No mountain too high in fight to save Bennachie

Its distinctive peaks signal home to many and have proved to be the perfect destination for those seeking a bracing weekend walk.

Now a campaign to stop an upgraded stretch of the A96, which connects Aberdeen and Inverness, from encroaching the lower slopes of Bennachie is gathering pace.

Mountaineering Scotland, the Cairngorm Club, Ramblers Scotland and the Woodland Trust are among organisations joining residents in the Save Bennachie campaign.

This week, the campaign group met with economy secretary Keith Brown in a bid to win protection of the landmark. While a final decision has yet to be made on the detailed route for this stretch of upgraded A96, preliminary options show a straight line running alongside the site of Bennachie, which is surrounded by woodland.

Bob Smith, of Save Bennachie, said: “Bennachie is a very special area. It is steeped in history, archaeology and folklore and attracts around 150,000 visitors every year.

“Putting the A96 here would leave some fairly major scars at the bottom of the hill. It would be an environmental, economic and social disaster to site the upgrade route near the hill.”

The group’s objections have won cross-party support in the North-east.