The regional parks of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

are areas of attractive countryside that are of importance for recreation due to their proximity to population centres. The parks are defined to co-ordinate the management of these areas by providing visitor facilities such as car parks, footpaths,

ranger A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...

services and visitor centres. Regional parks are defined and managed by

local authorities Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

, supported by

NatureScot NatureScot ( gd, NàdarAlba), which was formerly known as Scottish Natural Heritage, is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government responsible for the country's natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and ...

, using powers granted in the

Countryside (Scotland) Act 1967 In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are describ ...

and the Countryside (Scotland) Act 1981. There are currently three regional parks, all located in the country's densely populated

central belt The Central Belt of Scotland is the Demography of Scotland, area of highest population density within Scotland. Depending on the definition used, it has a population of between 2.4 and 4.2 million (the country's total was around 5.4 million in ...

: Clyde Muirshiel, the

Pentland Hills The Pentland Hills are a range of hills southwest of Edinburgh, Scotland. The range is around in length, and runs southwest from Edinburgh towards Biggar and the upper Clydesdale. Etymology The name is first recorded for the farm of Pentla ...

and the

Lomond Hills The Lomond Hills (meaning either beacon hills or bare hills), also known outside the locality as the Paps of Fife, are a range of hills in central Scotland. They lie in western central Fife and Perth and Kinross, Scotland. At West Lomond is t ...

. Combined, these three cover , or about 0.5% of Scotland's total land area. As of 2018 it was estimated that the three regional parks together received at least 2 million visits each year.Regional Parks in Scotland - A Review. p. 7.

History

The origins of the regional parks can be traced back to the work of the former

Countryside Commission for Scotland The Countryside Commission for Scotland was a statutory body in Scotland that was established by the Countryside (Scotland) Act 1967. Its role was to provide, develop and improve facilities for the enjoyment of the Scottish countryside, and to con ...

. In a 1974 report the commission outlined the main aims of the regional park designation: By 1990 there were four regional parks in existence, however the number dropped to the current three in 2002, when the new Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park replaced the regional park covering

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of C ...

.Regional Parks in Scotland - A Review. p. 5. Since then there have been proposals for the creation of additional regional parks, generally in other popular hill areas close to large cities in central Scotland. In 2012,

Scottish Natural Heritage NatureScot ( gd, NàdarAlba), which was formerly known as Scottish Natural Heritage, is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government responsible for the country's natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and s ...

suggested that a new regional park could be created in the

Campsie Fells The Campsie Fells (also known as the Campsies; Scottish Gaelic: ''Monadh Chamaisidh'') are a range of hills in central Scotland, stretching east to west from Denny Muir to Dumgoyne in Stirlingshire and overlooking Strathkelvin to the south. Th ...

.Regional Parks in Scotland - A Review. p. 4. This suggestion was supported by the Scottish Campaign for National Parks in 2018, along with proposals for a new regional park covering the

Ochil Hills The Ochil Hills (; gd, Monadh Ochail is a range of hills in Scotland north of the Forth valley bordered by the towns of Stirling, Alloa, Kinross, Auchterarder and Perth. The only major roads crossing the hills pass through Glen Devon/ Gl ...

.Regional Parks in Scotland - A Review. p. 13. In 2022

Avich Dalavich ( gd, Dail Abhaich) is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies on the western bank of Loch Awe and has a population of around 70. It is located from the main town and port of Oban, connected by the villages of Kilchrenan and ...

and

Kilchrenan Kilchrenan ( gd, Cill Chrèanain) is a small village in the Argyll and Bute area of Scotland. Kilchrenan is located near to the end of the B845 road, about inland from Loch Awe. It forms part of the area of Avich and Kilchrenan Community Counci ...

community council A community council is a public representative body in Great Britain. In England they may be statutory parish councils by another name, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, or they may be non-statutory bodies. In ...

proposed that the area surrounding

Loch Awe Loch Awe (Scottish Gaelic: ''Loch Obha'') is a large body of freshwater in Argyll and Bute, Scottish Highlands. It has also given its name to a village on its banks, variously known as Loch Awe or Lochawe. There are islands within the loch such ...

should be designated a regional park by

Argyll and Bute Council Argyll and Bute ( sco, Argyll an Buit; gd, Earra-Ghàidheal agus Bòd, ) is one of 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod (14 July 2020). ...

Management

Each regional park is managed by a joint committee consisting of members appointed by the constituent local authorities, alongside representatives of local landowners and other interested organisations. Funding for park activities is provided by the constituent local authorities, but since 2005/6 there has been no direct funding of the parks from the Scottish Government. The lack of central funding has led to a reduction in staff numbers at all three parks.Regional Parks in Scotland - A Review. pp. 4-5. Within each regional park certain areas are designated as country parks, "core areas" with more concentrated provision for outdoor recreation:Regional Parks in Scotland - A Review. pp. 3-4. *Clyde Muirshiel: Castle Semple Loch and Muirshiel Country Parks *Lomond Hills: Lochore Meadows Country Park *Pentland Hills: Hillend and

Bonaly Bonaly () is an area on the south-western outskirts of Edinburgh and the northern slopes of the Pentland Hills, lying within the Parish of Colinton. It is a mix of mainly post-war housing, woodland, pasture-land and heather moorland. Bonaly Bur ...

Country Parks

List of regional parks

References

Citations

Bibliography

*{{cite web, url=http://mydev.scnp.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/REGIONAL_PARKS_IN_SCOTLAND_FULL_REPORT.pdf, title=Regional Parks in Scotland - A Review, date=October 2018, accessdate=7 December 2020, publisher=Scottish Campaign for National Parks

External links

Regional Parks
- NatureScot
Clyde Muirshiel Regional ParkLomond Hills Regional ParkPentland Hills Regional Park
Regional parks in Scotland