While anyone wishing to take over a croft needs to satisfy strict criteria, sadly the same does not apply to sporting estates, however vast. Any eejit with enough money can swan in and try to act like a laird of old. This is a job for the Local Access Forum and the Access Officer.

It seems that Ledgowan Estate has been reported to the Local Access Forum quite a lot in the last two years - all to no avail.

Helen Todd, Campaigns & Policy Manager for Ramblers Scotland, has posted this on the thread:

"I work for Ramblers Scotland and we were first made aware of access issues on this estate 2 years ago. We raised it with the Council and it looks as if issues relating to Ledgowan are now discussed at every Local Access Forum meeting – and yet not a great deal appears to have changed. I’m sure the Council has reminded the landowner of his responsibilities under the Land Reform Act to facilitate access on his land.

This is the unacceptable face of Scottish landownership where local people and visitors are intimidated from walking on the estate and the council seems unable to make any lasting impact or effect a change in attitude. Not only that, but the estate is responsible for some of the worst examples of bulldozed hill tracks, which we have been featuring in our recent campaign to remove permitted development rights from these tracks and bring them into the planning system – the photos above were gathered as part of this campaign.

Citizen action is probably the best course of action now – keep walking on this estate, make sure you are aware of your rights and responsibilities under the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, and remain calm if challenged. And if you are challenged, report it to the police – we’d be interested to know too. Publicity on sites like this works well – name and shame these people until they realise their actions are not acceptable."

It seems likely that a protest walk will take place on the estate on St Andrew's Day.

I'm sure that Challengers would be welcome. See Andy Wightman's post for details.

For those unacquainted with Saints' Days, Andrew's is on 30th November. As stag shooting finishes on the 20th, the lairdie and his guests should be long gone, unless they're out killing ptarmigan. The stalkers might be culling hinds, but they're unlikely to be so offensive.

John.

They might of course still be in their Lodge, taking pot-shots at black throated divers on Loch Gowan

LINK

Some people really are evil.

Alan,
It looks like the loch is outwith the estate boundary, and is alongside the road. The killing took place in the Spring, which might suggest a local rather than the over-excitable Continental hunter we usually try to pin this on.

You may well be right JD, but the Simpsons do own half of the western end of the loch, and that's bang outside the lodge.

Black throated divers eat fish. I hear the estate is famous for its Arctic Char. Like on many of these sporting estates, I would imagine competition for the catch will be exterminated.

The bird was shot with a rifle. I would imagine Simpson Junior would have heard that going off, and if it wasn't one of his paying guests he would more than likely have been up for a barney with the perpetrator, based on the story on Andy Wightman's page.

Anyway!

Let's hope these bar stewards are made an example of, the police pay them a visit, they lose their gun licences and legal access settles down again.

We can hope!

john donohoe wrote :

"I haven't sent the co-ordinator his Ardbeg yet because: He never calls, he never writes".

You'll have to ping, whatsapp, tweet or book yer face nowadays John
.

Theo

Theo, you'll be telling me next that goose quills and vellum are so last month. These funny words you use-sounds like Double Dutch!

Just a reminder to any Challengers living up in the north of Scotland, that there's a mass walk organised for St Andrew's Day on Ledgowan Estate. It would be good to get as many as possible to go along.

This article in the West Highland Free Press writes well on it:

LINK

Thank you.

The latest news from Ledgowan Estate is that the owner has distributed an access policy to residents of Achnasheen. According to a report in the West Highland Free Press from 27 December 2013,

“The access policy states that all walkers met on Ledgowan will be asked for contact details, adding: ‘If this is not forthcoming or staff consider there is any reason for doubt they will take a photograph of the individuals and or their vehicle.’

LINK TO WEST HIGHLAND FREE PRESS ARTICLE

ANDY WIGHTMAN'S BLOG

It looks to me that they're deliberately spoiling for trouble.

Well, I don't mind giving my details, as long as the people asking for them identifies themselves, their manager, the owner of the estate or company if they are employees or contractors, and the reason for requesting said details. Presumably they won't mind being photographed and or filmed; useful evidence in a complaint to the gendarmerie and the Highland Council.

It strikes me that the problem lies in giving enforcement authority to Local Authorities. They are notoriously lax in enforcing various bits of legislation within their area of responsibility, e.g litter, access, and one reason for this is that it costs money. Most landowners have the means to hire legal professionals and will defend vigorously, thus making it expensive and time-consuming. Perhaps some other enforcing authority with greater legal specialism and a deeper pocket should be designated.

..... BUT... "We" too have a responsibility when out in the great outdoors of Scotland. On Wednesday afternoon I was ascending from Enochdhu to An Lairig and just above the farm near Dirnanean when I encountered a fellow "hillman" descending the track. We exchanged pleasantries but a few seconds later I heard the noise of some beastie in very severe distress. Out of the vegetation came a hen being frantically pursued by two red setter type dogs. Backwards and forwards across the track they chased the poor bird until they eventually caught up with it against a **** and clearly from the appalling noise it made it was being severely mauled. The dogs' owner must have clearly heard the noise and pitifully and whimpishly simply called out their names, without any apparant sign of horror or concern or remorse. I raced over to the **** to seperate the animals but by the time I got there the hen had managed to escape and managed to crash through a five bar gate to safety, probably injuring itself even further. The dogs owner did not appear to be overly embarrassed and carried on, still having leads in his hand when I last saw him.

No wonder landowners and farmers occasionally get upset by the actions of a very small number from our side, likewise the small number of incidents against us, given the vast number of estates in Scotland must be taken in context..

In the 42 years I have been hillwalking in Scotalnd I have only ever had two incidents of landowner abuse- firstly in 1974 when attempting to do the Hill of Fare, north of Banchory when I got a rifle pointed at me by a pretty determined keeper fairly intent on making sure I did not do the hill that day. On the second in 1978 when attempting to check the residential status of the occupants of Glen Tromie Lodge on the Gaick ROW track(which at that time passed hard up agaist the lodge windows), before approaching it. I was treated to a display of seriously none-welcoming language and told to get off their f.....g land by some minion peasant estate worker at the nearby cottage. This I did but perhaps I should have stood my ground.

Since then I have had absolutely nothing but cooperation, help and kindness, everywhere, from keepers and landowners and in the words of the late Mr. Accie Dempster who was head keeper at Feshie Estate for many years, who when out of courtesy, I always rang during the stalking season to come through Feshie would simply say "there is enough hill for all of us"- he never gave a yes and he never gave a no- a truly great response from a great man and a sentiment I think that we should all bear in mind.

ps I never thought a poor bl..dy chicken could make such a dreadful, horrendous noise!

cj

The story at Ledgowan Estate gets nastier and nastier by the day:

More from Andy Wightman:

LINK