Published on:
15
July 2021
Clackmannanshire Council has been successful in a bid to VisitScotland's Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund (RTIF) to create a "Dumyat Visitor Hub".
The funding will allow the Council to make infrastructure improvements at the Dumyat Centre in Menstrie to improve recreational access to Dumyat hill and Menstrie Glen. The Council`s application was one of a number of successful bids received from local authorities or national park authorities across Scotland for an award.
The Council successfully demonstrated to VisitScotland the opportunity to relieve visitor pressures on Dumyat hill around Sheriffmuir Road by promoting an alternative route from Menstrie which would:
The grant award and match funding from the Council, the Energy Savings Trust and Transport Scotland will result in approximately £200,000 being spent on delivering the following improvements:
· footpath improvements within Menstrie and on routes to Dumyat Hill and Menstrie Glen
The Council's bid was prepared with assistance from Menstrie Community Council and Menstrie Community Action Group as well as Clackmannanshire Third Sector Interface and Discover Clackmannanshire.
The Council’s spokesperson for Environment, Cllr Craig Holden, said: “I welcome this successful bid to the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund and the planned improvements to Menstrie which will create an alternative and improved access route to Dumyat, one of the most popular hills in the Ochils.”
Neil Christison, VisitScotland Regional Director, said: “It is great to see Clackmannanshire benefiting from the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund with improved access for Dumyat hill.
“Over the last three years, the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund has played an important role in improving the visitor experience, be it car parking, toilets or footpaths, as we want people to have a must visit-must return experience, so I am delighted to see this project receiving funding.
“We all need to play our part in being responsible visitors and improvement works like these are crucial to ensuring our visitor destinations remain sustainable for years to come.
“Tourism is a force for good and if managed responsibly, sustains communities in every corner of Scotland, creates jobs, tackles depopulation and improves the wellbeing of everyone who experiences it.”
The aim is for the project to be used as a model to develop further sustainable tourism improvements promoting access to the hills and glens throughout Clackmannanshire.