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How can Blencathra be for sale?
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GLADMAN
950 posts

Re: How can Blencathra be for sale?
May 05, 2014, 19:00
nix wrote:
John Macleod was my uncle. The sale was to fund massive repairs to Dunvegan Castle (which was a semi ruin). He didn't sell in the end and Hugh his son managed to get partial funding from Historic Scotland etc.

I don't know if this applies to Blencathra because land law is different south of the border but owning mountains like these in Scotland is a mainly expense. There is the right to roam so anyone can walk there (thankfully). It is an area of outstanding natural beauty and can't be built on or developed (thankfully). But the owner has a responsibility to maintain paths, fences (thankfully).

There is a little income from sheep grazing on the lower slopes and some camping.
BUT, you can point at them and say: "I own them"!


We were talking about this last night in my house.... guess Blencathra provides some (relatively low grade?) gazing, but would assume there's probably some old common right for locals to use that anyway... so except for the 'I own that' pride bit, what monetary benefit would there be with regards owning the mountain?

Obviously The Cuillin up the ante considerably since they are so iconic. Never been up Blencathra but simply had to get up Sgurr Alasdair one way or another a few years back whilst I still could. Guess they probably don't provide as much grazing as in Cumbria due to all that naked rock! Glad that got resolved since Dunvegan's got all that Fairy Flag vibe going on.... special place.
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