ANYONE trying to interpret the European Directives and their Articles when it comes to the Cairngorm mountain railway and the closed system would end up tying themselves in knots.

THE pledge to reorganise the governing body of British skiing and snowboarding is to be welcomed - but only if it brings real change.

A PAT on the back to the Cairngorms Outdoor Access Trust (COAT) and their partners for bringing a worthwhile project to fruition.

CAIRNGORM Mountain was at pains to point out during the recent Arctic blast that they can never have too much snow contrary to what headlines across the nation were screaming.

WHILST local MSP Fergus Ewing's words of praise for the quality of journalism in the Strathy are, of course, very welcome he is also being a little disingenuous.

THE plug has been pulled on the Aviemore Walking and Mountain Festival which has generated nearly £500,000 for the local economy since being launched seven years ago.

THE Scottish Government's decision on the Beauly-Denny mega pylon line was not a huge surprise but the half-baked approval has certainly led to many furrowed brows.

ARE we really living in a winter wonderland? It might have started out that way a fortnight ago when the kids dug out their sledges and began throwing snowballs, but the weather is becoming a bit of a nightmare now.

IT'S been a really fantastic end to the year for CairnGorm Mountain and tourism-related businesses in Badenoch and Strathspey.

NEW care homes for Fort William, Inverness and Muir of Ord had been ready to go out to tender at the end of January with an expected price tag of £18 million - until this week's hiatus.

HIGHLAND Council is struggling to make ends meet as reports show elsewhere in this week's "Strathy" regarding large-scale budget savings including the re-evaluation of their care home programme.

THEY are invariably proud, and like to pretend they are perfectly capable and independent, yet behind the outward bravura facade it's almost a certainty that our elderly friends and relations enjoy a little bit of care.

FOR those of us who love playing sport and those of us who just love watching top sportsmen and women in action the news that plans for a £12million sports centre in Aviemore have moved closer to reality is a mouth-watering prospect.

MOTORISTS were left bemused and some running on empty first on Friday and then on Monday when three of the area's five filling stations closed unexpectedly.

MANY youngsters in Badenoch and Strathspey must think that the authorities are either deaf or simply do not listen to them.

DRUMMING up numbers for a public meeting is not always easy these days - something that those from across the political spectrum attending the launch of "The rails to Grantown" project were quick to point out on Monday evening.

THE news that the Tartan Army will be gathering once again in Aviemore to party during the quarters-finals and semi-finals of the World Cup next summer is good news for the business community.

IT'S been coming for some time, it's been at the back of many people's minds, and now it seems to have finally arrived, although apparently a little ahead of schedule.

WE would hope that the "Strathy" would be the first to stand up and help fight for the rights of local disabled and vulnerable people.

WE may have a change of heart at the start of next month but for now Highland Council should be congratulated!

LORD Mandelson – not exactly a favourite of many people – did hit the nail on the head when he announced the UK government was clamping down on one of the more immoral practices in the service sector.

WHIRLWIND visits from Government Ministers usually result in a show stopping announcement – and Environmental Minister Roseanna Cunningham's visit to Grantown yesterday (Tuesday) was no exception.

IT'S always best to build from a position of strength, so it's good to see that bosses at Landmark Forest Adventure Park are continuing to invest and innovate.

THE A95 Aviemore-Keith road does not have the "killer" reputation of the neighbouring A9 Inverness-Perth road.

THERE is a sense of injustice in Kingussie after the town's famous shinty club and fans were denied a cherished day out at this year's Camanachd Cup, going down to Kyles Athletic at the weekend.

THE opening in recent years of the superb Craig MacLean Centre in Grantown and the Badenoch Centre in Kingussie has served to highlight the chronic lack of sporting facilities in Aviemore.

THE recent changes rung at the Highland Wildlife Park have paid dividends very quickly with around 120,000 people expected to come through the doors by the end of this year – nearly double the previous year's total.

ANYONE who has ever tried to make sense out of a timetable, be it for a railway or bus service, knows only too well that they are entering an uncharted minefield where surprises lie in wait for the unwary.

YOU have got to take your hats off to the members of the Strathspey Railway Charitable Trust (SRCT) and their legion of supporters for their get up and go and unstinting ambition to fullfil a long held dream.

THE Scottish Court Service's reasons for closing the local court in Kingussie and moving business over 40 miles north to the Highland capital have proved sadly to be a smokescreen as many locally suspected.

SHOPPERS putting one of Britain's leading national papers into their baskets at the weekend might been alarmed to read that plans for a much bigger supermarket in Aviemore had been thrown into jeopardy.

THE majority of the British public now oppose the replacement of Trident.

SIR CLIVE Woodward popped into the Ben Mhor Hotel in Grantown on Saturday to watch the Lions' magnificent victory over the South Africans. The bar punters had their very own surprise expert pundit.

A YEAR AGO we brought readers the poignant story of a memorial being erected to the crew of the The Avro Lancaster PD259 from 463 Squadron based at Waddington in Lincolnshire and their comrades in the Royal Australian Air Force.

IT'S all change but no change at the Aviemore Highland Resort following the "pre-pack" administration and swift subsequent acquisition by Macdonald Hotels.

IN recent years there has been a lot of good work carried out to improve the appearance of Aviemore.

STRATHSPEY Thistle have had some noteable success on the pitch since forming 16 years ago but their result yesterday (Tuesday) was the best yet.

ONE OF the most contentious local planning applications in recent years to be determined by HIghland Council will be heard soon - maybe even next Tuesday.

THE strath’s politicians have forgotten their customary hostility to focus on a shared new enemy – and we’re not talking about ex-Speaker Michael Martin.

A HISTORIC landmark has finally been reached with the lodging of plans for An Camas Mòr, a new town over the River Spey from Aviemore, which could eventually become home to around 4,000 people.

THE OUTSIDER promised to deliver a boutique style festival showcasing music, the enviroment and outdoor activities.

STRATHSPEY Thistle are in a race against time to make sure that they can take their hard-earned place to kick off the new Highland League season.

THE most successful enterprises have certain things in common.

BLUETOOTH AND how it works might be above our heads – and others, no doubt – but we do now know that it could be put to very good use for local tourism.

THE findings of the Fatal Accident Inquiry into the death of Mr Alexander Warden in a lorry accident on the Nuide Straight have been released this week.

POPULAR and traffic warden are not words which often sit comfortably together but in the case of the late Sandy Bennett it was true.

THE recent tragic death of actress Natasha Richardson has predictably re-opened the debate on whether wearing ski helmets should be made compulsory.

THE law is one of the great immovable forces of life in any civilised country: a rock upon which society can function in fairness and safety.

AT the risk of being accused of scaremongering, this paper feels that measures to improve the safety of children on their way to and from school in Aviemore must be put in place before we have to bring you news of a heart-breaking tragedy.

THERE has been a whole load of confusion created by the consultation to ban the drinking of alcohol in parts of Badenoch and Strathspey.

IT'S terrific news for all football fans in the strath that the Jags have had their bid accepted to join the upper echelon of Highland football.

IT’S NICE to hear in these cash-strapped times that a ­benevolent group of investors are planning to help out home-owners living by the River Spey in Aviemore.

THE future redevelopment of the Wade Centre in Kingussie has not so much flown below Highland Council's radar as dropped off it altogether.

THERE could finally be some long-overdue movement with efforts to rid Aviemore of the controversial zebra crossing in the village centre.

AVIEMORE'S relationship with the village's Highland Resort may have been difficult at times, but both know that their success and quality of life depends on the health of the other.

IMAGINE your numbers coming up on the National Lottery draw on Saturday night and then not being able to find your winning ticket. It's the stuff of nightmares.

AN OUTLINE planning application has been lodged this week with Highland Council's Badenoch and Strathspey planning service by Mrs Lyn Donniethorne for the erection of a house and garage on garden ground to the west of Bynack Mhor on Boat of Garten's Kinchurdy Road.

THE prolonged spell of cold weather the Strath has just experienced is good news for most of the area's visitors, and there have been plenty this year, who expect winters in the Highlands to resemble a scene from a Christmas card.

HIGHLAND councillors have this week agreed to maintain the existing status quo for committees determining planning and licencing applications.

ALTHOUGH it's not exactly commiserations all round, neither will many people in the strath be jumping for joy following the Scottish Government's announcement on transport spending.

NO one really expects that the entire dualling of the A9 between Inverness and Perth will be at the top of the list when the Scottish Government announces its hit list of transport schemes for the next decade.

AFTER what will seem to some like decades of debate, it is wonderful to now see firm plans for an imaginative and spacious new school for Aviemore.

NO-ONE is denying that 16-year-old Darren Thomas was behaving badly by aggravating other young drinkers last summer in Aviemore, least of all him and his family.

THE first reaction of many people to the idea that Aviemore could create an international standard ice rink and sporting venue for the village may be to scoff.

THE finances of the Cairngorm funicular railway have fallen under the public spotlight yet again – in no small part because of the constant prompting of opponents of the scheme.

THE new GP contracts negotiated by the British Medical Association four years ago resulted in the long established 24 hours a day on-call working practices of doctors in rural communities being abolished.

THE whole of the Aviemore community needs to get behind plans for a new sports centre in the village.

THE Cairngorms National Park, Cairngorms Chamber of Commerce and other partners are going to be exploring how best to ride out the credit crunch at their forthcoming conference "Green Places, Green Profit".

THE announcement by Highland Council education chiefs this week of a new science faculty at Grantown Grammar School that will create more general classroom space is to be welcomed.

PRESUMABLY when the collective members of the Cairngorms National Park's planning committee deemed it necessary to make a site visit to the proposed location of 81 new homes in Newtonmore they did so for their own good reasons.

NHS Highland boss Garry Coutts told the "Strathy" just over three years ago that improving access to NHS dental care in the region was one of their main priorities.

THERE are many stunning spots in Badenoch and Strathspey but one of the biggest jewels in the crown is at the heart of Monarch of the Glen Country.

THOSE who depend on the lifeline service provided by the Badenoch and Strathspey Community Transport Comany will be hoping that "it is them" to paraphrase the National Lottery's famous slogan.

THERE will be a sigh of relief that a new primary school for Aviemore is set to become a reality, and that some much need public sector investment is being made in the wider community.

HIGHLAND councillors from Badenoch and Strathspey are urging their colleagues to change the composition of the planning and review committee and licencing board that determines applications for the area and make the process more accountable to local people.

RESIDENTS in Carrbridge should be delighted that the Struan House Hotel which has become a real eyesore in the village is to be overhauled - even if it means the loss of a watering hole for good.

THE PUNISHMENT will now fit the crime when it comes to death by careless or inconsiderate driving following the introduction of new sentencing powers for judges and sheriffs in Scotland.

THE construction of almost any new public building is a cause for celebration in a community, which is why this paper is pleased today to bring positive news of the smooth progress of two major investments in Strath communities by Highland Council.

FOR years Aviemore's children and their hard-pressed teachers have had to cope with lessons being delivered in sub-standard accommodation while they heard of new schools being built elsewhere in the Highlands.

THE grim death toll so far this month – seven lives lost – and several more people seriously injured, means that there is an inevitable band wagon growing that will result in improvements to the A9 Inverness-Perth road in Badenoch and Strathspey.

THE changing face of professional sport in the passing decades is evident in George Niven's life story.

THE Highlands' top prosecutor, Andrew Laing, has stated that it is rare to come across crimes of violence on our streets which are not associated with alcohol abuse.

THERE are many potential areas of conflict in the Cairngorms National Park, but we doubt very much that conservationists and businesses will be locking horns over plans for a giant dry ski slope any time soon.

THE new set-up of Aviemore and Cairngorm Destination Management - as well as the rates - will now make the organisation much more attractive to tourism business operators in Badenoch and Strathspey.

THE owners of a Grantown restaurant have vowed to fight on after local Highland councillors refused permission for a signpost to show drivers how to reach them.

THE planning meeting for Muir Homes' controversial plans for 193 houses at the Mossie was certainly lively, but for all the noise from some quarters of the audience, there is every likelihood that the scheme will be approved.

CALLS for more dual carriageway in Badenoch and Strathspey have received a tremendous boost – finally.

THE front page story in today's Strathy about Aviemore's position as a global cultural centre with four UNESCO World Heritage sites will raise a few chuckles.

OPINION is divided on whether visitor numbers to Badenoch and Strathspey will be hit this summer because of the astronomical increase in fuel prices.

SUPERMARKET giants Tesco often gets a rough ride from residents in the Highlands.

WE all know by now that breast is best and NHS Highland's latest campaign to highlight the benefits of mother's own milk is to be generally welcomed especially if it helps remove some of the stigma that still surrounds breastfeeding in public.

THERE can be little argument that Cairn Gorm is one of Scotland's most famed and loved mountains.

THERE was a time when word of mouth was the only method of promotion available for holiday resorts and, while personal recommendation still remains one of the most powerful selling tools, the business has moved on.

WHAT a complete turn-around for the people of Grantown and the surrounding area.

THE operators of the Lecht ski area near Tomintoul have announced that they are to create two mountain bike trails that could be open by the end of summer.

CROSSING double white lines – as Grantown lorry driver Robert Wilson pleaded guilty to in the local district court earlier this week – can not be condoned but we have some sympathy in general for those caught up in such circumstances.

IT has certainly been a very interesting weekend at the Scottish Labour Party Spring conference held in Aviemore - the second time in just three years that the high-profile gathering has been staged in the village.

HIGHLAND Council should be given a pat on the back for ensuring that locals will get their say, albeit belatedly, on controversial plans which could ruin some of Scotland's most stunning scenery.

THE decision to move the main gateway for the Cairngorms National Park south from Drumochter to as some yet to be determined location in Highland Perthshire comes as no real surprise.

THE on-going row over the go-ahead for the £80 million second phase of the Aviemore Highland Resort shows politics in its worst light. The brouhaha is nothing more than Holyrood navel-gazing.

TURKEY twizlers and Tesco home-brand lemonade could be on the menu when Prime Minister Gordon Brown comes to Aviemore next month for the Scottish Labour Party's annual conference.

THE gas and electricity watchdog Ofgem has launched an investigation into recent energy price hikes, which will heap even more costs onto residential and business customers.

THE CAIRNGORMS and the British Army have a long-standing association when it comes to preparing for operations, both at home and overseas.

THIS week's story detailing the extent of under-age drinking in Badenoch may come in for criticism from some quarters.

WE would firmly back calls that are being made by some local MSPs for more Community Service Orders to be handed out by the bench in our local courts – but it will need more money than has been available in the past.

SOME would have us believe that Scotland's First Minister personally intervened to help SNP donor Donald Macdonald gain planning permission for his second phase plans for the Aviemore Highland Resort Ltd.

THE HISTORY of the Rothiemurchus Lodge, the Army and the strath is intimately associated dating back to 1948 when the late Colonel John Grant laid the foundations for the adventure training centre and retreat for soldiers.

THE past weekend has proved what many living locally have long suspected; reports of the death of Scottish skiing have been greatly exaggerated.

NOT only in Badenoch and Strathspey but in the Highlands and Islands as a whole, the authorities have been slow on the uptake when it comes to community gain.

THE Cairngorms National Park has published the responses to the consultation on their deposit local plan.

THE closure of any popular and well-used community facility comes at a shock at any time of the year.

CONSTERNATION has been expressed by some over the dash to the line to secure planning permission for the second phase of development at Aviemore Highland Resort.

THE APPLICATIONS for the second phase of the redevelopment of the Aviemore Highland Resort have reached an important juncture.

THE findings from the business barometer published today by Aviemore and the Cairngorms Destination Management Ltd make for interesting reading for those plying their trade in the tourism industry locally.

IT CAME as no surprise earlier this week when the Scottish Court Service announced that they intended to close the district court in Kingussie as part of their overhaul of the summary justice system in the Highlands and Islands.

PRIME Minister Gordon Brown – recently backing the English FA's bid to host the World Cup in 2018 – announced that the nation stood on the threshold of a golden era of sport.

WE SINCERELY hope that a compromise has been struck that will appease campaigners in Advie over the location of the village's war memorial.

AVIEMORE snowboard star Lesley McKenna is currently ranked within the top ten in the world in the FIS World Cup ladies' half-pipe - and has been amongst the competition's elite for a long time now.

SOMETIMES the law can be an ass. No doubt the ruling by the Scottish Executive's Directorate of Planning and Environment Appeal unit on the fence at the top of Laurel Bank brae in Aviemore is correct on technical grounds but does it make common sense?

NOT for the first time the Scottish Ambulance Service has been found sadly lacking when it comes to keeping the public in Badenoch informed.

THE story of the public interchange in the centre of Aviemore is one that will just not go away. In fact like the newly associated roundabout at the former junction of the Cairngorm ski road it is one that is going round and round and round...

Finally - and fingers crossed - there could be an end in sight to the misery that livestock farmers across Badenoch and Strathspey and the rest of Scotland have had to ensure in recent months.

IT IS a sorry state of affairs when one of the most prominent buildings on Grantown's High Street may have to be shuttered off at night to protect it from vandals.

FOR THE first time in a while, there is a possibility of a new smell lingering over a small part of Newtonmore – one of success.

AFTER four weeks of hearings, reports, evidence and cross-examination, the local session of the public inquiry into the Beauly-Denny power line upgrade draws to a close on Friday.

THERE are ominous signs that the Scottish Court Service will thrust its wishes upon a reluctant community and condemn Kingussie District Court to the history books.

THE debacle which led to the demolition of the old ice rink at the Aviemore Centre covered no-one involved in a good light.

THE cumulative impact of five proposed wind farms on Dava Moor – an area of stark beauty – will be devastating, according to the protestors. We agree.

IT'S that time of year again already. More than 1,000 Harley Davidson riders will be making a welcome return when they roar into the strath this weekend for 'Thunder in the Glens'.

SCOTTISH Water has this week announced massive investment plans that will guarantee the supply of drinking water for Badenoch and Strathspey for the long term.

IF plans for a new dental surgery in Grantown – which will solve in one fell swoop the long-running problems concerning access to NHS treatment – falter, then it will not be NHS Highland bosses in the firing line.

THE first meeting of the Badenoch and Strathspey ward forum held earlier this week can be hailed as a partial success. A turn-out of around 70 members of the public was more than could be anticipated even by the most optimistic of Highland councillors.

A DRAWBACK of living in one of the most beautiful parts of Britain is the amount of consultation we constantly face.

WHETHER it’s speeding motorists, petty vandalism or a minor assault, for more than 30 years, offenders have all had their cases heard at the Highland District Court in Kingussie.

THERE is no hiding from the fact that Newtonmore as a village is short of community facilities, especially when compared to some towns and villages elsewhere in the strath.

IF EVER a man was hoisted by his own petard then it is Mr Gregor Rimell.

THERE is a clear lack of transparency at the Scottish General Teaching Council, which has its headquarters in Edinburgh.

THE care homes U-turn is not a huge surprise but it will leave many longer-serving Highland councillors with egg on their faces.

MR Alan Rankin has arrived in Badenoch and Strathspey as both the public face and the mover-and-shaker behind Aviemore and Cairngorms Destination Management Ltd.

RESIDENTS in self-styled Brigadoon toon Dulnain Bridge have been enveloped by a fog of confusion.

NHS Highland chiefs have made the right decision on the future of the out-of-hours GP service in Badenoch and Strathspey.

IT is unfortunate that Councillor Gregor Rimell has chosen to join the Scottish Lib-Dems just a week after being elected as an Independent candidate.

TEA-DRINKING; the great British pint (and warm ale); miles, yards, feet and inches; orderly queues; Morris dancing; the tabloid press; 'Coronation Street'; Tandoori Chicken Masala; barbecuing in the rain; the WRI; a preoccupation with the weather and Princess Diana; builders losing their clothes and modesty at the first glimpse of sunshine; sunburn.

MANY thousands of voters went to the polls on Thursday to play their part in democracy, only to find that their votes counted for nothing.

THE national and local government elections finally take place tomorrow (Thursday) after months of hard campaigning and their outcome may well shape the political landscape like no other before.

THE high tops of the Cairngorms along with low lying coastal areas of Britain probably have the most to lose if the globe continues to warm because of man's carbon emissions.

IT IS good to see that a trade show is returning to Aviemore and the new-look centre this weekend. The loss of the Highland Trade Fair now over six years ago to Glasgow was a blow to the village and also a bitter pill to swallow.

LIKE any new piece of equipment, the revolutionary electronic vote counting system that is to be used at next month's Scottish Parliament and Highland Council elections is bound to have its teething problems.

IT has emerged that sweeping changes have taken place this week in the way in which ambulance transportation for hospital and clinics is booked in the Highlands and Islands.

EVEN BY transport project standards, it has not been the most speedy of schemes. Seven years ago, the then Scottish Executive Transport Minister, Sarah Boyack, announced major funding for a new public transport hub in the centre of Aviemore – and this week, work finally started.

HARDLY a week goes by without a new warning being delivered in the media about the threat of global warming.

THE CAIRNGORMS National Park authority was right to reprimand another public body in Scottish Water for the "cavalier" manner in which they have constructed their new water treatment plant at Laggan.

HIGHLAND Council's education authority has been busy sending out correspondence to families detailing a new system for monitoring absenteeism and putting procedure on a formal footing.

SILENCE has not been golden in the case of the Wade Centre.

THE move to bring in single surveys should be welcomed by house hunters as well as vendors across Scotland, especially in property hot-spots such as Badenoch and Strathspey.

NO-ONE is questioning Forestry Commission Scotland's expertise and experience when it comes to land management.

WHEN a loved one is diagnosed with cancer, it can often leave the sufferer, their family and friends feeling helpless and alone.

AS ever, it's a mixed bag as Highland Council sets out its stall in delivering public services and balancing the books for the new financial year.

IT'S certainly a strange logic where three minus one equals more; in this case, greater ambulance provision in Badenoch and Strathspey.

AS national park authority convener, David Green states in today's 'Strathy' that much has been reported on the planning determinations for over 100 houses in one of Aviemore's last remaining areas of woodland. The reality is that the park was caught between a rock and a hard place.

NORTHERN Constabulary Chief Constable Ian Latimer, who himself was an officer with Merseyside Police, recently identified "heavy" drug dealers in Liverpool and Manchester as deliberately targetting the Highlands because they see the area as a soft touch.

AS THE seasonal festivites come to an end, and we roll into 2007, it is time to reflect on the achievements made over the past 12 months and ponder the new developments we can look forward to in the year ahead.