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sweetheart
28-Nov-05, 00:36
Increasing tourism means increased vehicle trafffic, noise and many things that
create "stress" in the small north sutherland communities. So here's the idea:

The highland tourism people should open a coastal trail that starts in wick that
follows the coast all the way to ullapool. This maintained track, would have
climbovers and safe footing across the cliffs and difficult walking areas, making
it safer for older persons, and providing a way for walkers not to impinge
upon the crofts.

Why do this? Well, it only works if the whole north "sees the vision". The
idea is that people take the train up to wick, or thurso, then leaving their
cars, take a walking map from highland tourism knowing exactly how many
days walk in to the highlands gets them to various destinations.
combined with a bus service, this would reduce car traffic, whilst enabling
tourism to increase the numbers. Then "green" tourism would see less
noise, and the local pubs and inns all about the highlands could benefit
tremendously from a sutherland/caithness walking map... one that shows
places to stay, that a tourist might easily walk from durness to tongue
without any special local knowledge except this highland tourism map.

I'm very concerned, that on current trends, "increased tourism" is going to
simply mean increased crime, increased traffic, accidents, and a whole lot
of things that the north could avoid were it to apply a strategic tourism
strategy to get the tourists out of their cars, in to local establishments,
rather than spoiling the environment, contributing to it by their being able
to walk one of the most beautiful walks on earth, without imposing with
cars.

I realize that a few landowners like their privacy, but this hardly constitutes
a substantial opposition to the needs of greater scotland in securing
a form of tourism and economics that will sustain prosperity for
many centurys... and this all by preserving what remains of the
wilderscape climate of the north.

Chillie
28-Nov-05, 03:17
Take a pair o wellies ,packed lunch o i and a TV so you can throw them over the coastline and fill up e bay for all ye dafties that go surfing:rolleyes:

sweetheart
28-Nov-05, 05:11
Why don't you like surfing? It looks like the people who do it have fun with
it, and i can't fault them for that. I used to like surfing years back, but have
since become fond of diving. Gosh, if they weren't spending all the money on
dounreay, they could subsidize rather things like a north coast sea kayak
school, watersports are a gas, and people are full of themselves when they
huff and pretend that its not cool to be a surfer. And surfing chicks are
cool, they are hot in bed after all the time in the cold water. ;-)

Tourists try to access the coast. They park their cars in front of croft gates,
walk across crofts and can be a real problem, not because of their intent
to visit the coastline, but rather for the fact that there is no proper access
to the coastline without disturbing "somebody"'s croft sensibilities.

So, i propose a coastal trail, one even and graded that old persons might not
slip, with signs printed with distances, like has been done a tiny bit down
the naver road towards altnaharrah.

Sorry about the TV's mate, all electronics are disposable these days, if one
thing breaks, toss it in the bin and buy a new one. Or, per north croft
heraldry, "toss it off the cliff". :-)