issue 46 autumn / winter 2016 - the city of … · bi-annual newsletter of the pentland hills...

Bi-annual newsletter of the Pentland Hills Regional Park / Issue 46 Autumn / Winter 2016

In this issue

Contentspage

The Pentland Hills Regional Park covers an area of 10,000 hectares with over 100km (62 miles) of paths. Approximately 500,000 people enjoy recreation in the park every year; walking, cycling, horse riding and fishing to name but a few of the recreational activities.

The staff that manage the Regional Park carry out a large number of projects in order to increase the visitor’s enjoyment of the Park. These include: path construction and maintenance; signage and waymarking; installation of access gates; habitat improvements for wildlife; and improvement of facilities at visitor centres and other popular sites. There are always more to do than resources allow. That is where the Donations Scheme can help.

The Donations Scheme is a simple way for people to put something back into the Regional Park. The scheme allows people to make a general donation for environmental improvements in the Park.

All funds raised are used only for new ‘added value’ projects on the ground and not for the day to day running of the Service.

Completed projects:

•Upgrading of steps leading into Bonaly Country Park from Torduff Reservoir (2012).

•A new recycled plastic seat for the Flotterstone Glen (2011).

•500 copies of the ‘Horse Riding in the Pentland Hills Regional Park’ leaflet (2010).

For more information and to donate visit the Regional Parks website: www.pentlandhills.org

Pentland Hills Regional Park

Donation Scheme

We know bees are important because they pollinate our crops and wildflowers but unfortunately their numbers have declined significantly in the last 80 years. The Pentland Hills Regional Park provides both a home and regular food supply for them.

One of the rarer bumblebees in the Regional Park is the Blaeberry Bumblebee (Bombus monticola).

As the name suggests you can see it in and around blaeberry plants but keep your eyes open around lowland flower meadows on the hillside where you may also see them. This year the species has been seen on Bells Hill in July and in June at Bonaly Reservoir. The active meadow management carried out in the Regional Park provides a year round food source; bird’s-foot trefoil and white clover for spring, then in summer they feed on the flowering heather and later in the year they commonly use devil’s bit scabious and ragwort.

The Blaeberry Bumblebee is recognised by its bright orange rear, other red tailed bumblebees are only red or orange on the tip. It also has two lemon stripes on its thorax (upper body). If in doubt take a photo and send to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.

As this species is rarer in the Regional Park, we are always grateful to receive information on any sightings. The information we require is a location including a grid reference, date, and if possible the plant it was seen foraging on. Please send the information to [email protected]

Susan DicksonSenior Natural Heritage Officer

The Buzzing Blaeberry Bumblebee

Dragons and Damsels: Just like in those fairytale books?Walking in the Pentland Hills during the summer you may catch a glimpse of a fast flying insect, darting around the vast open spaces on the hills or gleaming like jewels on leaves near a reservoir or stream.

Dragonflies and damselflies are incredible insects which spend most of their lives as larvae hunting for other insects underwater (between four months to five years for some species), until they are ready to transform into flying adults to reproduce and lay eggs (the average time is two to three weeks spent as a flying adult).

What’s the difference between the two? Well, one is quite a

predator, chunky in size and a great flyer (some species are known to migrate from Africa to Europe, crossing large bodies of water), holds its wings apart when resting and has large eyes that touch on its head: this would be a dragonfly.

The other is daintier, smaller, a weaker flyer, holds its wings together when resting on vegetation and has large eyes that do not touch: this would be a damselfly.

A visit to the Harlaw wildlife garden, Bavelaw or Bonaly Reservoir between June and September and chances are you will spot a “bright blue neon light” the size of a large needle flying

gracefully amongst the flowers and grasses of the wildflower meadows. This would be a male Common Blue Damselfly (black and blue with striped and markings on their thorax and top of their abdomens), easily recognized and one of our most common damselflies in Scotland. Females’ colours vary greatly and you will need a guide book to identify your species correctly. The Park also is home to the Large Red Damselfly but is not as numerous as the Common Blue.

A walk around Bonaly, Harlaw, Bavelaw or Linstonshields and you might be distracted by a dragonfly passing by. It could well be a Common Darter, a small dragonfly that often returns

to the same perch after being disturbed. Depending on its colour you might have seen a male (red) or a female (yellow and black).

In any case, your sightings (species, location including grid reference and date) should ideally be recorded to the British Dragonfly Society: www.british-dragonflies.org.uk or to our Service: [email protected] to assist with habitat management and conservation priorities so that these insects continue to enchant children and adults alike with their flying prowess!

Jessica MorgadoNatural Heritage Officer

http://www.british-dragonflies.org.uk

mailto:[email protected]

T o see these animals in the field is unusual enough to cause walkers to deviate

from the road to look at and photograph their elegant pose, but when their owners take some of the young males for a walk around Torduff Hill and the reservoir, second glances are common; and photographs just have to be taken as proof to support the tale to be told later!

What are Alpacas?Alpacas are members of the camel family, and originate in South America (primarily Chile and Peru). They were created by crossing Llamas with Vicuna specifically for their very fine luxury fibre. It was classed as the fibre to make garments for kings – such was the quality. The fibre has many endearing qualities. It is warm, non-allergenic, strong, and

with a very low “itch-factor” which makes it very comfortable to wear. Their fleece comes in 16 naturally occurring shades.

Are they kept just for their fleece?Primarily that is our purpose for keeping and breeding them; and for the females, growing fleece while looking after young (cria) and an 11½ month pregnancy does constitute a full-time job!

However, the young males are equally good fleece producers, and can have multiple roles too; they are very effective flock guards that can be leased to sheep farmers during lambing, or can guard chickens or turkeys. They are alert and are quick to spot foxes, and will face up to them and either chase or attack

In the autumn of 2015, a new species to the Pentlands arrived. A herd of 15 alpacas were introduced by their owners and breeders “BobCat Alpacas”, and have been causing more than just a little interest to passing walkers and visitors to the Pentland Hills Regional Park.

Alpacas at Bonaly

Already we have had many international groups coming to see and walk the alpacas while they are visiting Scotland. We see this as a potential tourism benefit, and look forward to developing and expanding this aspect of our work in the future.

How will the herd develop?Already the herd has increased from the initial 15. In the summer of 2016, five new cria were born – a step in the direction of increasing the herd strength to a target of about 40 animals. Our current breeding programme would suggest that this target may be reached by 2019.

The emphasis of our breeding programme is on quality of progeny, and we are actively selecting the correct stud male for each of our breeding females to ensure (as far as possible) that each successive generation improves in quality of fleece. This is not an easy option to pursue as the initial herd currently exhibits fine qualities.

How does this enterprise link to the local environment?We are already integrating into the community with visit links to (or from) youth organisations (Scouts, Cubs, Beavers, Guides and Brownies being the most frequent visitors in this category), with Nursery groups and Childminders also regulars.

them if they come too close tothe flock. Recent studies have indicated that a couple of male alpacas as guards can reduce the number of losses to fox attack by up to 80%!

We are developing links to schools. Alpacas provide a wonderful resource to stimulate educational activities in many aspects of the curriculum.

Alpacas are very calm and calming animals. They can be very effective in reducing stress, so can be used as therapy aids. They are also valuable in work with children with some learning difficulties, and have shown great benefits when used to support learning with individuals on the autistic spectrum.

We are happy to take some of our alpacas to local fairs and events; and also to work with disability charities and hospices.

Initially, we were delighted that local residents, walkers and Park users were able to experience encounters and visits to our alpacas – and those visits continue. Now, we are equally delighted that, as our visibility on internet search engines improves; and through social media exposure and TripAdvisor rankings; we are now in a position of introducing some of our visitors to the joys of exploring the Pentland Hills Regional Park, and enjoying this valuable resource.

Bob CrosbieBobCat Alpacas

The Pentland Hills Regional Park is a working landscape so please be aware of safety and follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and other access codes. In accordance with these codes, and as a matter of courtesy, you are advised to ask for permission before you pick mushrooms.

By respecting the natural environment you can help to manage and conserve the countryside. When picking mushrooms for any purpose, please consider the following points:

•wildlife, especially insects, need mushrooms too, so only pick what you will use

•do not pick mushrooms until the cap has opened out and leave those that are past their best

•the main part of the mushroom is below the surface, take care not to damage or trample it, and not to disturb its surroundings

•scatter trimmings discreetly in the same area as the mushrooms came from

•some mushrooms are poisonous and others rare and

should not be picked – only pick what you know and take a field guide with you to identify mushrooms where you find them.

If you wish to run a foray or collect for scientific purposes remember to:

•ensure the safety of your party, obtain permission in writing

•give a record of what you have found to the Regional Park Service and explain the significance of your findings.

This code was created by the Scottish Wild Mushroom Forum, a group consisting of representatives of conservation organisations, landowners, public landowning bodies, mushroom buyers and mushroom pickers.

The creation of the Forum and the Code was funded by Scottish Natural Heritage, The Millennium Forest for Scotland Trust and Moray, Badenoch and Strathspey Enterprise.

http://www.snh.org.uk/publications/on-line/NaturallyScottish/fungi/wildmushroom.asp

SNH Scottish Wild Mushroom Code

T he Pentland Hills Regional Park and surrounding areas is host to many different

kinds of birds of prey or raptors. These are birds that essentially feed on other animals and are characterised by expert vision and powerful beaks and talons.

Some of these birds are relatively common such as the buzzard and others less so such as the occasional report of osprey, usually stopping for a bite to eat when passing through on migration. There have been recent sightings of red kite and even sea eagles on the northern fringes of the park. The habitat is ideal for hen harriers however recorded sightings are low. Kestrel, once very abundant in the Park has been in serious decline of late.

The landscape in the park is a working one where land management practices such as sheep grazing, grouse moorland management and large scale events can all have an effect on populations.

Moorland management often receives bad press when discussed in conjunction with raptors as they can often conflict. Through engagement and good established relationships with landowners and farmers in the Park, this is not an issue here. Indeed, landowners and farmers give permission to the Regional Park Service and other specialist bird agencies and organisations to provide additional nesting opportunities through species specific nest box provision.

The nest boxes provided are mostly always placed in trees at height, are tailored to the type of bird targeted and are usually reasonably discreet. On occasion and in no way hugely detrimental to breeding success, people have camped or lit fires in very close proximity to such nest box provision sites. Due to the effort involved with determining a suitable site, transporting materials and erecting such sizable nesting boxes, when breeding pairs are disturbed it can be very disappointing for those involved.

If you’re out camping or thinking of lighting a camp fire in the Regional Park, please ensure you choose a suitable location and leave no evidence after you have gone. If possible, have a small walk round where you intend to camp and look up for any nest boxes or actual nests – most raptor nests in trees tend to look like dense masses of sticks tightly packed together. You may also see bird droppings at the base of the tree. If there is a box or nest apparent, moving a reasonable distance away is the responsible thing to do.

David KylesNatural Heritage Officer

Raptors and Responsible Access

T he Pentland Hills Regional Park is a living working landscape. Many

landowners and farmers rely on the Pentlands for their living whether it be crops or livestock. The hills are also to be enjoyed by all for recreational activities including walking, cycling and horse riding. The Park has 100km of waymarked paths which help the landowners and farmers manage their land.

If you have read previous editions of the Pentland Beacon you will be aware that sheep farming is the main land use in the Park. There have been articles on sheep worrying raising the awareness of these animals, the problems which can occur and how to behave when visiting an area where there is sheep lambing. But what about cows?

Various breeds of cows are kept within certain areas of the Regional Park including dairy cows, beef cows and highland cows. It can be daunting to walk through an area where cows are roaming and in addition cows can be inquisitive beasts. Many people like to see cows

Cows and Accessin the Pentlands, especially the iconic highland cows which can currently be found in the Swanston/Caerketton/Allermuir area. These creatures, as lovely as they are, are not to be confused as cute, cuddly animals. Visiting areas with cows is not a problem nor is taking a photo or two, all we ask is that visitors behave in a responsible manner. Some readers may not understand the best course of action to take when near cows.

Cows are generally fairly docile creatures and if you leave them alone they will most often leave you alone. However, in some instances cows can react aggressively towards people. The adult females are very protective of their young so please make sure you don’t walk between a mum and her calf. If you come across a field of cows, before entering check to see if there is an alternative route. If there is then please use it. If the path goes into the field do follow it leaving all gates as you find them – if you open a gate to gain access ensure you close it behind you, if the gate is already open, leave it open as

the land manager may be in the process of moving livestock. If there is not an alternative and you find yourself in an area with cows, keep a safe distance, watch them carefully and calmly walk past. If you have a dog ensure it is kept under close control at all times, do not let it worry or attack livestock and do not take it into fields where there are calves. If in the unlikely event that a cow turns to chase you should leave the field as quickly and as calmly as

possible, if you have a dog let it off the lead – the cow will likely chase your dog not you, giving you time to get out the field and your dog will most likely out run the cow, finding its own way out the field and back to you.

Please do enjoy visiting the Pentlands, but remember it is a working landscape and act in a responsible manner at all times.

Caroline PatersonNatural Heritage Officer

Electric Bikes T he Regional Park Service has received a few enquiries recently

regarding the legalities of using electric bikes on paths in the Pentlands. With prices dropping and strong signs that they are becoming increasing popular, I felt it would be interesting to consider their use from the perspective of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 (LRSA).

At first glance it would appear that the legislation governing the definition of electric bikes (electrically assisted pedal cycles (EAPC), ebike or Pedelec as they are sometimes called) could be a bit of a minefield. Thankfully EU and UK legislation is harmonised and what can – and what cannot – be defined as an EPAC is quite clear – even though the bikes themselves come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes. If the bike has pedals to propel it; no assistance from the electric motor above 15.5mph (25km/h); and the motor output doesn’t exceed 200 Watts (250 Watts on a tandem or tricycle); weighs no more than 40kg (60kg if a tandem or tricycle); bears a plate showing the manufacturer, the nominal voltage of the battery, and the motor’s power output then it is

an EAPC. In the UK you must be over 14 years old to ride an electric bike but you don’t need a licence, nor do you need to register it or pay vehicle tax.

Section 9 of LRSA (Conduct excluded from access rights) states – (f) being on or crossing land in or with a motorised vehicle or vessel (other than a vehicle or vessel which has been constructed or adapted for use by a person who has a disability and which is being used by such a person).

Under roads legislation an EAPC meeting the above criteria is not treated as being a “motor vehicle” and similarly, if the criteria are met it is not a “motorised vehicle” under LRSA. Therefore if ridden responsibly there is no legal basis preventing the use of EAPC’s on off road paths and tracks. Heavier and faster electric bikes are available and I imagine these may well lead to problems and conflict; these are however not true EAPC’s and therefore they have no right of access under LRSA.

Martin DuncanNatural Heritage Officer/CEC Access Officer

A nyone who has visited the Regional Park for several years will have noticed the

increase in the number of muddy or eroded paths. This is caused by a combination of over half a million visitors a year and the weather. Path erosion can lead to ugly scars on hillsides, loss of habitat and soil washing into our reservoirs.

There are signs that Climate Change is increasing erosion – more frequent rainstorms washing paths away and the milder winters mean less frosty days, when the ground is harder and can withstand boots, wheels and hoofs.

Unlike some other hills in Scotland, visitors come to the Pentland Hills just as much in winter as in summer; walking, running, cycling and riding on the ground when it is at its most vulnerable. Walkers often blame mountain bikes, pointing-out tyre tracks in muddy sections of

paths, but the truth is we are all to blame. It is true cyclists tend to go through wet areas making them deeper, but walkers tend to go around wet areas killing the vegetation and making the erosion wider. I remember walking the path up Carnethy Hill from Turnhouse in 1994 and measuring the width of the erosion scar – 18 metres, that is nearly as wide the six lanes on a motorway! That erosion was not caused by cycles.

One way of reducing erosion is by creating drained, surfaced paths. Over the years the Regional Park has managed to gain funding to build paths for example on the east slope of Carnethy Hill, north-east slope of Scald Law, Green Cleugh, Maiden’s Cleugh and the circuit around Harlaw Reservoir.

Because visitors use the surfaced paths it gives nature a chance to repair the erosion scars and the motorway on Carnethy Hill can hardly be seen now. In recent years, funding has been hard to come by and the path repairs from 2013 to the present (Redford Wood, Dog leg path at Threipmuir

Reservoir, Bonaly Country Park Car Park to Torduff Reservoir, Bonaly Reservoir track, Bonaly to Dreghorn path step repairs, Woodland Walk from Harlaw Car Park to the visitor centre, pot hole filling around Harlaw Reservoir, Cock Rigg and bridge installation at the Howe) have been paid for through the City of Edinburgh Council Off-Road Cycling Fund. A full list with detail of the path works can be found on the Regional Park website, in the news section under Path Improvements 2016.

The Regional Park has a donation scheme where visitors can donate money to help support the Park. All money is ring fenced to the Park and is used for environmental improvements, not for the day to day running of the Service.

We can all do our bit by keeping to surfaced paths during periods of wet weather, if you do find yourself on a muddy path, do not walk on the vegetation at the side and make the path wider, or chose an alternative route when paths are extremely muddy. We have to remember it is not just us visiting the hills but over half a million visitors a year.

Victor PartridgeNatural Heritage Officer

in the Pentland Hills Who‘s to Blame?

erosion

T weed Valley Mountain Rescue Team is based in the Scottish Borders. It is

part of the network of Mountain Rescue Teams affiliated to Scottish Mountain Rescue which represents Mountain Rescue Teams across the whole of the country.

The team is a Charity and all the members are volunteers who are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to go to the assistance

Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue Teamof people who are lost, missing or injured. The Team count on donations from members of the Public in order to carry out our work.

A key part of our activity is training and we are often seen in the Pentland Hills doing simulated training exercises. As the busiest walking area in our patch we are ready to respond in any situation to users of the park.

As well as the Pentlands our area covers the highest hills of the Southern Uplands including Broad Law (840m), the Moorfoot, Tweedsmuir and Eildon Hills, and some of the best and most popular mountain biking areas in Scotland at Glentress and Innerleithen.

As well as the wild uplands, our area also covers significant population in Edinburgh and we are often called to assist Police Scotland in searching rough low-level ground in less remote locations.

It’s important to remember that if you have an accident in the hills or mountains which requires the assistance of Mountain Rescue then you should dial 999, ask for the Police and pass on the details of incident.

If you’d like to know more about the work we do then please visit our Facebook or Twitter pages. We are also able to carry out a limited number of visits to school and community groups to give an insight into our work.

If you would like further information then please send us a message on Facebook or email:[email protected]

FundingThe team is a charity and has to raise most of the funds it requires itself. It currently takes about £30,000 to cover the team’s operating expenses for one year. Over the last six years, Mountain Rescue Teams across Scotland have received some support from the Scottish Government, although this in not sufficient to cover all of the expenses of running the team and is not guaranteed for the future.

Find out more about our work and donation scheme via our website:http://www.tweedvalleymrt.org.uk

By the time that this issue of the Pentland Beacon is out, the 2016 Pentland Inspirations Art and Photographic Competition will have closed and the judging will have taken place to choose the winners.

As many of you will be aware, the competition runs every two years and this is our seventh competition! The categories are landscape, activity and biodiversity. So far the biodiversity category is proving to the most popular which in my opinion shows that people are realising that the Pentland Hills has more to offer than its fantastic landscape, there are lots of wonderful plants and

animals too. The sponsors of this year’s competition are Cicerone and Mount Parnassus Picture Framing.

As usual, the competition will be displayed as an exhibition, in the form of exhibition banners. The banners were used for the last exhibition and in general were received positively. We appreciate that they are not to everyone’s taste but they are far most cost effective and less time consuming than the previous method of mounting every image and hanging them on display boards. It is means there is no cost to entrants as they send photographs digitally rather than paying for them to be printed.

The venues for the exhibition have been decided and will run in the following order from December to May:

•PHRP HQ – Hermitage of Braid •Harlaw House Visitor Centre•Water of Leith Visitor Centre•Colinton Parish Church•Colinton Library•Flotterstone Information Centre•Dalkeith Library•Penicuik Library•Winchburgh Community Centre•Broxburn Library•East Calder Library•Lanthorn Library•West Calder Community Centre•Fauldhouse Partnership Centre•Whitburn Library

Publicity for the venues, including dates will be advertised from October on the Regional Park website, Edinburgh Outdoors (Twitter and Facebook) and as posters within the venues.

I do hope you all get a chance to view the exhibition as it is always very inspiring and can make you view the Pentlands in a way you have never seen before

(The image shown is the overall winner from the 2014 competition, Stuart MacFarlane – On a cold and frosty morning).

Paula NewtonNatural Heritage Officer

Pentland Inspirations Art and Photographic Competition 2016

On a misty summer’s morning, a group of hardy volunteers who work for the Lloyds Banking Group based at their Edinburgh Sighthill office began ascending Turnhouse Hill with a view to reaching the Carnethy Hill ascent where all the stone cross drains, water bars and side ditches were cleared. A couple of drainage features were also rebuilt. The efforts by all individuals involved were greatly appreciated by all.

The feedback received from the group highlights what volunteers get from working with the Park Service:

“A fantastic day (you really came good with those weather wishes) that offered us the chance to contribute to a worthwhile community cause whilst challenging ourselves in a spectacular setting and giving us a real sense of achievement at the end of the day.”

The Spartan Race was again run in the southern part of the Regional Park in July this year. The event uses areas of land with fantastic scenery, is well organised and expertly run and takes into account the relative sensitive nature of the landscape when defining the routes the competitors use.

Some minor maintenance of the Marty’s Memorial at Rullion Green has been undertaken ahead of the 350th anniversary later this year. A further maintenance session is planned before the 28th of November.

David KylesNatural Heritage Service

South Pentlands

AreaREPoRT

Harlaw / Bonaly / Dreghorn / Castlelaw areas

AreaREPoRTThe Regional Park Service is responsible for the 100km network of Pentland Paths; this includes maintaining most of the gates visitors use. The wooden kissing gate that leads from the Glen Road at Flotterstone up to Castlelaw (known locally as the Buckie Brae path) was replaced in spring with a metal kissing gate. Ideally we try to install metal self closing gates as these are more accessible for users, but Buckie Brae is one of the locations where these gates are not suitable.

The field here is either used for grazing cattle or sheep which like to drink from the natural spring that runs by the path. This means that if a self closing gate was installed it would be likely that if not closed properly livestock would get out onto the Glen Road (which connects up to the A702), so we use kissing gates which cows and sheep cannot squeeze through.

The muirburn season in Scotland runs from 1st October – 14 April each year. The Park is responsible for Bonaly Country Park and historically the Ranger Service carried out the annual burning of the heather. For the 2015/16 season, we hired a contractor to carry out the work, which meant that the 2.5 hectares a year that is to be burnt was burnt. When the Ranger Service did it, we very rarely burnt the full quota due to juggling all the Parks responsibilities and you can only carry out the burning when it is dry and not too windy. This really restricted staff availability.

Increasing biodiversity in the Regional Park is one of our priorities as a Service. In Spring I tried to establish a new wildflower meadow along the access track from Harlaw Car Park to Harlaw House Visitor Centre. The ground was sprayed to kill the rank vegetation, rotovated and a Pentland Hills specific wildflower seed mix was sown.

Unfortunately the meadow did not establish but there are plans in place for next spring to try again with plug plants.

Finding funding to carry our projects in the Park is always a difficult challenge so we work with organisations to help access these funds. In partnership with the Friends of the Pentlands, a large scale biodiversity project for Harlaw has secured funding from the Tesco Bag Scheme, £8000! The money will be spent on various projects including establishing two wildflower meadows, planting fruit trees, a new willow arbour, composting bays, hazel fencing work shop and interpretation. Not only will the Friends of the Pentlands be heavily involved, but many community groups from the local area and Dean Park Primary. Work will start in winter 2016 and will be completed by summer 2017.

Wildlife Crime in the Regional Park fortunately is not a major problem

but there are instances each year where Police Scotland is called in to investigate what we suspect to be wildlife crime. This summer a member of the public reported that they found two badger cubs which looked to have been skinned. The Regional Park Service contacted Police Scotland who investigated and had a post-mortem carried out on the badgers and unfortunately the results proved that the two cubs had been skinned. Badgers and their setts are protected by law. The setts within the Regional Park are monitored by us as well as local badger groups but if you know where a sett is and notice anything unusual please contact Scottish Badgers, Police Scotland or ourselves and report your concerns.

Paula NewtonNatural Heritage Officer

We had a keen group of Ramblers repairing a flight of steps and two stiles at Hillend Country Park. Also at Hillend we continued to make access easier for all by taking out a stile and replacing it with a metal self-closing gate on the Hillend to Boghall path.

Eleven workers from Lloyds Bank spent a day at Boghall Farm carrying out some general improvements including repairing steps and a bridge, clearing mud from the car park and cutting back vegetation from the paths.

Victor PartridgeNatural Heritage Officer

We were happy to provide the Conservation Volunteers with a location to hold a two-day dry-stane dyking training course at Harperrig Reservoir. The landowner supplied the stone and approximately 15 metres of wall was repaired. The wall will help keep sheep out of a Scots pine woodland, which hosts one of the Friends of the Pentlands’ Arboreta.

As part of the plan to designate Harperrig Reservoir as a Local Nature Reserve, West Lothian Council worked with the landowner and Kirknewton Community Development Trust to gain a grant to carry out some major improvements to the car park at the west end of the reservoir. The car park now has 12 spaces with trees planted around the edge.

Threipmuir / Hillend / Harperrig areas

AreaREPoRT

This summer Flotterstone Information Centre received 4 star rating from Visit Scotland using their Quality Assurance criteria for Visitor Attractions. There have been a number of incremental improvements made for visitors at the busy entrance point at Flotterstone over the past year, including refurbishment of the car parking bays, improvements to toilets and buildings, hard and soft landscaping, planting , refurbishment of furniture and improved interpretation. The Flotterstone access point was scored using Visit Scotland’s nationally recognised standards to establish the star rating.

A two day corporate volunteering event where Lloyds Banking Group came and made a huge difference to the site assisted by the organisation Employee

Volunteering and the Pentland Hills Regional Park Service. 30 Lloyds’s staff each day worked tirelessly on practical activities. Along with the Lloyds staff, we also had an additional 15 young people from Penicuik Schools each day helping us on a range of tasks including; painting timber benches and gates, a pathway created and surfaced for improved access into the picnic bench location, planting of 250 native woodland understory plants including cowslip, primrose, ramsons and bog myrtle, installation of two new cycle racks, woodland pruning and a range of other tasks that have really helped keep the area tidy and well managed.

Velda WeirNatural Heritage Officer

Flotterstone Glen area

AreaREPoRT

The Pentland Way

Friends of the Pentlands is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Registered in Scotland No: SC035514

The Pentland Way, running almost the whole length of the Pentland Hills, from Swanston to Dunsyre, was officially inaugurated late last year. The western section (outside the boundaries of the Regional Park) is relatively flat and often follows well-defined tracks. But within the park the Way takes to the tops, ascending from Swanston to the summit of Allermuir Hill before dropping down into Glencorse and then re-ascending to follow the main ridge over Turnhouse and Carnethy Hills, Scald Law and the two Kips.

The descent from Allermuir Hill goes around the west side of Castlelaw Hill along a quiet and infamously boggy path. One frustrated walker commented that ‘You really need a scuba-diving outfit to tackle that route’. So the Friends of the Pentlands’ big project for the summer has been to make improvements in this area. New ditches have been dug, old ones cleared out and several pipe drains installed. The main effort has gone into building eleven wooden crossings or mini-bridges, many completed with the assistance of corporate volunteers from Scottish Widows. Ironically, though we have had a ‘bad’

summer, the ground has not been all that wet and we will have to wait for some really bad weather to see if we have captured all the problem spots.

We have also coined a new name, with historic overtones. The name Phantom’s Cleugh, created to describe the next cleugh to the west (in honour of the anonymous volunteer who used to dig ditches there but vanished if approached) now appears on many maps. When we struggled to identify our work site succinctly one volunteer came up with ‘Kirk Burn path’ referencing the Kirk Burn nearby. This of course revives memories

of the old kirk now submerged below the waters of Glencorse Reservoir.

Evoking another site of memory, the FoP have recently erected a new information board next to the Tytler Memorial, with its superb views across East Lothian. Not many years ago this striking Celtic cross was almost impossible to locate, submerged in rhododendrons; now it lies on a well-marked path between Boghall and Castlelaw. The board gives a brief history of the multi-talented Tytler family and their country home at Woodhouselee, which is now completely demolished.

We hope that you have enjoyed the articles in this publication. If you encounter any difficulties or disappointment, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Park staff, or ask them for a copy of the City of Edinburgh Council’s ‘Make Contact’ form (for complaints and suggestions).

After you have gone through the Council’s complaints process, if you are still not happy, you have the right to take your complaint to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, 23 Walker Street, Edinburgh, EH3 7HX. Telephone 0870 011 5378. Generally, if you want to do this, you must contact the Ombudsman within one year.

You can get this document on tape, in Braille, large print and various computer formats if you ask us. Please contact the Interpretation and Translation Service (ITS) on 0131 242 8181 and quote reference number 16-0758. The ITS can also give information on community language translations. You can get more copies of this document by calling 0131 529 2401.

Contact us:

Pentland Hills Regional Park Hermitage of Braid 69a Braid Road Edinburgh EH10 6JF

T: 0131 529 2401 E: [email protected].

All images used in the Pentland Hills Regional ParkNewsletter are copyrighted to the following photographers, artists and organisations: David Buchanan, Steve Chambers, Ela Dzimitko, Alan Laughlin, Victor Partridge and Think Stock.

Designed by the City of Edinburgh Council. Chief Executive 16.118/CE/SG/October 2016.

The Pentland Beacon is produced by the Pentland Hills Regional Park Service and designed and printed by the City of Edinburgh Council.

Letters or articles for inclusion can be sent to Paula Newton at:

Pentland Hills Regional Park Hermitage of Braid 69a Braid Road Edinburgh EH10 6JF

The Service is supported by the City of Edinburgh Council, Midlothian Council, West Lothian Council and Scottish Water.

Supported by:

issue 46 autumn / winter 2016 - the city of … · bi-annual newsletter of the pentland hills...

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