by contemporary human activity, and offers high quality opportunities to escape from the pressures of everyday living and to find physical and spiritual refreshment”
Mar Lodge Estate Indicators of Wild Land Quality Enhancers: • Scenic grandeur • Size and scale of landscape • Roughness of terrain • Sense of remoteness • Peacefulness, quietness • Seemingly natural environment • Evokes emotional experience • Absence of contemporary human activity or development • Physically demanding – sense of achievement
Mar Lodge Estate Indicators of Wild Land Quality Detractors: • Recent signs of human activity • Presence of crowds or group activity • Unsympathetic recreation activities • Man made noise • Facilities to make recreation easier or safer • Ecological imbalance • Visual intrusions – pylons, fences • Mechanical transport & their tracks
Mar Lodge Estate Impact on Tourism and Recreation Estimated expenditure: £m/pa Mountaineering (Highland area 1995) 157.9 Sport shooting (Scotland) 35.0 Grouse shooting (Scotland) 6.1 2001 – ‘Hillwalking generates £400 million for the Scottish economy annually.’ (Source – Mountaineering Council of Scotland)
Mar Lodge Estate Path and Track Restoration Mar Lodge Estate Expenditure 1996 – 2001 Path Repair £227,727 Track Restoration £237,633 Proposed capital spend 2002 -> £1,372,377
Beinn a’ Bhuird: trial track removal 1998, altitude 800m – conversion to footpath
Beinn a’ Bhuird: track removal 2000, hand working
Beinn a’ Bhuird: track removal 2000, manual placing of divots
Beinn a’ Bhuird: trial track removal 1998, manual reconstruction of scree
Beinn a’ Bhuird: track removal 2000, digger used for subsequent work
Beinn a’ Bhuird: track removal 2000, re-profiling
Beinn a’ Bhuird: track removal, removed zig-zag track in distance after 5 years; repaired footpath in foreground (2005)
Beinn a’ Bhuird: track removal, removed track after 5 years (2005)
Beinn a’ Bhuird: track removal, removed track after 5 years (2005)
Track removal below Beinn a’Bhuird, altitude 600m 2000 2005 – 27 km of track removed/converted to footpaths out of 72 km total since 1997 – most of remaining tracks deemed essential for estate use for the time-being – 61 km of footpath repaired out of 210 km total length of footpaths – ‘light touch’ approach – in 3 years time, footpath capital works will be complete; thereafter maintenance only – funding??