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Anger after Kingussie branded 'run-down'





Derek Emsley
Derek Emsley

A ROW has broken out after an organiser of a cross-Scotland trek criticised Kingussie, labelling it “sad” and “run-down” on a website run by a popular outdoors magazine.

The ruckus started on-line after walker Marion Parsons asked for advice on how best to plan her stop in Kingussie for the coast-to-coast TGO Challenge.

On the message board, Colin Tock, who vets the proposed routes submitted by entrants, was critical of the Badenoch capital when providing Miss Parsons with tips about where to buy her supplies.

Mr Tock, who lives in Aberdeenshire, wrote: “I was through Kingussie a couple of weeks ago and was surprised just how sad the village was now looking and how run-down most of the main street seemed to be.

“There is certainly still a Co-op and also another small supermarket almost opposite the Duke of Gordon Hotel.

“Also further up the main street is a hardware store, the Trading Post if I recall correctly, where you will get gas supplies.”

Kingussie resident Derek Emsley, who is a contributor to the The Great Outdoors magazine forum, took offence to the negative remarks about his adopted home town and responded.

He also passed on the comments on the message board to the town’s community council.

Mr Emsley told the “Strathy” he was concerned about the effect Mr Tock’s comments could have on potential walkers and feared many new ones would not bother with Kingussie.

He said: “If a vetter like Colin Tock puts a thing like that on a notice board, what are new challengers going to think?

“That’s what really got up my nose!”

Mr Emsley (82) moved to Kingussie from Bristol nine years ago. He said wild horses could not drag him away from the town now.

He added: “Kingussie is a convenient, almost half-way point for many of the routes.”

Val Emmett, Kingussie Community Council’s secretary, said they had received Mr Emsley’s concerns at their latest meeting.

The council believes that the comments may have been rehashed.

Mrs Emmett said: “Our chairman, Alan Davidson, felt that what Derek had seen had been put up some years ago, although it claims to be a new comment.

“Having said that, Kingussie is not sad or run-down.

“Our conclusion is that he could not have visited Kingussie recently and his views are out of date.”

Not everyone was critical of Kingussie.

One poster, who called himself “Mr Grumpy” spoke highly of the hospitality he received in the town.

He wrote: “To me, Kingussie always looks a bit grey but the welcome and service has always been first class.

“If you are through there at lunch-time I can recommend the fish and chip shop, but get there early to avoid the school kids.

“The lady in the outdoor shop unpacked a box for me so that I could send some gear home and could not have been more pleasant and I only bought a canister of gas.”

Cameron McNeish, who retired from editing the TGO magazine after 20 years last June, said Mr Tock must have been having an off-day.

“To me Newtonmore and Kingussie have always laid out the welcome mat for the challengers, and that has been recognised,” he said.

“In the past, people have been full of nothing but praise for both.

“I would think that Colin Tuck was having an off-day.”

Mr McNeish said he had known Mr Tuck for a number of years as they had worked together at The Backpackers Club, when Mr McNeish was president of the UK organisation and Mr Tuck was Scottish co-ordinator.

The TGO Challenge is an annual self-supported walking event across the Highlands which takes place every May and is the world’s only organised backpack.

Every year, around 300 people participate, each taking their own route from the West Coast of Scotland to the East Coast during the course of a fortnight.

The TGO Challenge started in 1980 after writer and mountaineer Hamish Brown approached the magazine’s then editor, Roger Smith, with the idea for the event. It has been supported by TGO magazine since.

So far, 7,250 people have started the TGO Challenge, and 6,493 have finished it.


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