Young runaways cock a snout at their captors
EIGHT little pigs which had no intention of going to market have made a successful bid for freedom from Rothiemurchus Estate.
In fact their getaway has been so successful that they have outwitted their would-be captors for almost two weeks.
The nine-month-old Tamworth pigs are of an old-fashioned breed kept by the estate to illustrate their farm tours, covering the history of the area.
But although the eight pigs are still at large, they pose absolutely no danger to the public, having been children’s pets.
The pigs are more than likely to run off from a human encounter, but estate owner, Mr John Grant the Younger, is anxious that anyone spotting the animals should report their whereabouts to Aviemore police.
Estate workers have a good idea where the pigs are each day, but they evade capture by swimming the River Spey into a neighbouring estate and swimming back later.
It seems the temptation of an abundance of fresh spring grass – their favourite – was just too much to resist, and the pigs made off when they were being transferred from one pen to another.
The young pigs were bred last year from a cross with a boar from the Highland Wildlife Park and a female Tamworth on the estate.
Newtonmore on the prize road
BADENOCH’S boys in blue take the A9 silver trail to Glasgow this weekend, bidding for their 28th Glenmorangie Camanachd Cup in a record 45 appearances.
In a showpiece North v South encounter, Newtonmore will be bidding to maintain their post-war record against Oban Camanachd. The seasiders have been to the final on three occasions – and on all three have lost to Newtonmore.
But the Newtonmore record-breakers have never forgiven Camanachd for robbing them in their last encounter in 1981 of another place in shinty’s history books.
On their way to the final, Newtonmore scored 24 goals without conceding a single hail, and were looking towards equalling Furnaces’ record of 1923.
But a consolation goal from substitute Ivor Clark – brought on for Neil MacDougall, a 37-year-old joiner, who plays on Saturdays – deprived Newtonmore of a unique honour.
Revving up on
car battle
BATTLE lines are being drawn for the annual conflict over summer parking restrictions on Kingussie’s High Street.
And one trader, Mr Bobby Nield, is determined to take the fight as far as he has to to have the restrictions lifted.
"It’s crazy; there is now 60% to 70% of the High Street where no-one can park," Mr Nield told the ‘Herald’.
"Most people are more willing to negotiate the traffic in the High Street than they are to park away from the shops, and there are a lot of tourists who aren’t stopping at all."
The restrictions were enforced by police, who had been monitoring congestion on the town’s main thoroughfare.
Chief Inspector Gordon Noble has noted a steady increase in the traffic flow through the town, despite the opening of the A9 bypass, and believes something has to be done to alleviate the congestion.
But Mr Nield believes the problem is caused principally by the location of the town’s two bus stops, directly opposite each other in the middle of the High Street.
"Traffic flows fairly well until one bus draws up and another stops behind it in the middle of the road. One or both of the stops should really be outside the Duke of Gordon Hotel, and I am quite sure the planner could move them without too much difficulty," added Mr Nield.
His view is supported by another High Street trader, Mrs Cath Russell, who is also concerned that the clear street encourages motorists to speed through the town, endangering local children.
Tourist board ‘negligence’ rapped
BUSINESSMEN have accused the Scottish Tourist Board of "having its head in the sand".
The criticism comes from Mr Bill Anderson, Scottish Secretary of the National Federation of Self Employed and Small Businesses.
He claimed the tourist board continued to fail to face up to the reality of the market and also to give the Government a true picture of the feelings of those at the sharp end of the trade and the real problems facing the industry.
Mr Anderson said the tourist board had made every year a "bonanza year", even when the trade realised there was a continuing downturn.
"This year the downturn in the American market was not only ignored, but the tourist board claimed that there was no problem they could not contain.
"Yet major tourist agencies were reporting a 30 per cent drop in trade from America, while our members said that 75 per cent of their tours were being cancelled due to this."
Mr Anderson added: "This head-in-the-sand approach approaches culpable neglect."