Land access: charity demands action after highland estate blocks walkers

A walking charity has urged Perth and Kinross Council to take legal action against a sporting estate accused of continually breaching public access rights years after hundreds of public complaints were made.

Ramblers Scotland said North Chesthill Estate in Glenlyon, which is home to four Munros, has ”long been notorious amongst walkers for its attempts to restrict access, with frequent reports of misleading signs, locked gates and obstructive staff”.

It urged landowner Alastair Riddell to bring his 6,500 acre estate out of “the Victorian era”.

In reply, North Chesthill said it “actively responds to all enquiries by prospective walkers” and manages “a small estate area where walkers cannot avoid conflicting with the business of stalking and deer management”.

This is not the first time the estate has been accused of restricting access. Hundreds of people reported 611 access issues including locked gates and warning signs in a 2014 Mountaineering Scotland survey.

In August, several people used the hiking website, Walk Highlands, to allege access problems at the estate, including one who claimed they were told camping was not allowed, despite the right to camp being outlined in Scotland’s land access laws.

By Jamie Mann in The Ferret

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