Scotland on right RE track

Scottish renewable energy tracks have helped cyclists and runners clock up more than 13,000 miles in less than four years, according to Scottish Renewables.

The trade body said that runners and cyclists have also climbed and descended more than 290 miles – the equivalent of conquering Mount Everest 54 times, or 358 ascents of Ben Nevis.

The statistics were collected from outdoors app Strava, and cover 82 tracks at 23 Scottish wind farm and hydro developments with significant levels of activity.

Strava allows users to record their routes using GPS devices or smartphones and then compare their timings for certain sections with other competitors online.

The most popular route in Scottish Renewables’ study was a segment dubbed ‘Whitelee Blue & Red’ at Whitelee wind farm near Glasgow, which has been attempted 1025 times by 351 people and takes in dedicated mountain bike trails which opened in 2014.

Scottish Renewables senior policy manager, onshore renewables Joss Blamire said: “We have known for some time that people are putting renewable energy tracks to good use, but this is the first time we have been able to quantify it.

“This snapshot of how people are using the tracks around wind farms and hydro power stations is a good indicator of just how popular these routes have become. We believe many more miles have been covered not just by runners and cyclists but also walkers and horse riders too.

“These 82 routes at 23 sites are all examples of how access to Scotland’s great outdoors has been opened up to thousands of people across the country, and show how renewable energy developments have benefits way beyond their economic and environmental contributions.”

Green energy sites surveyed in the study include:

• Dalswinton, a 30MW wind farm near Ae, Dumfriesshire;


• Braes O’Doune, a 72MW wind farm near Doune, Perthshire;


• Black Law, a 124MW wind farm near Carluke, Lanarkshire;


• Glendoe, a 100MW hydro scheme near Fort Augustus, Inverness-shire, which opened in 2009;


• Whitelee, a 539MW wind farm – the second-largest in Europe – near Eaglesham, Lanarkshire;


• Crystal Rig, a 138MW wind farm near Cockburnspath, Borders – the 5.4-mile path here winds past the project’s electricity sub-station;


• Fairburn, a 40MW wind farm near Contin, Invernessshire;


• Hagshaw Hill, a 42MW wind farm near Douglas, Lanarkshire;


• Long Park, a 39MW wind farm near Galashiels, Selkirkshire;


• Loch Sloy Hydro-Electric Scheme, Scotland’s most powerful hydro station whose tracks are used by hikers to access Beinn Ime and Ben Vorlich;


• Kilbraur, a 67MW wind farm partly owned by the community in Golspie, Sutherland;


• Clachan Flats, a 15MW wind farm near Inveraray, Argyll;


• Kelburn, a 28MW wind farm near Largs, Ayrshire;


• Cruachan Power Station, the country’s top pumped-storage hydro station near Lochawe, Argyll;


• Allt Dearg, a 10MW wind farm near Ardrishaig, Argyll;


• Auchmore, a one-turbine, 500kW wind turbine development owned by a local farmer near Muir of Ord, Ross-shire;


• Bowbeat, a 31MW wind farm near Peebles, Borders;


• Beinn Ghlas, a 14-turbine, 8MW wind farm near Taynuilt, Argyll; and


• Nant, an underground 15MW hydro scheme near Kilchrenan, Argyll.