YOUR VIEWS: Culloden woods 'improvements', Loch Ness wind farms and Inverness gym closure

Click here to sign up to our free newsletters!

A step too far on woodland path?

I was walking in Culloden woods last week, and spoke to a very pleasant forestry worker, who told me, when I asked what he was doing, that the path through the woods was being “improved”.

I have since discussed this with fellow walkers in the woods and we all feel a little perturbed by this “improvement”.

There was a small patch of very muddy ground at a low point in the path, with stones and logs to balance on to get across, if you didn’t want to get too muddy.

This has now been removed, and is a wide, flat, clear, dry path. I realise that this “improvement” may help some users to access the woods – perhaps people may be easier able to push buggies along the path, or it might help cyclists, but I feel something special has been lost, and I am writing to ask if there is an overarching plan, to ensure that other areas of the wood that are in a similar state are not similarly “improved” without very careful consideration and preferably with consultation with users of the woods. (I don’t know if this “improvement” was carried out after consultation, but I, and the other walkers I spoke to, certainly weren’t asked).

I realise it is not possible to please all the people all the time, but this feels very much like “paving over paradise to put up a parking lot”.

If you are going to use the woods, you know that it is advisable to put wellies or boots on, as woods are muddy.

If you want to walk somewhere without mud, the UHI campus is a good alternative.

As life becomes easier and easier, with escalators and lifts instead of stairs, automatic doors instead of using arm muscles to push, electronic garage doors, kitchen gadgets to make everything quicker and easier, remote controls for TVs etc, the list goes on, human health declines, as the need to exert energy is reduced.

Obviously these advances have helped a small section of society, eg those with physical disabilities, but for the majority, they are not actually helpful.

For children… and for adults too, balancing on stones and logs aids proprioception and the ability to balance, which is vital for long-term health – and it’s fun.

Walking with an element of challenge is actually good for us, and taking this challenge away, is not necessarily a positive improvement.

Obviously, it can be harder for less physically able adults, but if they didn’t want to balance on stones or logs in this muddy stretch, they could easily walk through the mud.

For me, and for the people I spoke to, a little of the “magic” of the woods has been lost.

Walking through the woods and coming across muddy puddles, is just part of the joy of being in the woods. If I wanted an easy, flat path, then I would go elsewhere.

I understand this may be part of a masterplan to increase accessibility to certain sections of the population, although this muddy patch that has been removed was at the bottom of a very steep section of hill at either end, so it is questionable whether people with mobility issues would be able to access it anyway.

I am urging whoever is responsible for looking after Culloden (and other) woods to retain elements of challenge, that make walking in the woods different from walking in paved areas, and improve our physical health and wellbeing.

Elizabeth Marsden

Inverness

• Catch up with all our columnists

• Subscribe for daily email newsletters

Wind farms not that green

There is a ring of steel around Loch Ness and around Tomatin.

There are 450 wind turbines within a 20-mile radius of my house, the nearest less than two miles away, and planning for another 27 within less than one mile.

Extinction Rebellion is right to some degree about burning fossil fuel, however, do not be fooled into believing that wind-generated power is clean.

It is unlikely that any of the wind farms in Scotland will ever offset the emissions created in their construction.

There are lakes of radioactive waste in other parts of the world created by the production of the magnets used in turbine motors. SF6 gas, used to insulate substations’ equipment, is 2500 times more toxic than CO2.

Enough is lost to the atmosphere equivalent to the emissions of one million cars on the road each year.

Turbine blades made of toxic resin are being buried and poisoning our earth.

We may be cutting our fossil fuel pollution but creating a new wave of toxicity to this planet.

Peter Bennett

Tomatin

City gym and pool given closing date

Members of Everlast Gym in Inverness have received news that the popular establishment will close on April 7. In December last year a planning application to build a new bowling alley at Inverness Shopping Park was approved by councillors by the narrowest of margins.

“2000-plus members using it for health and wellbeing. It’s by far the friendliest gym in town, great pool and busy classes so a desperate need for it. Let’s concrete in the pool whilst the council talk about (for 10 years) building a facility on this side of Inverness. Crazy and so sad to lose it.” – Vonnie Stevenson

“The best gym. Pool is brilliant. And value for money. Will be missed.” – Rhia Duncan

“Scandalous that this gym is closing especially in a time when health and wellbeing should very much be considered a priority! The NHS is sinking partly due to people not taking enough exercise and now a brilliant facility is just being taken away! What do we get in return… a bowling alley (we already have one that is locally owned) and [inflatable activity centre] (again a locally owned one already exists)... There are so many new developments... Where would the council suggest that everyone now go?!” – Mhairi Fraser

Letters should be submitted to newsdesk@hnmedia.co.uk. Please include your address and a daytime contact number. You can also tweet us: @InvCourier or leave a comment on Facebook @invernesscourier

---

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.

---