Hills are alive . . but for how much longer?

Published on Tuesday 26 March 2002 00:00

THE sun is beating down on Edinburgh’s play-ground. Scores of city dwellers have escaped the choking exhaust fumes and the buzz of city life for the peace and sanctuary of the countryside.

For weekend walkers Cath O’Shea and her mother Kate, it’s a much- enjoyed breath of fresh air, a chance to enjoy the rolling hills and unspoiled scenery of the Pentland Hills. For others, it’s time to saddle up for a refreshing pony trek or to career down hill trails on mountain bikes.

Every year, half a million people make the short journey from the city centre to the Pentland Hills to walk, cycle and pony trek without a care in the world. Few, if any, give much thought to the price tag attached to enjoying their day in the hills.

But now Midlothian Council has shattered the peace, with a warning that it plans to withdraw its financial commitment to running and maintaining the Regional Park - one of just three of its kind in Scotland. Ironically, it comes just as the area is becoming more popular, when demands on its Rangers have never been higher and when the hill trails are taking more of a beating than ever before.

This year, Midlothian handed over 140,000 towards the park’s 300,000-plus annual running costs - cash that goes towards financing the Park Rangers service, protecting wildlife and the environment and maintaining footpaths and signs.

But with 3 million of council budget cuts to make, something has to give.

Councillor Adam Montgomery, of Midlothian’s leisure, recreation and sport committee, says: "We still want to be involved in the park and we want to see it remaining the attraction that it is, but the only way we could progress our own budget was to put in a withdrawal notice."

The move to end Midlothian’s contribution to the park’s management - which is currently controlled via a joint committee involving Edinburgh City, Midlothian and West Lothian councils, Scottish Natural Heritage and East of Scotland Water - has raised concerns about the future of the rolling hills that have become such a magnet for those searching for an oasis away from life in Scotland’s capital. Trails are already taking a hammering from thousands of pairs of walking boots, while mountain bikes are tearing into paths. More people means more potential for litter, damage and destruction of Edinburgh’s doorstep beauty spot. Little wonder then that there are concerns that the unspoiled beauty of the Pentlands could eventually become a victim of the area’s own success.

The 22,000-acre Pentlands park is home to rare Alpine plants, peregrine falcons soar over the peaks and writers have been inspired by its beauty. Robert Louis Stevenson’s summer home was in the hamlet of Swanston in the shadow of the hills. Meanwhile, Lord Cockburn was so enchanted by the hills, lochs and sweeping landscape on the edge of the city, that he was moved to write: "Unless some avenging angel shall expel me, I shall never leave that paradise."

Cath O’Shea, from Gorgie, is among those who has fallen in love with the Pentlands - and who fears what the future may hold.

"The park is looked after really well, but there are some trails that are starting to get eroded," she says. "You worry that it could end up like parts of the Lake District. Paths weren’t maintained, they started to spread out, metres wide, and cut through the scenery. Now it’s a real eyesore.

"Local authorities have a responsibility to protect these places - it should be no different from their responsibility to look after the roads or street cleaning. It would be such a shame if money was taken away."

She sums up the key to the Pentlands’ success, and says: "It’s an amazing place - we jumped on the bus, had a five-hour walk and then caught the bus home."

Mountain biker Fraser Lindsay, of the Edinburgh Bicycle Co-operative, agrees that the park’s close proximity to the Capital means it has become a major attraction for people like him. "It’s hard to say how many people use the hill for cycling . . . probably thousands. If people don’t have much transport then the Pentlands are the only place in Edinburgh where you can really cycle.

"The impact on the hills is a contentious issue. Some walking groups and ramblers have been against cycling and they reckon it’s not good for the trails, but many studies say that walking can be just as bad.

"But in recent years they have been hard-rocking some of the surfaces, which means that in winter you can ride up there without being up to your axle in mud."

He welcomes those improvements, part

of a five-year plan

to upgrade and maintain the trails and which is, as yet, unaffected by Midlothian’s plan to withdraw funding. "But if the trails are churned up and not looked after . . . well that could be dangerous," he warns. "And even if there weren’t good signposts or hard-rock trails, people would still go

to the Pentlands

to cycle." Alastair Somerville, senior biodiversity co-ordinator of the Scottish Wildlife Trust, shares an interest in ensuring management of the Pentlands is kept up to standard.

"As a user, I can see that the area seems to be getting busier," he says. "The trails are taking a punishment. The main paths are very heavily used and there is a lot of damage done. The bikes cause damage and people do a lot of damage just by walking.

"There are a few locations with rarities - rare saxifrage and peregrine falcons - but they are few and far between and luckily are in safe hands.

"But it’s true of every park that the busier it becomes, the more damage is done. The trick is to manage it all successfully and strike the balance between management and the number of people required to do the managing."

Lamb farmer Caroline Hamilton says she has endured years of lost ramblers strolling through her land, cars clogging up the Pentlands’ roads and inconsiderate walkers leaving her gates open.

"The park was set up 20 years ago and it’s only now that it is starting to deliver," she says. "To reduce funding would make a major difference to us."

She is one of the farmers involved in Pentlands Produce Direct, a group of farmers within the boundary of the Pentland Hills Regional Park who work with park staff to market their produce. "If Midlothian Council pulls out, what will happen to the staff at the Pentland Hills Regional Park?," she asks. "And where will it leave us? For many years we have had to put with up more and more people coming to the park. These people need to be policed, the paths need to be maintained. The Rangers stop people strolling around our gardens, leaving gates open, leaving litter and parking on grass verges.

"We are very angry. It is only now that we are starting to reap the benefits and Midlothian pulling out could spoil it all."

James Withers, spokesman for the National Farmers’ Union in Scotland, shares her concerns. "The countryside is a place of recreation but it’s also a place of work, and the health and safety statistics within farming speak for themselves. Funding for paths has to be there so the public have safe passage - crucial in terms of their safety, animal welfare and food safety. We would be concerned if any cuts in funding impacts on safety issues. To have a safe, managed access to the countryside you need decent, safe paths and you need to have funding.

Cllr Montgomery, however, insists Midlothian is not closing the door on future financial input into the Pentlands, just taking a step back and reassessing what its contribution should be - the council currently contributes 45 per cent of the park’s running costs compared with the much larger Edinburgh City Council’s 52 per cent and West Lothian’s three per cent.

Perhaps there is a clue to his thinking when he says: "There is a big education programme within the park which schools have access to. For the city schools, that’s a big benefit - they see the countryside in reality. Many Midlothian schools don’t have to go to the Pentlands to see the countryside at work. It all comes at a cost."

Who pays what and how best to balance the books is now to come under a full review by the three councils involved.

The park’s joint committee has decided that officers from the three councils should discuss future funding arrangements with Scottish Natural Heritage - which contributes 132,500 a year - and East of Scotland Water, which has responsibility for the reservoirs and lochs.

Carol Houston, acting Regional Park manager, regards Midlothian’s move as a timely opportunity to review the way the entire park is run, to tighten up certain areas, rethink old methods and search for fresh funding from other areas.

"We are not talking about cuts," she stresses. "The park has been run in a particular way for more than a decade. The time is right to look at the services it provides and to see if there is a more efficient way of doing things."

That, she adds, does not mean trails being left in a state of disrepair or redundancies among the Rangers. Nor does it mean bikers being charged to use trails or drivers being asked to pay for car parking.

"We are looking at what has happened as a catalyst to look at the entire running of the park with a keener eye."

Black marks for college’s classrooms

STUDENTS at Jewel and Esk Valley College are being taught in untidy, poorly decorated and sometimes overcrowded rooms, according to government inspectors.

A report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education said nearly all lessons taught at the college were "good" or "very good".

But the newly-released publication highlighted "important weaknesses" with the condition of the rooms in which these lessons were delivered.

The report said: "The overall standard of decoration was poor, rooms were often untidy and furnishings and fittings were showing signs of deterioration.

Overhaul

"In a few cases the teaching areas were too small for the numbers of students present."

The inspectors also found a "climate of uncertainty in the college about future direction and job security".

However, the review of the college, which has campuses in Eskbank and off Edinburgh’s Milton Road, took place during an overhaul of its management and future plans following the death of former principal John Lisgo and the arrival of Howard McKenzie in his place.

Mr McKenzie said: "As the new principal of Jewel and Esk Valley College, the HMI review has given me a clear focus of what needs to be achieved in order to provide the best level of service."

He also said a 750,000 overhaul of the college estate, including lecture rooms, had been launched last September and was due to be completed this autumn.

Any old games, CDs and books?

OLD books and second-hand games are among the items being sought by the Edinburgh branch of Christian Aid.

The charity is holding its annual sale at St Andrew’s and St George’s Church and is appealing for donations.

The sale takes place on Saturday, May 11, and again from Monday, May 13, until Friday, May 17. The charity will also accept old antiques and collectibles, paintings, CDs and cassettes.

All donations can be dropped off at the church from 9am until 9pm, Monday to Friday, after April 29.