Cairngorms Local Outdoor Access Forum - March 2025

This document contains an agenda for the Cairngorms Local Outdoor Access meeting, scheduled for Wednesday 5 March 2025, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. The meeting will be held online using Microsoft Teams. Topics include approving the minutes from the last meeting, discussing how to communicate messages about responsible outdoor behaviour, and reviewing how the Cairngorms National Park Authority is meeting its legal responsibilities about public access to land, which are set out in the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. Attendees will also get an update on current work and future plans, with a chance to discuss any other business and set the date for the next meeting. The document provides the Microsoft Teams meeting ID and passcode.

This document contains the minutes from a Local Outdoor Access Forum meeting held on 13 November 2024, where members discussed and approved previous meeting minutes. Key topics included a consultation on a seasonal fire management bylaw, focusing on definitions and enforcement, which the forum generally supported. An update was provided on the Active Cairngorms Action Plan, noting printing delays, positive visitor engagement, ongoing fire trends, and an increase in campervan usage across the National Park. The review of the Core Paths Plan was also discussed, with plans for amendments to existing paths, designation of new ones, and a target completion of Autumn 2026. The meeting also addressed membership challenges, suggesting outreach for new members, and reviewed updates on outdoor access infrastructure like the new Charter Chest path, upgraded Speyside Way signage, and planned improvements for the Old Logging Way. Finally, it was reported that visitor numbers at Mar Lodge increased by five percent compared to last year, with overnight motorhome visits significantly higher. The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for late February or early March 2025, with a site visit planned for summer.

This document contains a proposal for the Cairngorms Local Outdoor Access Forum (LOAF) to create clear messages for dog walkers to help protect ground-nesting birds in the Cairngorms National Park. It suggests different advice depending on the bird species: for legally protected birds, like capercaillie, the guidance is to keep dogs on leads and stay on paths during their breeding season. For other ground-nesting birds, the usual advice is to keep dogs on short leads or under close control. However, if those birds are on the UK Red List (meaning they're highly vulnerable) and disturbance is an ongoing issue, the stricter "dogs on leads and stay on paths" message could be applied in specific areas, decided on a case-by-case basis. The aim is to develop consistent and effective communication to encourage responsible dog walking and prevent wildlife disturbance.

This document contains an update for the Cairngorms Local Outdoor Access Forum about the Park Authority's work under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. This Act gives the Park Authority two main jobs: publicising the Scottish Outdoor Access Code (SOAC), which guides responsible behaviour outdoors, and upholding everyone's access rights to places like paths and waterways. To promote the SOAC, the Park Authority engaged with 485 people between February 2024 and February 2025 through school visits, public events, and training sessions, and also used publications and social media campaigns to reach a wider audience. Regarding upholding access rights, the Park Authority handled 24 cases of obstructions, such as locked gates, in 2024/25, a slight decrease from the previous year, with most cases occurring in Badenoch and Strathspey. The forum members are asked to review this work and decide how they would like to give advice on future access cases.

This document contains an update from the Cairngorms Local Outdoor Access Forum on its recent and planned work. For the Speyside Way, new directional signs between Aviemore and the Park boundary (beyond Cromdale) are nearly complete, with improved metal lamppost signs in Nethybridge and Boat of Garten. They are also replacing difficult "rambler" gates from Cromdale to Mains of Dalvey with easier-to-use gates for bikes and horses, with work starting in mid-April. Improvements to a riverside path in Dulnain Bridge, including drainage and surface repairs, were finished before Christmas. A proposed fire bylaw has been submitted to the Scottish Government for approval following review by the Cairngorms National Park Authority Board. Lastly, ongoing work on the upland path at Meall a' Bhuachaille to improve comfort and drainage is on schedule to be completed by the end of March.