Dave Thompson MSP

SKYE, Lochaber and Badenoch MSP Dave Thompson will this weekend formally declare open two new pathways through a National Nature Reserve which this year celebrates the 25th anniversary of its creation.

While the survival of Creag Meagaidh as one of the country’s most unspoilt wildlife areas has been the result of minimal human interference, Scottish Natural Heritage, the reserve’s current manager, is also keen to ensure that the general public is not excluded from the site.

Therefore on Sunday Mr Thompson will open two new pathways through the reserve of almost 4,000 hectares in addition to an extended car park, toilet facilities and a range of educational materials.

“The lack of human impact is the factor that has allowed Creag Meagaidh to survive unspoilt and be protected for the benefit of future generations but that does not mean that humans must be excluded from the area,” Mr Thompson said.

“Instead more will be encouraged to visit this wonderful scenic area but it is vital visitors behave responsibly to ensure their visits do not damage the area they have come to see. In addition SNH has provided a range of material to educate visitors about the importance of Creag Meagaidh, its landscape and its abundant rare flora and fauna.

“That is why I am honoured to have been asked to formally declare open two new paths through this landscape, taking to 12 kilometres the total length of managed footpaths through Creag Meagaidh.

In the 1980s, when tax breaks encouraged a former owner of the estate to consider clearing the indigenous vegetation on the land and planting thousands of non-native conifers for timber, the estate was bought by the Nature Conservancy Council, a predecessor of SNH, to save the range of fragile habitats seen there.

This foresight allowed one of the largest areas of woolly-fringe moss in the Highlands and several areas of rare plants to survive and provide a habitat for several rare animal and bird species, including an internationally-important breeding population of dotterel on the reserve’s mountain plateau.

Notes:

As part of an afternoon of walks, displays and demonstrations on Sunday, Mr Thompson will declare the new Allt Dudh and An Sidhean paths for all abilities open at approximately 3.45pm.

The event will take place at the start of the An Sidhean pathway, near the reserve’s newly-extended car park on the A86 Newtonmore to Spean Bridge road beside Loch Laggan.