Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Estate gates opened after row over access to Speyside Way

The entrance to Kinrara Estate from adjacent to Dalraddy Holiday Park, with a sign directing away from the ropad to the Speyside Way gate.
The entrance to Kinrara Estate from adjacent to Dalraddy Holiday Park, with a sign directing away from the ropad to the Speyside Way gate.

Gates which controversially blocked access to a popular Highland walking route have been opened after talks with a local estate.

Kinrara Estate, south of Aviemore, caused uproar last month when it cut off the Speyside Way, also known as the Whisky Trail, at three different points.

Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) launched an investigation amid a flood of complaints about the move, which left walkers facing lengthy detours.

It believed the locked gates may have contravened the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.

Now the authority has revealed that the estate had agreed to keep the electronic gates open after talks with its legal representatives.

It said that Kinrara Estate had confirmed that the gates had not been operated as they had intended when they were installed, and that the aim was never to restrict access, but to address concerns about anti-social behaviour and other issues.

David Clyne, CNPA recreation and access manager, said: “We are pleased to report that we have had some very constructive and positive discussions with Kinrara Estate’s legal representatives and as a result the gates have been opened.”

For more than a decade, Kinrara Estate opposed the construction of an extension of the Speyside Way across its land, on what is the most natural route between Aviemore and Newtonmore.

In 2012, the Cairngorms National Park Authority served a Path Order to ensure the extension could go ahead – the first time this legal measure was ever used in Scotland.

Brendan Paddy, director of Ramblers Scotland, said: “This is an excellent result that makes it much easier for people to once again access the beautiful woods at Kinrara, and the Speyside Way that runs through the estate.

“We strongly support the work of Cairngorms National Park Authority alongside the landowner to deliver such a quick resolution, avoiding what had the potential to be a costly and lengthy dispute.

“The locked gates had sparked an immediate response from residents, tourists and outdoors enthusiasts – highlighting just how much people value our world-class access rights here in Scotland.”

Mr Paddy added: “We would urge any landowners with concerns about access to work with recreational bodies and access authorities to find practical solutions, to ensure everyone can continue to responsibly enjoy our wonderful countryside.”