Summit's up over Cairngorm funicular

For travellers on the Cairngorm funicular, Britain's highest mountain railway, it must have seemed the most natural reflex to stretch one's legs and stroll to the summit to take in the magnificent view.

But since the funicular opened in 2000, this most human and simple of pleasures has been denied. Visitors have been confined to the station building or the viewing terrace.

Many will have wondered what was the point of building a railway to the top of a mountain, only to deny travellers the pleasure of experiencing the peak. Now, in a radical change of policy, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Highland Council will allow funicular passengers to leave the station. However, they will have no automatic right to roam. They will be carefully shepherded into taking a short, guided walk to the summit.

This will be for a trial period only of three months, "closely monitored in accordance with the agreed operating procedure and with the data subject to review by SNH and the Highland Council". Sometimes these two organisations can give the impression of being the two most restrictive organisations in Scotland outside of Barlinnie prison. But the relaxation should result in greater use of this splendid railway — and a more rewarding experience for everyone.