Re: How can Blencathra be for sale? | Forum

GLADMAN May 5, 2014 19:00:06

Replying to nix

nix wrote:

John Macleod was my uncle. The sale was to fund massive repairs to Dunvegan Castle (which was a semi ruin). He didn't sell in the end and Hugh his son managed to get partial funding from Historic Scotland etc.

I don't know if this applies to Blencathra because land law is different south of the border but owning mountains like these in Scotland is a mainly expense. There is the right to roam so anyone can walk there (thankfully). It is an area of outstanding natural beauty and can't be built on or developed (thankfully). But the owner has a responsibility to maintain paths, fences (thankfully).

There is a little income from sheep grazing on the lower slopes and some camping.
BUT, you can point at them and say: "I own them"!

We were talking about this last night in my house.... guess Blencathra provides some (relatively low grade?) gazing, but would assume there's probably some old common right for locals to use that anyway... so except for the 'I own that' pride bit, what monetary benefit would there be with regards owning the mountain?

Obviously The Cuillin up the ante considerably since they are so iconic. Never been up Blencathra but simply had to get up Sgurr Alasdair one way or another a few years back whilst I still could. Guess they probably don't provide as much grazing as in Cumbria due to all that naked rock! Glad that got resolved since Dunvegan's got all that Fairy Flag vibe going on.... special place.

nix May 5, 2014 22:19:54

Replying to GLADMAN

GLADMAN wrote:

[ except for the 'I own that' pride bit, what monetary benefit would there be with regards owning the mountain?

Quite. Not much I think - and hope. In the case of the Macleods, there was the line of history stretching back. No one would want to break that lightly.

Really these places would probably be better off in national ownership via the NT or Historic Scotland but these organisations do not take every place they are offered by any means because they then incur the expense of owning / running them.

To take on the repair of Dunvegan, originally they required everything - and it would have been somewhat of a shame if the fairy flag became just another item with a government label on it, rather than a treasure passed down in the stewardship of a family / clan!

grufty jim May 7, 2014 17:05:18

Replying to GLADMAN

GLADMAN wrote:

... so except for the 'I own that' pride bit, what monetary benefit would there be with regards owning the mountain?

Well, give it another couple of tory administrations and I'm sure people will be strip-mining the things after the fracking has been completed. And hey, I've no doubt a profit can be made by turning all those stone circles into gravel for the construction industry.

I mean, they cost money to upkeep... they're nothing more than the geohistorical equivalent of benefit scroungers!