The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Dunsinane? Birnam Wood? Where’s that?
Sir, – Congratulations to the pupils of Coupar Angus primary for, as reported in your Saturday edition, helping to put in place a new information panel at their Butterybank Community Woodland (“Youngsters’ helping hand with info board” The Courier, September 29).
Shame on Perth and Kinross Council for their continuing failure to do this at the world famous but locally ignored Meikleour Beach Hedge.
We have recently travelled to Northern Ireland and visited the Antrim Coast.
From more than 10 miles away there are at least a hundred signs pointing tourists to the Giant’s Causeway.
The result was that tourists were swarming by the bus and carload all over the site. Yet the locals told us the exploitation of this natural asset is of recent vintage.
We met many other tourists from far flung parts who were “doing” Ireland and Scotland. None were visiting Perthshire: “What have you got there to see?”
My wife and I went to climb Dunsinane Hill recently.
We know which hill it is. It is magnificent to look at: it is a gentle climb to view the ancient ramparts of the Hill Fort (whether it was Macbeth’s Castle or not) and the views, especially towards Birnam Wood are truly spectacular.
But finding the access and path was a huge problem. Like the Beach Hedge, there is not a single direction post on any roadway. At the second attempt we got it. No tourist could ever have found it.
Yet it is known about world wide – much more so than the Giant’s Causeway. It is good to read in your pages that the new chief executive of Perth and Kinross Council, Karen Reid, plans big events to bring tourists to our area.
Surely, she should also be seeking fully to exploit and promote the assets which we already have.
One last thought. Has anyone in our local authority ever heard of the Cleaven Dyke? Alastair H Anderson. Viewmount, Bellwood Park, Perth.