Mountaineering Scotland Access Update

It’s important to note these are only a few of the bigger cases we have open and we also respond to member queries and concerns about lower-level access issues which require us to liaise with local authority access officers. We also represent our members at the regular meetings of the National Access Forum which is the national body established by Nature Scot to advise on access issues.

Jump to:

• North Chesthill Estate
• Glen Strathfarrar
• Cairngorms Wildfire
• It's Up To Us
• Ben Nevis North Face Car Park, Torlundy
• Altnafeadh, Glen Coe
• Radical Road & Salisbury Crags
• Wolfcrag Quarry

Although there is now a year-round season for stags in Scotland, the first three weeks of October is a key period for stag stalking whilst mid-January to mid-February is the busiest period of the hind cull. Deer are alert to human activity from a considerable distance, often long before a walker is aware of them, and during these periods we should take particular care to avoid disturbance. To help plan your activities during the stalking season visit the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland website for detailed information on stalking activity.

The recent Ramblers petition regarding North Chesthill Estate in Glen Lyon has generated a lot of interest about this longstanding access issue. We know this case is important to our members and Mountaineering Scotland has been actively involved for almost three decades now with our original file going back to 1996.  We agree that the landowner’s actions, in actively discouraging even responsible access for two months or more every year, are not in line with the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 or the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.  There have been numerous attempts to come to a compromise with the landowner, but sadly none of these have resulted in a long-lasting solution.

If you are planning a visit to the Munros north of Invervar, N Chesthill our advice is to follow the established circular route, sticking to the ridges and avoiding the corries, except in an emergency. 

We would also be very interested to hear about your experience, in particular;

• Were you able to park? If you parked in the car park, how busy was it and were you able to pay?
• Did you find locked gates or prohibitive signs on the usual route? If so, photographs and exact locations (grid reference or what3words) are very useful. We are particularly interest in any signs with Scottish Outdoor Access Code branding or phrases like “No walking, we are stalking”.
• Did you encounter any deer on the hill. If so, did they run?
• Did you encounter anyone from the estate, either at the start of your walk, or on the hill? If so, did they give make any access related requests or instructions?
• Did you see or hear any evidence of stalking activity e.g. stalkers and/or clients, vehicles, shots fired or on the day signage? 

We are continuing to liaise with the Outdoor Access Team at Perth & Kinross Council and the Local Access Forum and have been sharing information and evidence from our records, to support their discussions with the landowner. It is important to stress that the approach taken by the owners of North Chesthill is out of step with the approach taken by other estates across Scotland who we have a very constructive relationship with, recognising that deer stalking plays a critical role in tackling nature loss and climate change.

The first of November marks the start of our winter access arrangements in Glen Strathfarrar. The winter season, from November through to March, is a busy period for the stalking in the glen, so the private glen road is closed to the public.

Our normal rights of responsible access still apply, so anyone can walk or cycle up the glen as usual. However, Mountaineering Scotland continues to work with Culligran, Braulen and East Monar Estates estates in the glen to gain permission for our members to take a limited number of vehicles up the glen to walk and climb. For more updates, visit this page.