UKH

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/dec/01/scottish-landowner-who-obst...

Like Lord Big Dave, given a peerage to allow him to be appointed to a ministerial role.

Whatever you may feel about that, though, I'm not sure that the Ramblers have much of a case here.  Not being allowed to park your car in someone else's car park isn't actually stopping you from accessing the land beyond, unless other obstructions are in place which do block access on foot and by bicycle.  And from what I can see on Streetview https://tinyurl.com/c7k4vzmp the road up to the reservoir has a cattle grid, and a kissing gate to one side.  (That photo is from 2011 though, so things might have changed.)  Both Google https://tinyurl.com/23s8v4e8 and OS Maps (grid reference NT557633) satellite views suggest that the pull-in next to the filter beds is still there and accessible.

Offering permits to use the car park but limiting them to less than one per day does appear to be verging on being deliberately unhelpful, but it's their car park and they are under no obligation to make it available to anyone they don't want to.  (Though one does wonder why they built it in the first place.)

It does strike me as being just a little bit ironic that the Ramblers Association is complaining about it being a long walk to get there...

Any locals got a view on this?

There was a long conversation about this carpark earlier this year on another walking website: https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=102063&p=...

So basically, the estate has operated within its rights regarding the car park - apart from not seeking planning permission until after it had been built - but not with regard to misleading notices, obstructing the verges of a public road, and causing criminal damage to legally parked cars by supergluing notes with no legal force to their windscreens.

Couple of articles from the local paper on the topic:

https://www.eastlothiancourier.com/news/23495471.private-car-park-hopes-est...

https://www.eastlothiancourier.com/news/23418919.controversial-hopes-estate...

I suspect that the estate's grouse shooting business may be a more relevant consideration than the rather dubious claim that they need the space for sheep management (especially since they also said that if planning permisssion was refused then they'd remove the car park - so do they need the space for sheep management or not?)

Below, some articles from Raptor Persecution UK which, while not identifying any criminal activities, do not show the estate in a particularly good light.  The estate being accredited for its good moorland management practice under a scheme run by a landowners lobby group of which Mr Douglas-Miller was himself chairman is, of course, not dodgy in any way...

https://raptorpersecutionuk.org/2023/12/02/a-scottish-grouse-moor-owning-ba...

https://raptorpersecutionuk.org/2017/03/06/merlin-population-in-decline-on-...

The car parking is more nuanced. There is an existing car park there owned by Scottish Water who are happy with it being used by the public.  There was, a for a long time successful, attempt to prevent its use.   There are no nearby alternatives and I usually ride in now from Gifford. They are clearly aware of the tactic of dropping folk off and have attempted  to close the public road through an application to the council as well as intimidating notices.

Passing on foot a few years ago I mentioned to my companion that I looked forward to a bike trip here in the future. A voice from behind a hedge shouted "you better not". Been there on the bike many times since mind.

The access situation in East Lothian has deteriorated - we have an estate asking for payment for permits quite openly, another claiming cartilage 1km from the house and telling you to stick to core paths. Getting bothered by gamies is quite normal in the Lammermuir Hills.  Elsewhere I saw 9 non compliant signs on a bike ride near Peebles yesterday.

Good grief. They really have just embarked on an extended troll before they leave, haven’t they?

jcm

Just as an aside, for anyone wishing to access hopes estate (specifically the route from the hills via the resevoir) there is ample parking, with care not to stop farm vehicles from getting turned, just up the road that leads passed blinkbonny woods at the longyester side - if you’re happy with a different start point.  You can access the various minor tops from here and carry on to do a nice loop via the main estate and back round.

You’ll likely come across estate staff on the hills and nearby - for avoidance of doubt, I’ve found them - I have never engaged with their employer - a nice bunch who’ll stop for a chat.  

Can you say which estate that it, and what area it covers?

The permits are Gosford and the keep to the core paths is Yester.

On a more positive note the new SoS Steve Barclay seems to actually be quite supportive of public access - but this is inly in comparison to the previous line of misanthropic 'get off my land' incumbents that went before.