Cable car and rollercoaster could revive seaside town
● Businessman expresses interest in buy-out scheme
A seaside town could be revived with a cable car to take tourists up a hill and a rollercoaster to take them down if ambitious plans for a community buy-out go ahead.
The town of Dunoon in Argyll and Bute was once a popular spot for Glaswegians to go ‘doon the Watter’, but its fortunes diminished with the rise of package holidays abroad.
The resort, on the banks of the Firth of Clyde, has fallen off the tourist map, but hopes are high it could once again become one of the biggest attractions in Scotland.
An ambitious plan, The Dunoon Project, based on a community buy-out of the Corlarach forest above the town could see the town become a centre for outdoor activities.
A cable car would be installed to take passengers up the Kilbride Hill that rises above Dunoon to a cafe and observation spot at the top, according to the proposals.
Going down the hill to a base station, there would be the option of a zip-slide ride down the hill over a distance of 2.5 miles or a trip in an “alpine coaster” – a type of rollercoaster that follows the contours of the land. Those not keen on the rollercoaster could still take the cable car or ride down on a mountain bike.
Local businessman Brendon Wallace was inspired to start The Dunoon Project due to his interest in mountain biking, which took him across the UK where he saw other communities revitalised.
Mr Wallace said: “The idea came from having a young family and looking for adventures and days out – things that we could do.
“We were very impressed by Zip World in Wales and I thought ‘why can’t we have something like that here?’. We have the location and the people and the enthusiasm, and it seemed like something we could put together.
“The idea is to bring more life back into Dunoon and make people want to visit it like they used to back in the good old days.
It is hoped The Dunoon Project would create jobs and bring investment to the area, with asset manager Gresham House expressing an interest.
A feasibility study has found only a small percentage of people who already travel through the town without stopping are needed to make the venture a success.
Keith Holdt, who prepared the study, said: “The beauty of Dunoon is that it’s right in the path of people coming over to Argyll and Bute.”