Scottish village aims to build ski attraction

Scotland’s highest village could be sold to a community group and turned into a new mountain destination featuring skiing, wild camping and even gold-panning to attract visitors. Under the plan, approved in a vote by residents, nearly 1,600 hectares of land in Wanlockhead owned by the Duke of Buccleuch family would return to grassroots ownership, the Scotsman reported. A spokesman for the village trust said: “We, the residents of Wanlockhead, will be able to elect and decide democratically what we want to keep and improve in the village.” Trust treasurer David Tkocz said a buyout would be an “amazing opportunity” to strengthen the economy and build a tourist destination in the Dumfries and Galloway Hills, where Wanlockhead nestles 410 metres above sea level. “We’ve got some young families in the village and they are very excited,” he said. “We are very happy with that.” The trust is now working with Scottish authorities on a funding application and land valuation, the newspaper said. For more than 500 years, Scottish land ownership has been dominated by lairds and their wealthy friends who have helped create one of the most unequal systems in the world, according to the BBC. The Edinburgh government has sought to modernize the rules, but campaigners have called the reforms inadequate.