I’ve been happy to back a growing campaign to stop the go-ahead of a proposed wind farm at Allt Duine, situated on the very edge of the Cairngorms National Park.

Representing one of 11 wind farms planned for or built in this location alone, we are increasingly concerned about the cumulative effect of turbines on the unspoiled landscape of Scotland’s largest national park and we’re urging supporters to ‘Save the Monadhliath Mountains’ (SMM).

Formal objections to plans by RWE npower renewables Ltd for a large onshore wind farm at Allt Duine, located in the Monadh Liath near the village of Kincraig, have already been lodged by the Cairngorms National Park Authority, Scottish Natural Heritage, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, the John Muir Trust and the Mountaineering Council of Scotland. Several estates close to the proposed site, Pitmain Estate, Glenfeshie Estate and Coignafearn Estate, have also submitted their objections.

While we are not against renewable energy in principal, we feel that the 31 turbines, the majority of which are 125m in height, which is the equivalent to a stack of 28 double-decker buses, are completely inappropriate for an area of outstanding natural beauty and would have a critical and irrevocable impact on the landscape, wildlife and ornithology of the area.

Since the SMM website went live just over a week ago, the campaign is already gathering momentum. Over 450 people have signed the online petition opposing the proposals including my old friend and colleague Chris Townsend, former president of the Mountaineering Council of Scotland and gear editor of TGO (The Great Outdoors) magazine.

This campaign is not against renewables or onshore wind farms per se. What we vehemently object to is that if this proposal goes ahead, it will adversely affect the wilderness and wildlife in the Monadhliath Mountains, threatening the unique character and natural beauty of this area – once that’s gone, it’s gone forever. I would urge supporters to sign our petition and in doing so send a clear message to the planners - that the proposal for Allt Duine is a wind farm too far. The planning application is likely to be considered by the Highland Council’s Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch andStrathspey Planning Application Committee on 8 November. This gives the SMM campaign and the local community less than eight weeks to gather support to reject this proposal outright and demand a public inquiry be launched by the Scottish Government.

With the site boundary of the wind farm just 400m from the National Park, the permanent access and cabling route would begin within the park itself, as too would the site reception and temporary construction compound.

Access tracks leading to the wind farm would also cross a number of important habitats on the Scottish biodiversity list, such as blanket bog, wet heath, dry heath and lichen-rich heaths. A variety of birds of prey have also been tracked in the vicinity of the proposed site.

Once constructed, the wind turbines would be visible from up to 35km away, destroying further views of the striking Monadhliath Mountains. They would also be seen from Cairn Gorm and parts of the Rothiemurchus Estate, both of which are listed as two of the top ten visitor attractions in the Highlands, potentially having a significant impact on tourism in the area, which is vital to the local economy.

Please take time to object to the planning application for Allt Duine wind farm, by visiting www.savemonadhliathmountains.com to sign the campaign petition. A template letter of objection is also available online to send to the relevant Highland Council and local community councillors, MP and MSPs, all of whom are listed on the campaign website. To contact the Highland Council directly to register your objection go to: www.highland.gov.uk or email planning@highland.gov.uk Planning application reference 11/00853/S36. Many thanks.

I’ll be heading for Andrew Murray’s book launch tomorrow at Footworks, 14 – 17 Bruntsfield Place, Edinburgh, EH10 4HN.

Running Beyond Limits is the amazing story of Andrews Scotland2Sahara run that was broadcast by the BBC earlier this year. Starting from John O Groats he ran all the way to the Sahara in Morocco without a single rest day. Towards the end of the run he was averaging in excess of 40 miles a day – incredible.

The story of the run also intertwines accounts of other extreme races that Andrew has competed in, including races in rather out of the way venues like Mongolia, the Himalaya and the Arctic. It’s a great book and one that we’ve been very proud to publish under the Mountain Media imprint.

All kinds of events are planned, starting with a Fun Run which Andrew will be leading, and there will be coffee and cake on tap! All in all it looks like a real fun day. Footworks has put a lot of work and energy in making it happen and I’m very much looking forward to it. Looking forward to meeting some of you folk from Edinburgh too so please, come and say hello!

THERE have been some curious contradictory reports published today about the possibility of the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park Board wanting to extend the anti-camping byelaws on Loch Lomondside to other areas.

A BBC report first of all suggested the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park Board planned to extend wild camping bans to five other lochsides, but that report was later denied by a park spokesman. Well, sort of denied.

For those who don’t know, byelaws designed to deal with the effects of “irresponsible camping” are in force along a nine-mile stretch of Loch Lomond and, according to the BBC report, plans are underway to extend those byelaws to Lochs Voil, Earn, Lubnaig, Venachar and Achray.

Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park has formed a “Five Lochs” partnership comprising police, community councils and landowners and in an interview with the BBC Chief Inspector Kevin Findlater, who represents Central Scotland Police and Tayside Police in the Five Lochs group, said the laws had transformed the “disgraceful” state of the lochside.

He told BBC Scotland that it was time to turn attention to other lochs, with anglers being the largest groups in some areas.

“The majority are families trying to enjoy themselves and there are one or two tents with individuals drinking and causing the problems,” he said.”Whereas the people on Loch Lomond are trying to hack down trees with wire saws, some of these fisherman are turning up with chainsaws. They’re more organised.

“There was even one with a lawnmower which was used to prepare the area for his tent. This was in a farmer’s field.

“Other issues include littering, fires and cars blocking roads, he said.

The chief inspector, who has policed the Loch Lomond area for almost 30 years, said this sort of behaviour led landowners to “question” the access rights enshrined in the 2003 Land Reform Act.

He would not speculate on the measures that could be introduced to control the problems, but added: “The Land Reform Act does not give rights to fish or hunt.”

Grant Moir, head of conservation at the national park, told the BBC anglers were not the only group being targeted by the park.

“It’s more looking at what the management issues are around the lochs - some are fishing, some are camping,” he said.

“It’s not as concentrated as east Loch Lomond but we have some hotspots, for example Loch Lubnaig. We’re trying to take some of the things that have worked in east Loch Lomond and see what we can do in other areas. It’s the same model.”

But later in the day the National Park put out a statement denying the BBC report. The statement read: “There are currently no plans to extend camping byelaws which have been piloted since June 2011 along the East side of Loch Lomond to other parts of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.

“Following early signs of success in returning east Loch Lomond to a family friendly destination, the Five Lochs Visitor Management Plan is being developed through close working with communities, landowners and businesses to look at a range of visitor management solutions including  camping provision, infrastructure improvements, litter management, traffic management and toilet provision.

“The Five Lochs Project is about enhancing the visitor experience in the area and trying to make sure that the public and private sector work together to deliver improvements on the ground.

“At present we are asking people about the future management of the Park, including visitor management issues, as part of the Park Plan consultation.”

So, is the policeman speaking out of turn? He didn’t actually say the byelaws were being extended but did hint that, first of all, the “laws had transformed the ‘disgraceful’ state of the (Loch Lomond) lochside.” The National Park spokesman Grant Moir, then went on to say: “We’re trying to take some of the things that have worked in east Loch Lomond and see what we can do in other areas. It’s the same model.”

Later in the day came the denial from the National Park, but was it a denial? Not exactly. There’s to be a consultation, like there was before the Loch Lomond byelaws came into force. But here’s the point. The policeman, quite correctly, said angling and hunting were not covered by the access rights of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act. So why is there a need for byelaws?

Surely there are other laws of Scotland that cover litter, sawing down trees and drunken behaviour? You’d have thought a senior policeman would have known that. Or are Scotland’s landowners lobbying the Park Board to extend the byelaws?

I remember going on Radio Scotland to discuss the Loch Lomond situation with Tory MSP Murdo Fraser. He was very keen to see the camping ban extended to other areas. It looks like he might, in due course, get his way.

AMID the atrocities that we hear about from various parts of the world, like Libya, it’s a sobering thought that here in the highlands, not that long ago, human life was similarly held in pretty low esteem.

Most Scots will be familiar with the story of the Glen Coe massacre, when soldiers under the command of Robert Campbell of Glenlyon killed 38 MacDonalds. Another 40 women and children died in the winter conditions as they tried to escape.

While that particular incident was particularly horrific because it was murder under trust – the soldiers took the MacDonald’s hospitality then rose and murdered them as they slept – it wasn’t unusual for inter-clan fights and battles to have a high mortality rate. A terrible incident on the Isle of Eigg was a good example of that.

Last week I visited the scene – the Massacre Cave on the south shore of the island. It’s a beautiful spot, looking out across the Minch to Muck and Col, with the Ardnamurchan peninsula and the Isle of Mull framing the horizon. The natural beauty of the place gives the story a poignant emphasis.

In the sixteenth century a lengthy feud took place between the MacLeod and MacDonald clans, which eventually led to the massacre of the Eigg’s entire population, bar one family that managed to escape. A party of MacLeods visited the island in 1576 and the men were thought to be over-amorous towards the local girls. The men of Eigg weren’t happy about this and they rounded up the Macleods and cast them adrift in an open boat. Fortunately for the youths they were eventually rescued by some fellow clansmen but they vowed to return and take their revenge.

The following spring they did just that. The Eigg islanders saw a large flotilla of MacLeod birlinns, with several hundred men under the command of Alasdair Crotach and his son William, approaching from Skye and they all made for a secret cave which went by the name of Uamh Fhraing, the cave of Francis. The entrance to the cave was low and covered in undergrowth but the entire population managed to crawl inside into a larger cavern where they hid.

The MacLeods searched the island for two days and in frustration decided to return to Skye. As they sailed from the shores of Eigg one of the MacDonals left the cave, climbed to the top of the hill to see if the enemy had gone but was unfortunately spotted. He quickly made his way back to the cave but he left tell-tale footsteps in the snow.

The MacLeods found the footsteps and traced them to the cave’s low entrance. They then piled thatch and roof timbers at the cave entrance and set fire to it at the same time damping the flames so that the cave was filled with smoke. Three hundred and ninety five people died, either by smoke inhalation or heat and oxygen deprivation. Only one family managed to escape to tell the tale.

Almost 250 years later Sir Walter Scott visited the cave and found human bones there. More recently, in 1979, a boy on holiday visited the cave and found a human skull. It was gifted to Birmingham Museum.