Scottish Amble

CairnGorm Mountain granted permission to trial walks at the top

CairnGorm Mountain Ltd (CML) has been granted permission by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and the Highland Council (THC) to let funicular passengers exit the Ptarmigan Top Station at the attraction to take part in a short guided walk (lasting not more than 90 minutes) on the mountain in a closely controlled trial starting later this month.

Visitors will be invited to undertake ‘The Walk @ the Top’ in the company of a guide who will lead them on a circular tour to the summit and back in groups of not more than 10 people.

This is a trial to enhance visitors’ understanding of why the area is so special and their experience at CairnGorm Mountain by providing interpretive walks from the Ptarmigan Station to Cairn Gorm summit.

The guided ‘Walk @ the Top’ is an added visitor experience which, combined with the funicular journey, the mountain exhibition and visitor guides on the mountain terrace will help CML achieve its interpretive goals.

Ian Whitaker, CML chief executive commented:
“CairnGorm Mountain welcomes the opportunity to manage trial visitor walks from the Ptarmigan Top Station this summer. The trial walks will be carefully managed and monitored in accordance with the agreed operating procedure and all data will be subject to review by SNH and THC at the end of the trial period.
This will considerably enhance the visitor experience at CairnGorm Mountain.

Through this type of activity, visitors become fully engaged with the mountain landscape and this will lead to greater understanding of the significance of the Cairngorms National Park mountain heartland and why it is one of Europe’s most significant mountain wildernesses and worthy of the environmental protection it enjoys.

For the first time, we can allow visitors to immerse themselves in a wild mountain experience by using the mountain railway and taking part in the trial. Visitors to the summit will be able to view the Cairngorm plateau, the most extensive area over 3000 ft in the British Isles and experience the impact of weather and climate at this altitude. Interpretation and education provided at CairnGorm Mountain has a significant impact on visitor perceptions and understanding and plays a critical role in the conservation of this unique natural environment.

CML has 10 years’ experience operating the existing visitor management arrangements and this trial allows us to address a key visitor frustration with the existing arrangements which do not permit access out at the top station. The trial allows us to test the visitor appeal of short guided walks within the ski area in a measured and responsible way.

The arrangements for the trial have been agreed with SNH and THC. On a busy summer day CML will welcome 1000 visitors per day on the mountain railway. The trial allows for a maximum peak capacity of 140 people per day taking part in a walk at the top. As well as keeping a record of the numbers who book onto a walk, CML will also record the numbers we have not been able to accommodate but who wish to undertake the activity. The trial will provide useful data on the demand for this activity which will guide decisions on any long-term changes to the VMP in future.

The visitor management plan is a dynamic document and there is a process in place to ensure that management arrangements can be reviewed. Any change to these arrangements must demonstrate that it will have no adverse impact on neighbouring EU sites. The use of managed and monitored trials is both a logical and sensible approach to managing permanent change in the VMP arrangements. Trials have operated successfully for the change that resulted in walkers being able to enter the top station building and use the down trains. The guided trial walks from the top are no different. A monitored trial followed by review. SNH and Highland Council would consult publicly before agreeing to any long-term change to the VMP.”

On arrival, participants will be briefed on the suitability and severity of the walk, what can be expected out on the mountain and how these guided walks fit into the existing Visitor Management Plan. It will also be made clear to them that the walk is part of a trial and guides will provide visitors with an informative historical, cultural and natural history insight into both the ski area and surrounding protected landscapes.

Following an invitation-only trial launch on Wednesday 14 July, the first public walk will take place on Saturday 17 July with on-line booking available by 15 July.

A charge will be made for the walk: visitors will be able to purchase a combined funicular and ‘Walk @ the Top’ ticket online or in person or purchase a ‘Walk @ the Top’ ticket once they arrive at the top station. The trial will continue until the 31 October 2010 when a detailed report on the walks will be submitted to SNH.

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