Camilty Wind Farm - Partnerships for Renewables

Camilty Wind Farm
• A 5.5 km trail from the car park on the A70 near Little Vantage that runs south
westwards into the Pentland Hills to the east of Harperrig Reservoir toward
Cauldstane Slap.
15.3.49 There are no public rights of way or long distance paths or cycle routes crossing or passing
through the site, although public access to the area in general for recreational purposes is
afforded by the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. However, the relatively isolated nature and
poor accessibility of this site is such that outwith the short way-marked circular trail from the
Shear Bridge car park there would appear, in practice, to be little public access to the site and
its immediate surroundings at present.
15.3.50 Within the wider study area, West Lothian contains a number of countryside parks, including
the Almondell and Calderwood Countryside Park, Polkemmet Country Park and Beecraigs
Country Park, all of which contain extensive woodland walks.
15.3.51 Furthermore, as identified earlier in this chapter, the Pentland Hills Regional Park lies
adjacent to the east of the proposed wind farm and has an established importance for access
and recreation. The Regional Park covers some 50 square miles of upland countryside and
provides over 100 km of paths. The only promoted ‘Pentland Path’ within West Lothian is the
5.5 km trail from Little Vantage to Cauldstane Hill. Just outwith the West Lothian boundary
also lies a 6.95 km track from Bore Stane to East Haugh which is also a promoted ‘Pentland
Path’.
15.3.52 The Pentland Hills Visitor Survey (TNS, 2006) contains a comprehensive survey of over 800
visitors to the Pentland Hills Regional Park between June 2005 to June 2006. The survey
identifies that:
• Around seven in ten visitors (72 %) to the Park are from the Edinburgh area, with only
around one in five from the rest of the Lothians (17%). Just around one in ten visitors
(11 %) came from outside Edinburgh and the Lothians. This reflects the importance
of the Pentland Hills as a local resource;
• The majority of respondents (47 %) visited the Park once a week. Smaller numbers
visited the Park at least once a month (13 %) and two to three times in a month (17
%). The remaining 22 % visited less than once a month;
• The most popular activities undertaken were walking without a dog (48 %), walking
with a dog (36 %) and hill walking (14 %). Other popular activities included bird
watching (7 %), mountain biking (6 %), running (4 %), cycling (4 %), fishing (2 %) and
horse riding (1 %);
• The most popular visited areas of the Park is the area to the south east of Balerno
which includes Harlaw Ranger and Visitor Centre, with 41 % of respondents
identifying this area when asked which area they had visited or intended to visit on the
day they were interviewed. Around one in three respondents stated the area towards
the north east of the Park (32 %) and around a quarter the area around Flotterstone
(26%). The least popular area was the area to the far west of the Park from
Listonshiels westwards;
• The most popular walking route is the walking route from the outskirts of Balerno up to
Threipmuir Reservoir, with around one in three visitors (31 %) using or intending to
use this route on the day they were interviewed. The next most popular route is the
route from Old Kirk Road at Flotterstone over Turnhouse Hill (18 %). The least
March 2013 15-16 ES Chapter 15
Socio-Economics, Tourism, Land-Use and Recreation
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