http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/news/a-personal-plea-for-the-monadhliath/009560/

Personally I don't think this or any other protests will make a bit of difference. AS does not seem to care about anyone or anything outside the Glasgow/Edinburgh belt where the votes are and Westminster has abandoned Scotland hoping the Scottish Parliament will annoy so many Scots that they will vote No in the referendum.
Or am I just a Grumpy old sync?

Cameron is so right with his comments. The Monadhliath are the most maligned of hill groups, not least within our own select company. So many folk seem to regard them as a tedious obstacle between the ruggedness of the west coast and the appeal of the Cairngorms. Now no-one would claim that these hills are dramatic and often their charms are subtly veiled behind mist and the oft mentioned "featurelessness", but I've long been beguiled by their enchantment.

An adjustment in perspective is needed to fully appreciate their appeal. Cease looking for features and revel in the utter absence of pointed intrusions, enjoy the sense of space and cast your eyes over the ever receding ranges of hills. Over the years, I've walked over a good many of the multitude of tops, none of them memorable in themselves but conveying an impression of endless wilderness, the sense that one could carry on for days and days without the panorama changing. As with anywhere in Scotland, this wildness is wholly illusory but convincing for all that. One feels very small in the midst of the Monadhliath and I always relish a venture into their vastness and nothingness. I've heard them referred to as an upland desert but deserts across the world have their devotees.

This is the subtle splendour which the intrusion of turbines will completely destroy. Like Pete, I fear that it will come to pass in any case, such is the blindness of the Executive in its urban base. They'll listen to some appeals for the tourism potential of the more obviously scenic ranges but the Monadhliath will pass below the radar of economic development potential. I urge Challengers to treasure the Monadhliath whilst their unique attractions remain.

This is what we are currently facing in the Monadh Liath. This is what Alec Salmond and his henchmen are promising for this glorious huge slug of wild land.

An excellent piece, and Cameron is right on the money. I picked this up through a notification from Walk Highlands which is an fine site. And am glad that Grumps has brought this to our attention.

Whenever I've been in this range I've felt a sense of real wildness and discovery - and Colin's phrase "beguiled by their enchantment" sums it up for me. Frankly, the Grey Mountains are the heartland of our country - from them you look east to the Cairngorms or back west to Affric and far beyond. And they are at the very centre. This proposed shabby industrialisation is an obscenity, profiting a privileged and uncaring few at the expense of the people.

Alec Salmond's current independence bid is predicated on a revenue stream from energy sources that can be exported. And this is the back-story for these industrial projects. Conflating a desire for self-determination with whoring out your assets/ass gets a tad ugly . . .

I agree wholeheartedly with the opposition to wind generation in this area and many other parts of Scotland.
However in the interests of political fairness I feel the following should be borne in mind especially by those of us who have a vote in Scottish affairs.
Contrary to opinion that could be formed by anyone reading the above posts it is not just AS & the SNP who would have large tracts of Scotland covered by wind factories.
Prior to the 2011 election of MSP's for the Scottish Parliament I sought the views of all the candidates for my constituency and more importantly the stance of any political party they represented on issue of land based & off shore wind generation.
All expressed views in favour of mass wind generation.
The representatives of at least two political parties indicated that they would if in power intend sanctioning and approving applications on an even greater scale, than current SNP stance suggests would gain approval.
I should add I do not support any political party and cast my vote at elections based upon my assessment of the candidate representing my constituency and her/his parties stance on current issues of concern to me at time of election.
Ian

Not all political parties as as committed to onshore wind as the SNP:

THIS LINK shows that there is opposition.

Ah, Alan, you've found a species even more endangered than the horned piebald Scottish wildcat!

To wind:

I find the idea of a turbine-slathered Monadhliath utterly abhorrent. In terms of the Challenge, those walking across Scotland will be faced with a two-day walk through what is essentially a power station. Note how the new dam in Glen Doe is being cited by at least one developer as evidence that the area is now of an industrial nature and therefore won't be degraded by turbine mast erection. It's like saying, "ah, he's lost an arm, might as well cut his legs off as well…".

And at the back of my mind is the frightening thought that this intensive development threat will rob the Challenge of a lot of its appeal. How many reading this would look forward to hiking through such a devastated range? You'll still get your badge at the end but will the allure still be there?

I "discovered" the Monadhliath on my first crossing in 1996 and immediately loved it to bits: I love the peaty moors of the southern Pennines (they're home, after all…) and thought of the Monadhliath as "the Peak District on acid", such is its scale… and the emptiness! I've seen more wildlife in there than elsewhere in Scotland – deer (of course), eagles (of course), harrier, merlin, hare, adder, and lizards the size of which I've not seen anywhere else in Britain – I guess it's the lack of disturbance…

I've never met a politician there though.

Not unrelated to this theme, many will find this rant by a well known outdoor writer to be grist to the mill.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyqULf2msRI

I don't usually find myself agreeing with Jim Perrin's political views, but on this he is spot on. Excellent video.

However, there is one correction that should be made: The amount of energy a large wind turbine produces does in fact easily exceed the manufacturing and installation inputs.

However, what should be made very plain is that there are no savings of carbon dioxide in the lifetime of a wind farm built on peat soils. You can find out more about this by clicking

HERE

So the entire premise that wind energy is built upon - "saving the planet," as Jim would say - is not met, because most wind farms are built on peat soils.

Strangely, but not on my own, I have always found the Monadhliath to be the most wonderful and wild area of the Challenge. A joy to walk through of hidden gems.
Sadly, this is becoming harder and harder, and I fear now it is far too late. AS and his insane narrow minded cronies along with the morbidly Green's have pretty much destroyed them already.
Should I be lucky in the draw this time, I will visit them I hope once more.
Whether they are there for the next generation of Challenger's to savour, I very much doubt.
It is very sad that we destroy so much of our planet's natural beauty in the name of saving our planet's natural beauty.

Well put Andrew.

Without wishing to perpetuate what is becoming a mantra, I too 'discovered' the Monadhliath a few Challenges ago and I've have tried to include it in my crossings since then. Each and every traverse of the Monadhliath has been a delight. Even when the weather's been bloody awful.

It's almost certain to be on my TGOC2014 route.

I find the narrow-minded, short-sighted views spouted by those with political power to be maddeningly frustrating. Everyone is entitled to their views, but surely those who were voted into political power should (at least partially) represent the views of the constituents who voted them in.

I'm quite sure that plenty of folk in Scotland are in favour of windpower - and that's fair enough. On the other hand there's a sizeable proportion who are against it. Sadly we'll never know what that proportion is. If we listen to the politicians we'd be forgiven for believing that ALL those in Scotland want their fair land to be covered in wind turbines.

JJ

Whilst I agree with the sentiments of most of these messages.To me the
cutting up of the glens,and powering roads through what was a wild and
remote part of the Highlands is far more invasive.This has lead to the
area being "opened up" far more quickly than wind turbines.Where one
goes others will follow and exploit the opportunity .
Since my early Challenges in the eighties very little has changed in the
Monadliath except a few "deer shooter"tracks for vehicles. Rarely then would
one meet a walker other than on Challenge weeks, as even now.
I can remember similar articles ,radio programs regarding Transmission Towers (Pylons)in the sixties, which are now almost disregarded. But they arrived.
Make the best of what we have whilst we have it. Cheers

I agree entirely with Ian's comments in that it makes no difference what party is in power all of them are pushing renewable energy projects as long as they do not impinge into their main supporter base. Recently a Conservative Peer suggested the unpopulated North East of England would be ideal for fracking, this was quickly amended to read North West. Now it seems we are to have fracking and long term nuclear storage in the same area! What problems this spells for future generations I dread to think. But then the current crop of politicians will not be around then so I don't suppose they will loose any sleep over it anyway.

The more remote / further north we live, the easier it is to be crapped on by the powers-that-be. It's just what happens.

JJ

a gentle reminder to folks that the Scottish Highlands are not just a playground for outdoor enthusiast.People live and work here.

having said that, no, I don't want to see the rape of the Monadhliath- I'm looking at it as I write.

I agree with Val's comments that the highlands are not just a playground and people actually work in this area.
My main grump is more. To do with the subsidies that the land owners receive each your from the system to house these turbines. In the Scottish Field magazine (Sept issue) there is a good article which explains the fact that Scottish land owners bag over £1billion in subsidy. The article gives examples of the Duke of Roxburgh pocketing £1.5M per year for hosting 48 turbines.The Earl of Moray is estimated to receive £2M from 49 turbines at the Braes of Doune Stirling.
You will never hear the landowners refusing this kind of easy income whether the are in the south, central belt or north Scotland.
We are paying for these subsidies via our energy bills.

It's doubtful that the Scottish landowners receive £1bn because in 2012/13 the total UK Renewables subsidy amounted to £2bn.

It's more likely that Scottish Renewables receive that figure, and not the Landowners, although they do trouser an obscene amount to wreck the landscapes. Typically, landowners receive between £10k and £15k per turbine per year for large turbines.

For instance, Sir Jack Hayward will receive £9M over 25 years in rentals for the 33 turbines that make up Dumnaglass wind farm.

The really bad news is that wind turbines subsidies (thought by many to be reducing in scale) are more likely going to receive a boost after the Energy Bill is passed:

LINK

The proposals will see onshore wind having a strike price of £100/MWh, offshore wind £155/MWh, when the typical wholesale electricity price will be about £50/MWh

Wind power generated on the Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland is to receive an additional £15/MWh. Expect to see a renewed rush of applications.

There is an excellent article in the Autumn edition of the John Muir Trust Journal on the threat to the Monadh Liath

LINK

See page 16.