A new battle for Sheriffmuir

Sir, - In his remarkable poem ‘The Battle of Sherramuir’ Robert Burns vividly recreated the terrible sounds of battle, echoed now, in this otherwise peaceful corner of the Ochils, by the noise of machines digging up the great battlefield in preparation for the planting of commercial forest.

In spite of the noise, however, a silence remains.

Protests against the devastation of one of Scotland’s most important historic sites have come from organisations, historians of the battle and other well-informed individuals from across the world.

Those who have remained silent include Stirling Council, well aware of the value of Sheriffmuir as a mecca for visitors, and, most worringly of all, the Scottish Government.

The Forestry Commission, which has given permission for the planting of the forest, has tried to reassure the public with words like ‘biodiversity’ and ‘public access’.

Sheriffmuir is on a par with Culloden in its importance in Scotland’s history but, unfortunately, does not enjoy the National Trust for Scotland’s protection.

Once destroyed the site cannot be restored.

It will just become part of the country’s fast disappearing historic landscape.

The last word must remain with the wellinformed tourists who arrived on the battlefield recently and were shocked by what they saw, insisting that such destruction of a nationally important site would not be permitted in their respective countries — and asking why no one had informed the Scottish Government. Virginia Wills. Glentye, Sheriffmuir.