Don’t sacrifice wild beauty of Loch Tay for the sake of petrolheads and profit

Iwould like to preface what follows with a single observation, one I have made before in this newspaper. It is that we cannot rationalise every decision we ever make about a landscape on the basis of whether or not it may be good for the economy; sometimes the greater good of the landscape itself – of nature – must come first.

By any rational yardstick, Loch Tay is among the wildest and most beautiful inland lochs. Most of the wildlife tribes that people come to the Highlands to see are to be found in its waters and its surroundings, and it’s still the only place where I have seen young sea eagles roosting in a pinewood in the company of a young golden eagle (and let me say that what was important about that moment was not that I saw it but that the conditions still exist there to make such a thing possible).

The loch’s underwater archaeology is exceptional and has yet to tell us anything like its full story.

All this thrives for two reasons. One is that the loch and its shores are relatively undisturbed. The other is the sheer extent of the loch: the importance of unbroken tracts of undisturbed habitat for nature in all its forms cannot be overstated.

Ah, but then there is the unrational yardstick, the one that looks at a landscape and sees not beauty but the potential to exploit it, to make money. In that context, Kenmore has something of the hallmark of an embryonic Aviemore.

Back in April 2019, marina owner Eric Strickland was quoted in this newspaper as follows: “The new watersports development represents the start of something very exciting, not only for Taymouth Marina but for the wider area of Kenmore.

“Kenmore’s idyllic setting against the backdrop of Loch Tay and neighbouring Munros makes this area the jewel in the crown of Scotland’s natural landscape, but one that has been largely undiscovered.”

I always shudder when I hear developers talking like they have just swallowed a page of the Visitscotland bible. I remember reading that at the time and thinking: “This sounds like trouble.”

And lo, in the best biblical traditions, it has come to pass.

The latest phase of “something very exciting” envisages more houses, more berths for more boats, and – crucially – removing the planning condition that prohibits jetskis and power boats. Why? Because it will be good for the economy.

If Perth and Kinross Council were to agree, it should bear three things in mind: Firstly, the only people who will actually be catered for by Mr Strickland’s proposals are the petrolheads with the power boats and the jetskis. Every other life form in and around Loch Tay – the resident population, the overwhelming majority of visitors to the loch who come for the quiet, the landscape, the walking, sunsets over the loch, snow on Ben Lawers, the wildlife, the phenomenal human history of Loch Tay, and every single species of wildlife – will be diminished or disadvantaged or downright threatened by such an intrusion whose essential purpose is to make money.

Secondly, the access road will evolve from tricky to treacherous. The longpromised footpath between Kenmore and the Crannog Centre has never materialised, it is no one’s priority apart from those people who have to use the road every day because they live there. A substantial increase in vehicles, many of them towing boats, and in summer a road that many visitors simply treat like a footpath… therein lies a recipe for tragedy. Recurring tragedy.

Thirdly, the marina would have a new code of conduct for its petrolhead clientele, involving silencers, among other things. Who polices that, and what is the fate of anyone who contravenes it, bearing in mind that for the average petrolhead, the noise is a significant part of the thrill?

Don’t be surprised if you hear their siren song on the summit of Ben Lawers.

Luckily, I have a solution. Actually, three alternative solutions.

They require that the council puts the landscape, the local people, and all nature first – in short, turn down the application. And because Loch Tay and its surroundings are free of all landscape protection other than the National Nature Reserve on Ben Lawers, the council should set about giving it some. So here are the solutions.

1 – Petition Naturescot to make the entire loch a national nature reserve.

2 – Petition the Scottish Government to have Loch Tay incorporated into the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.

3 – Go for broke. Petition the Scottish Government to create an entirely new national park that connects the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park with the Cairngorms National Park – The Heartlands National Park. Let the Loch Tay controversy be the spark that ignites the whole process. Let nature be the reason people come.

While I was writing this column, my head wouldn’t let go of the Corries singing the Loch Tay Boat Song. I keep thinking that thousands of people around the world who have never seen the loch know of it because of its anthem, a song about someone in a rowing boat. Ironic or what?

Don’t be surprised if you hear their siren song on the summit

STILL WATERS: Thriving environment of Loch Tay depends on it being largely undisturbed – but development could change all that.