Camilty Wind Farm - Partnerships for Renewables

Camilty Wind Farm
• Linlithgow Canal Centre – located approximately 17.4 km to the north of the
proposed wind farm, the centre offers opportunities to take a boat trip along the canal
and also contains a museum and tea rooms. The centre attracted 10,376 visitors in
2012;
• Linlithgow Palace – located approximately 17.74 km to the north west of the
proposed wind farm. This 15 th century ruin was the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots
and is located in a large parkland overlooking Linlithgow Loch;
• House of the Binns – this 17 th century house located approximately 17.92 km to the
north of the proposed wind farm contains a unique collection of porcelain, paintings
and furniture;
• Hopetoun House – located approximately 18.8 km to the north east of the proposed
wind farm, this stately home is set in acres of parkland overlooking the River Forth.
Hopetoun House and grounds attracted 61,889 visitors in 2012;
• Blackness Castle – situated on the banks of the River Forth, this 15 th century castle
located approximately 19.73 km from the proposed wind farm attracted 15,110 visitors
in 2009. The castle attracted 15,451 visitors in 2012.
15.3.35 There are no recent visitor counts or visitors surveys available for Camilty Forest. The FCS
portfolio analysis from 2006 estimates that Camilty Forest receives between 11,000 to 50,000
visitors per annum (FCS, 2009). However, more recent FCS estimates suggest that visitor
numbers to Camilty Forest have decreased in recent years and are now likely to be far lower.
15.3.36 Of those who do visit, the majority are likely to be from the local area (Harburn, West Calder,
Addiewell and Livingston) rather than from further afield. This reflects its relatively remote
location and the fact that there are a number of well developed outdoor access resources
within West Lothian and neighbouring local authorities, for example the Pentland Hills
Regional Park.
15.3.37 The majority of visitors to Camilty Forest are likely to come for outdoor access opportunities,
relaxation and bird watching. The most popular destinations include:
• The main car park on the A70 at Shear Bridge which provides parking for
approximately 10 cars and has recently been upgraded. The grass area next to the
car park is used in the summer time as a picnic spot;
• The short waymarked circular trail from the Shear Bridge car park which extends for
approximately 330 m alongside Crosswood Burn;
• Camilty Hill and Castle Greg Roman Fortlet (a Scheduled Ancient Monument), a
Roman earthwork comprising two concentric ditches and a rampart. However, this
SAM is not well signposted and there is no information about the monument at the
site.
Tourism Routes
15.3.38 There are no signed tourist routes within West Lothian and no scenic road routes shown on
any motoring or tourist maps. However, the Consultative Draft of the Landscape Capacity
Study for Wind Energy Development in West Lothian (West Lothian Council and SNH, 2011)
does identify a number of principal tourist and amenity routes within West Lothian. These
principal tourist and amenity routes are shown on Figure 15.3 and include:
March 2013 15-12 ES Chapter 15
Socio-Economics, Tourism, Land-Use and Recreation
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