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Senses of Place and the Struggle for the Cairngorms

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Senses of Place and the Struggle for the Cairngorms DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Social Anthropology Goldsmiths College, University of London Bonnie VandeSteeg 10 ABSTRACT My thesis is based on fieldwork in the Badenoch and Strathspey area of the Scottish Highlands, on the northern side of the Cairngorms. Its starting premise, inspired by the work of Tim Ingold, is that people’s attitudes and beliefs about their environment and environmental issues arise out of their practical engagement with that environment. By focusing on the activities that people are engaged with, I identify three approaches to the environment: livelihood, recreation and conservation. The first part of the thesis explores in detail how these ‘senses of place’ arise out of, and are manifested in people’s practice. The next section uses case studies to show how the three approaches, with their contrasting perceptions and perspectives, often come into conflict. I first examine disputes between canoeists and anglers and debates between conservationists and sporting estates over red deer and native tree regeneration. I then go on to explore the conflicts over the building of the funicular railway and planning powers in the National Park, in which the main line of conflict is drawn between local livelihood interests against outside conservation and recreation interests. The final part of the thesis will go on to argue that the approaches are not fixed, bounded groups as might first appear. I use my data to demonstrate that there is in fact much common ground as well as much overlap in people’s identity. The main conclusion of the thesis is that what appears to be irreconcilable conflicts between people with different senses of place are actually conflicts that emerge because of issues to do with power and social, political and economic inequality. I offer some ideas, based on my fieldwork data, about how these conflicts can be overcome for the benefit of both people and the environment. 11 TABLE OF CONTENTS Title Page P. i Abstract P. ii Table of Contents P. iii Glossary of Acronyms P. iv List of places and people P.v Acknowledgements p. vi Chapter One: Introduction P. 1 Chapter Two: Theoretical p. 32 and Methodological Contexts Chapter Three: Sense of Place and P. 62 Mountaineering Chapter Four: Sense of Place and Conservation P. 109 Chapter Five: Sense of Place and Livelihood P. 141 Chapter Six: Disputes P. 176 Chapter Seven: Conflict and Power P. 209 Chapter Eight: Reshuffling the Cards - P. 251 Finding Common Ground Chapter Nine: Conclusion – Beyond Conflict P. 302 Bibliography P. 320 12 GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMS BASC – British Association for Shooting and Conservation CCC – Cairngorm Chairlift Company CP – Cairngorm Partnership FWAG – Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group HIE – Highlands and Islands Enterprise JMT – John Muir Trust MC of S – Mountaineering Council of Scotland NTS- National Trust for Scotland RSPB – Royal Society for the Protection of Birds SNH – Scottish Natural Heritage SWLG – Scottish Wild Land Group SWT – Scottish Wildlife Trust WWF – World Wildlife Fund 13 PLACES AND PEOPLE CHAPTER ONE Organisations 1. Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) 2. Scottish Wildlife Trust 3. National Trust for Scotland 4. John Muir Trust 5. Scottish Natural Heritage 6. Highlands and Islands Enterprise Board 7. Highland Council 8. People Too 9. British Mountaineering Council 10. Mountaineering Council of Scotland 11. Scottish Landowners Federation 12. Ramblers Association 13. Badenoch and Strathspey Conservation Group 14. Cairngorm Chairlift Company 15. Scottish Tourist Board Districts, Cities, Towns and Villages 1. Inverness 2. Badenoch and Strathspey 3. Fort William- Spean Bridge 4. Aviemore Natural Features 1. Cairngorms 2. Cairngorm 3. Cairngorm Plateau Recreation Places 1. Ski area Livelihood Places 1. Kinveachy / Seafield estate 2. Rothiemurchus 14 3. Alvie 4. Glen Feshie Key People 1. Jamie Williamson 2. John Grant 3. Cameron McNeish CHAPTER TWO Places 1. Glenmore campsite 2. Fish and Chip restaurant- Harkai's 3. Ski area 4. Kinveachy 5. Landmark Visitor Centre Districts, Towns, Villages 1. Glenmore People 1. Sandra and Tommy 2. Campsite owner 3. John Brownlee 4. Isobel 5. David Hayes 6. Ailsa Organisations 1. Strathspey Mountain Club 2. Aviemore Community Council CHAPTER THREE People 1. John Driver 2. Anne Leggett 15 3. George Leggett 4. Richard 5. Eddie 6. Stuart 7. Andy E. 8. Steve Spalding 9. Douglas 10. Isobel 11. Gordon 12. Robert 13. Alan 14. Shawn 15. Rosie Natural features 1. Northern Corries 2. Ben Alligin 3. Cuillin Ridge 4. Beinn a Bhuird 5. Ben Avon 6. Hills of Cromdale 7. Aonoch Mor Districts, Cities, Towns, Villages 1. Torridon 2. Skye 3. Kinlochewe Organisations 1. Glenmore Lodge Places 1. Ski area at Aonoch Mor 2. A9 CHAPTER FOUR People 1. Ross 2. John 16 3. Pete 4. Andy (birder client) 5. Tom Prescott 6. Dick Balharry 7. Roz- volunteer 8. Andrew- London 9. Chris 10. Bo 11. Ailsa 12. Speyside Wildlife group- Alan and Beth, Gary, Andy 13. Tessa and Viv- rangers 14. Sally Dowden Places 1. Insh Marshes 2. Abernethy Reserve 3. Guinard Island 4. Osprey Centre Organisations 1. RSPB 2. John Muir Trust 3. Speyside Wildlife 4. Badenoch and Strathspey Conservation Group 5. Cairngorms Chamber of Commerce Districts, Cities etc. 1. Boat of Garten Natural Features 1. Glen Feshie 2. Cairngorm Plateau CHAPTER FIVE People 1. Ian 2. Frank Law 17 3. John Brownlee 4. Alan 5. Alasdair 6. Peter 7. David 8. Jimmy and Mary Yule 9. Gordon 10. Douglas 11. Lord Seafield 12. Mary Grant 13. Seamus Grant 14. Alastair MacLennan 15. David- Holland and Holland 16. Stuart- steel executive 17. Isobel 18. Alan Hunt 19. Stuart- mountaineer 20. Billy 21. John and Ross Places 1. Badenoch and Strathspey 2. Strathspey 3. Rothiemurchus 4. Kinveachy 5. Aviemore 6. Inverness 7. Speyside Way 8. Mar Lodge 9. A9 10. Abernethy Reserve 11. Glen Feshie Organisations 1. National Union of Scottish Farmers 2. Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group 3. British Association of Shooting and Conservation 4. Deer Commission 5. National Trust for Scotland 6. RSPB 7. Strathspey Mountain Club 8. Glenmore Lodge 9. Scottish Wild Land Group 10. Scottish Natural Heritage 18 CHAPTER SIX Places 1. Spey River 2. Kinveachy 3. Seafield esate 4. Aonoch Mor ski area 5. Fort William 6. Glen Affric 7. Glen Feshie 8. Mar Lodge 9. Craig Meagaidh National Nature Reserve People 1. Lionel 2. Chris-fisher 3. Shawn or Shaun? 4. Lord seafield 5. Claire 6. Clive Freshwater 7. Kevin- Fife 8. Alan Keegan 9. George Leggett 10. Roy Turnbull 11. Jamie Williamson 12. Dick Balharry 13. Gus Jones 14. Robert 15. Robbie- Mar Lodge 16. Donnie Ross- shepherd, Glen Feshie, KIncraig 17. Alasdair- stalker 18. John Brownlee 19. John Driver 20. MA 21. Roy Dennis 22. MP Fergus Ewing (SNP) Organisations 1. Scottish Rights of Way Society 2. Glenmore Lodge 3. Strathspey Mountain Club 4. John Muir Trust 19 5. National Trust for Scotland 6. Scottish Natural Heritage 7. Cairngorm and Speyside Management Group (deer) 8. Nature Conservancy Council 9, Forestry Commission 10. Deer Commission CHAPTER SEVEN Places 1. Ben Macdhui 2. Cairngorm Plateau 3. Cairngorm 4. Aviemore 5. Glenmore campsite 6. ski road 7. Aviemore Centre 8. Rothiemurchus 9. Kincraig 10. Abernethy Reserve 11. Aviemore Tesco 12. Loch Morlich 13. Sheiling- ski area 14. Perthshire 15. Lurcher's Gully 16. Newtonmore 17. Nethy Bridge People 1. Richard 2. Mike Dales 3. Craig 4. Seamus Grant 5. Rosie 6. Anne and George 7. Bill Wright 8. Peter Ord 9. MA 10. Shaun and Julian- Glenmore Lodge 11. John and Phillipa Grant 12. Sally Dowden 20 13. Stewart Fulton 14. Dick Balharry 15. Alan K. 16. Basil Dunlop 17. Laura 18. Adam 19. George Leggett 20. Nigel Williams 21. Alan Blackshaw 22. Murray Ferguson Organisations 1. Cairngorm Chairlift Company 2. Highlands and Islands Enterprise 3. John Muir Trust 4. Mountaineering Council of Scotland 5. Glenmore Lodge 6. Waltzing Waters 7. Strathspey Mountain Club 8. Ramblers Association 9. RSPB 10. World Wildlife Fund 11. Speyside Wildlife 12. SNH 13. Cairngorm Campaign 14. Ski Scotland 15. Aviemore Chamber of Commerce 16. Morrisons Construction 17. Cairngorms Partnership 18. Newtonmore Business Association 19. Woodlands Trust 20. Badenoch and Strathspey Conservation Group 21. Rothiemurchus and Glenmore Community Association 22. Cairngorms Chamber of Commerce 23. Recreation Forum 24. Local John Muir Trust Group 25. BASC 26. Lagganlia 21 TABLE OF FIGURES 1. Scottish Natural Heritage map of Cairngorms area. P. 15 2. Looking down off the Cairngorm Plateau. P. 17 3. Ski area and Northern Corries. P. 18 4. General map of Badenoch and Strathspey. P. 19 5. Glenmore campsite with Cairngorms view. P. 62 6. Anne planning her trip. P. 68 7. Climbing Grades. P. 69 8. Climbing route description. P. 70 9. Multi-pitch diagram. P. 81 10. Eddie leading second pitch. P. 81 11. Visual of route off Cairngorm Plateau. P. 89 12. Map detail showing navigation off Plateau. P. 89 13. Placing protection on a climb. P. 91 14. Eddie and Douglas enjoying the view. P. 96 15. Snow experience. P. 97 16. Recounting 'epics'. P. 101 17. Ross using telescope to focus on hen harriers. P. 111 18. Video link of ospreys. P. 113 19. Birding list. P. 117 20. Andrew scanning on top of Carn Ban Mor. P. 120 21. Speyside Wildlife brochure description P. 124 of birding holiday. 22. Les showing lichen to conservation group. P. 134 23. Alvie Estate shooting and stalking holiday advert. P. 149 24. Stuart receives Donald Award. P. 154 25. Kinveachy staff shoot 'bag'. P. 157 26. Heatherburning. P. 158 22 27. Mary Yule and her cows. P. 166 28. David's stag goes to the larder. P. 167 29. Kinveachy fishing tenant in River Spey. P. 175 30.
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