Passengers to go off the beaten track

mountain railway will offer guided walks to summit of cairn gorm

By Cameron Brooks

Published:

BAN LIFTED: Groups of passengers will now be able to go on a two-mile circular trek to the summit of Cairn Gorm in the summer

Passengers on Britain’s highest mountain railway will be allowed access to the summit of Cairn Gorm for the first time during the summer months.

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and Highland Council have given the operator permission to let people exit at the Ptarmigan top station and take part in a 90-minute guided walk as part of a closely-controlled trial which starts on July 17.

Groups of no more than 10 walkers will be taken on a two-mile circular trek to the iconic Strathspey summit at 4,084ft.

The trial, which will end on October 31, is significant because until now the railway’s passengers have been banned from walking to the mountaintop to protect fragile flora and fauna – and for hill safety concerns about ill-equipped passengers getting lost on the sub-arctic plateau.

Ian Whitaker, chief executive of CairnGorm Mountain Ltd (CML), which opened the mountain railway in 2001, said: “We welcome the opportunity to manage trial visitor walks from the Ptarmigan top station this summer.

“Visitors become fully engaged with the mountain landscape and this will lead to greater understanding of the significance of the Cairngorms National Park mountain heartland and why it is one of Europe’s most significant mountain wildernesses and worthy of the environmental protection it enjoys.”

Mr Whitaker said the trial – involving a maximum of 140 walkers per day – would allow the firm to test the scheme’s appeal in a “measured and responsible way”.

SNH area manager Keith Duncan said the guided walks would not enter sites protected by European law and would remain wholly within the ski area.

Earlier this year Highlands and Islands SNP MSP Dave Thompson raised the issue of the “bizarre” summer walking ban at Holyrood earlier this year.

He said yesterday: “This closed system limited the appeal of the mountain railway to visitors and this trial to lift that restriction should give an immediate boost to the number of people who pay for a journey up the mountain.”

CML will submit a report to SNH after the trial is completed

A Highland Council spokeswoman said: “We are allowing this trail and await the outcomes of the monitoring arrangement with interest.”

But Gus Jones, convener of the Badenoch and Strathspey Conservation Group, has raised concerns about walkers damaging the habitat.

He said: “This sudden move has the potential to be a major backwards step for a delicate and sensitive area.”

In March, the Scottish Parliament’s public audit committee criticised Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) for its handling of the railway project.

MSPs said the agency failed to take account of spiralling costs.

Initial estimates for the construction of the railway were £14.8million, but to date more than £26million has been spent on it, with £19million coming from HIE.

The agency intends to invest a further £4million on the ski centre in the next three years before – hopefully – selling to a private operator.

Walking tour tickets, which include a return journey on the mountain railway, cost £13 for adults, £12 for senior citizens and £10 for children.