Radical Road: More than 3,500 people call for Edinburgh walking route to be re-opened

The path on Arthur’s Seat has been closed for five years due to rockfall but campaigners want the 200-year-old route reopened as a matter of urgency.

Gates have blocked access to the 200-year-old route with a 3,500-strong petition now calling for it to be opened as a matter of urgency. PIC: Contributed.

More than 3,500 people have signed a petition calling for the re-opening of a historic footpath around Arthur’s Seat which has been closed to the public for five years due to rockfall.

Campaigners were due to lodge the petition with Historic Environment Scotland last night (Tuesday) – the same day that a consultation into the future management of Holyrood Park ended.

Ramblers Scotland, The Cockburn Association, Edinburgh Geological Society, Mountaineering Scotland and access rights group ScotWays led the petition which was launched following a packed public meeting on the future of the route in early December.

The Radical Road which leads to the top of Arthur's Seat has been closed to the public since 2018 due to rockfall. PIC: Contributed.

Helen Todd, Ramblers Scotland's campaigns & policy manager, said she hoped HES would reflect on “strength of feeling” illustrated by the response to the petition and move to get the route re-opened as a matter of urgency,

Ms Todd said: “We’ve seen a remarkable response to our Radical Road petition, from an incredibly broad range of voices.

“The campaign is uniting walkers, climbers, runners, geologists, businesses, civic leaders and more. Even international health and safety figureheads have signed and criticised HES' flawed approach to risk.

The route was restricted after a 50-tonne 'near miss' rockfall with Historic Environment Scotland saying that it was legally bound to keep the public safe. PIC: Contributed.

“People are shocked that HES appears to have made no progress in half a decade and that its consultation on the future of Holyrood Park fails to address the Radical Road issues.

"We hope HES will reflect on the strength of feeling and take urgent action to reopen the 200-year-old path for all to enjoy.”

The Radical Road, which sits approximately halfway up the the 151ft Salisbury Crags and runs to the top of Arthur’s Seat, was built in 1822 by unemployed weavers from the west of Scotland who had been mobilised by the economic distress after the long war against Revolutionary and Napoleonic France.

The Radical Road which leads to the top of Arthur's Seat has been closed to the public since 2018 due to rockfall. PIC: Contributed.

The closure of the path, which was shut off in September 2018 following a 50-tonne “near miss” rockfall, has created its own unrest two centuries after it was dug by the skilled workers.

HES has defended the closure as “appropriate” given the legal duties to public safety that were “not optional”. It is considering options for its future and the possibility of permanent closure has not been ruled out.

Possible solutions earlier put forward to HES include wrapping Salisbury Crags in wire mesh, building a tunnel, or engineering a new road with each costing at least £2.5m.

Among the signatories to the petition is Professor Andrew Sharman, a former president of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health who is from the Scottish Borders and now lives in Switzerland. He described the closure as “nonsensical” and claimed HES appeared reluctant to tackle the perceived risk in an appropriate manner.

The route was restricted after a 50-tonne 'near miss' rockfall with Historic Environment Scotland saying that it was legally bound to keep the public safe. PIC: Contributed.

He said: “Five years have now passed since the 'temporary closure' began, and despite offers to help the department objectively consider the health and safety risks – help offered not just by me, but also one of Scotland's leading architects Benjamin Tindall, and many, many climbing groups, geologists and other external organisations - Historic Environment Scotland simply ignore us and don't even bother to reply.”

Sir Walter Scott was behind the creation of the Radical Road in a bid to deter further civic unrest following an uprising in 1820 when tens of thousands of people across Scotland answered the call for a General Strike. An associated armed rising to further press calls for fair pay and conditions was crushed as spies worked with the government to draw out the key rebels.

A march from Glasgow Green to Falkirk with the intention of seizing the Carron Iron Works ended when the marchers were scattered by a cavalry charge at Bonnymuir with the ‘Radical War’ lasting only five days.

A total of 88 people were charged with treason with James Wilson, Andrew Hardie, and John Baird executed. A further 16 men were transported to Australia as punishment.

Ultimately, building the Radical Road separated the workers from their people and radical networks and put them to back-breaking labour.

According to accounts, a nursery rhyme which became popular in Edinburgh was inspired by they scheme: “Round and round the Radical Road the radical rascal ran/

Gates have blocked access to the 200-year-old route with a 3,500-strong petition now calling for it to be opened as a matter of urgency. PIC: Contributed.

If you can tell me how many ‘r’s are in that you can catch me if you can.”

HES is formulating its new management plan for Arthur’s Seat although the future of the Radical Road did not significantly feature in the public consultation which closed yesterday (Tuesday) with a separate review being carried out into the path.

Between half a million and 5 million people visit the park every year with HES trying to find a balance between its popularity and its ever fragile state.

Dr David Mitchell, Director of Cultural Assets at Historic Environment Scotland (HES), said: “In line with our statutory obligations we acted to manage the risk identified with the input of our geotechnical engineers and temporarily restricted access to the Radical Road. From 2017-2020, there were at least 82 rock fall incidents, ranging in size, with the majority either small or small to medium rocks. Two incidents have involved large or very large rocks. Since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, we have not actively monitored rock fall incidents at the Radical Road due to the path being closed to the public. However, we are aware of at least two rock falls.

“After temporarily restricting access, we undertook an initial outline options appraisal. We were subsequently requested to review elements of our rock risk management approach by a statutory authority. This took much longer than anticipated and was interrupted by COVID and the need to respond to high-level masonry challenges across our wider estate, which is a continuing priority for the organisation.

“Our specialist geotechnical engineers are about to commence a re-assessment of risk and potential mitigating measures in relation to the Radical Road and other areas of the Park to update an earlier options appraisal. Meantime we aim to deliver Ranger-led access to Hutton’s Section and Hutton’s Rock as part of our guided walks and learning group programmes.

“HES would of course like to see no access restrictions within Holyrood Park or at any of our properties - a key objective for us is to enable access. The actions we have taken to mitigate an identified risk are in fulfilment of legal duties in these specific scenarios and supported by specialist geotechnical and health and safety legal advice. These duties are not optional for HES and we are content that our response has been appropriate. We will not expose our staff, contractors or members of the public to risks that cannot be appropriately managed or mitigated. We are hopeful that a combination of management and technical interventions can provide a longer-term solution here but any intervention will of course require statutory consents and assessment of the resource investment required against other national priorities.”