Text and Photos Michel Azéma

Funicular in the Highlands

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CairnGorm
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Paradox
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 Cairn Gorm
Scotland
 

 

The paradox of summer

 

 
Almost the entire line on this photo.
At the top of the line note the black entrance of the tunnel.
On the top right corner, the Cairn Gorm summit in the clouds.
 
 
 
 
 


I visited the CairnGorm funicular on May 27th 2002.

I was aware of the summer status of the funicular. Everywhere there are advertisements, first on the official web site but also at the base station.
The advertisements are explaining the winter and summer rules of the funicular.

In winter season (1st December - 30th April) only the visitors with a valid skiing ticket who have come for the purpose of skiing or snow boarding can exit the top station of the funicular.

In summer season (1st May - 30th November ) the visitors are not so welcomed, they are welcome to use the funicular, but they can only access the Ptarmigan building, the panoramic restaurant, the mountain exhibition, shop and the outside terrace of course (a very small terrace with not even 360° view!), and that's all! They cannot walk on the mountain, they are not welcomed on the CairnGorm mountain. Hikers who wish to explore the mountain further can use the path network, which departs from the bottom station car park. They can go every where on the mountain paths.
But what is not mentioned by the CairnGorm Railway Company advertisements is that the hikers cannot use the funicular to go down when they are at the top of the mountain! They also cannot enter the top station even to eat at the restaurant or to warm up!

In fact there is a virtual (not virtual, real) barrier all around the top station of the funicular. Inside the barrier are the top station of the funicular, the restaurant and the week end visitors with their sandals and cameras! Outside the barrier are the CairnGorm wild mountain with the hikers with their bags and mountain boots! These two worlds cannot be shared.

 
Photo from the top station
The Loch Morlich in the center, Aviemore in the background.
 
 

This is the paradox of summer! To preserve the wilderness of this mountain they have created two different worlds with their own populations. The hikers, with rucksack and walking shoes, who are protectors of the wilderness and who never use the funicular and the week end mass tourists, with sandal, who are destructors of the environment.

Of course such a specimen like me who is environmentalist, hiker, funicular user, sometimes week end tourist (but never with sandals) I had big difficulties to blend in this system!

Anyway I think this crazy situation is a shaky compromise to satisfy the environmentalist organizations.

I cannot believe this situation can continue for many seasons.

I really don't think than all the week end tourists would spread into the wilderness. May be the solution is to create marked out paths onto the mountains with obligation to use them and to allow the hikers to enter the top station if they want to warm up, to have something to eat, to use the toilets of the building rather the wilderness ;-) and to use the funicular if they are tired!

The funiculars, they are also made for that!

Another paradox

The normal speed of the funicular is 10 meters per second. This speed is used during winter for the skiers but in summer the speed is... only 5 m/s.

The reason is to satisfy the summer tourist; thus the ride seems twice longer and not so out of proportion with the price of the ticket! There are not a lot of things to do or to see at the top station!

Would there be scruples?

 
 
Red deer near the bottom station
 
Oldissues Index
 
CairnGorm
Introduction
Presentation
Paradox
Description (1)
Description (2)
 
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