Cairngorms National Park walkers warned against disrupting deer stalking season
Walkers in the Cairngorms National Park are being advised by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to check for possible deer stalking taking place on estates before heading for the hills.
The busy stag stalking season is also a popular time of year for walkers.
SNH has launched this year’s Heading for the Scottish Hills service to reduce disturbance during the stag stalking season (July 1 to October 20), by giving walkers information to plan routes away from stalking areas.
The service covers over 70 estates in popular hill walking areas, mainly in the Cairngorms National Park, the Breadalbane area and on the west coast. Most estates begin stalking in August and September. The service is run through the website www.outdooraccess-scotland.com/hftsh.
It includes general information about stalking on all participating estates and contact details for further information.
Some estates provide detailed information on the site up to a week in advance, describing where and when stalking will take place, as well as suggested walking routes.
There is also information about responsible behaviour for land managers and walkers.
The service, started five years ago, has received positive feedback from walkers and has demonstrated that there is demand for the service from both walkers and land managers.
Fiona Cuninghame, SNH recreation and access officer, said: "The web service is a quick way to check that you won’t disturb deer stalking when heading to participating areas between July and October.
"We’re working with partners to consider how we can re-design the system to make it more user-friendly and cover a larger area, and are hoping to launch a new, improved service in 2015."
