Trossachs National Park Research Articles

An Early Iron Age Roundhouse at Gartness Road, Drymen, Stirling

An archaeological excavation at Gartness Road Drymen, undertaken by Headland Archaeology (UK) Ltd in 2020, revealed the remains of an early Iron Age roundhouse and a small collection of pits. The remains exhibited a high level of truncation, which obscured the potentially complex nature of the structure. The site was located on the south-eastern edge of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, an area which sits on the traditional highland to lowland boundary. This unique location and early date for the structure provided an opportunity to explore construction styles, potentially contemporary activity and its relationship to surrounding structures.

Modular by necessity – Bracklinn Falls footbridge

Bracklinn Falls is situated in a gorge surrounded by ancient woodland within the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. The park authority required a replacement footbridge to cross the gorge and to provide views of the falls. However, access for construction plant and materials was extremely difficult, with the sole access by way of a steep and sharp-cornered path. The construction and access constraints drove the development of a new modular system and governed the structural and aesthetic design for the new footbridge. The resulting structure consists of perforated panels, formed from single sheets of weathering steel folded into a z-shape. These panels were bolted to cross-frames and assembled to create a half-through beam that spans 21.4 m. The scheme achieved an A+ rating under the ‘structural carbon for bridges’ (SCORBs) system (Archer and Green, 2021). The structure was assembled bay by bay and push launched along a set of temporary rails, then jacked onto the permanent bearings. By using a folding process, the modular system minimised welding and hence fabrication time. The system is in the process of being developed for repeated use at other locations, and forms an attractive ‘flat-packed’ modular alternative for difficult to access locations.

Recognising geodiversity and encouraging geoconservation—Some lessons from Callander, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, Scotland

In the past decade progress has been made recognising the contribution that geodiversity makes to biodiversity and society. Scotland's Geodiversity Charter, launched in 2012 and revised in 2017, has attracted the support of almost 100 organisations and encourages signatories to work together to recognise the value of geodiversity and ensure it is managed appropriately and safeguarded. The case study presented here highlights that while there is a real desire to protect sites that are scientifically valuable, significant challenges exist to balance this with societal demand for resources and development. There are also challenges for geoscientists and geoconservation groups to communicate effectively with planning authorities and local communities. The case study also sheds light on the problems associated with the systems of designating geosites of national and regional importance, the maintenance of these systems, and how the value of these sites is conveyed beyond the scientific community. Scotland's Geodiversity Charter offers a framework that stakeholders can use to work in partnership to increase awareness of the issues and help achieve the sustainable management of geosites. Case studies such as Callander provide lessons and solutions to overcome the challenges that arise and highlight the need for the participation of both national and local stakeholders.

Describing and mapping where people experience tranquillity. An exploration based on interviews and Flickr photographs

ABSTRACT Protecting tranquil areas is becoming an important objective for landscape planning and management. In order to identify where people experience tranquillity, we developed a hybrid approach combining field-based interviews with an analysis of social media content in the form of photographs with associated tags and coordinates from the photo-sharing website Flickr. In a case study in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park in Scotland, interviewed respondents reported high tranquillity ratings even when relatively close to roads and traffic noise. Mapping the distribution of Flickr photographs revealed that many people took photographs and tagged them with words related to tranquillity in easily accessible areas, often close to water bodies. Our results indicate that people find tranquillity in certain landscapes despite the presence of other people or traffic noise, which highlights the importance of taking into account tranquillity ‘as experienced’ for the purposes of planning and policy-making.

Glacial conditioning and paraglacial sediment reworking in Glen Croe (the Rest and be Thankful), western Scotland

Glen Croe, located near the western edge of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, is a well-known landslide hazard site in Scotland. Debris flows have repeatedly closed the A83 Rest and be Thankful road that passes through the valley, and considerable investment has been directed towards hazard risk reduction. However, little research has focused on the former glaciation and paraglacial response that have played an important role in governing current landscape processes at the site. This paper addresses the knowledge gap by investigating the glacial processes that have shaped and conditioned Glen Croe, and pathways that have characterised subsequent paraglacial sediment transfer. The large-scale valley form results from watershed breaching and interaction between glacier erosion and paraglacial rock slope failures. The distribution of thick glacigenic sediment is conditioned by deposition at former lateral ice margins, which was influenced by topography. Sediment reworking has resulted in accumulation of debris cones and alluvial fans in the upper part of the catchment, and growth of a delta at the outlet. Spatial connectivity mapping supports an interpretation whereby upper Glen Croe is poorly connected to the valley outlet, influencing sediment storage. In contrast, slopes in the lower part of Glen Croe are well connected. Sediment distribution in Glen Croe fits within the context of glaciated valley and paraglacial landsystems, allowing an understanding of sources and transport pathways. In upland infrastructure corridors this type of information is potentially helpful for understanding how landscapes might be affected by renewed sediment reworking under altered threshold conditions.

Enhancing the conservation of crop wild relatives in Scotland

The impact of climate change upon the agricultural industry is predicted to severely reduce crop yields, leading to a global state of food insecurity. This will be compounded by the necessity to feed almost two billion more people by 2050. Crop wild relatives (CWR), with a wider gene pool than domesticated crops, offer a means of mitigating this situation through the use of novel traits (e.g. stress tolerant or disease resistant traits) in crop improvement. The United Kingdom is one of the contracting parties to international policy such as the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity of the Convention on Biological Diversity, which is committed to securing these valuable resources. However, as in the majority of countries around the world, there are as yet no commitments to either in situ or ex situ conservation of CWR at UK or devolved level. This study (i) has produced an inventory of 120 priority CWR within Scotland, (ii) has identified potential sites suitable for their in situ conservation (most notably a site to the west of Glasgow close to the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park) and (iii) has prioritised these CWR in terms of the urgency for ex situ collection and storage in gene banks. Finally, recommendations have been made as to how active, long-term conservation of these 120 priority CWR in Scotland could be established to secure this resource in situ whilst ensuring accessibility of genetically diverse material in UK gene banks for use by plant breeders in crop improvement.

Digital Perception Functionality for Institutional Design: The Forest Policy Issue of "Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park" of Scotland as a Case Study

Motivation for this research was the need to perceive the relations among actors involved in the rural-forest policy networks. The problem of an objective analysis of formal and informal power and information flow structure measurement and visualization in policy-making is tried to be solved. The policy network of "Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park" is used as a case study as it includes a great variety of actors. An answer to the much-discussed problem of digital perception of politico-administrative power are in part the results about: (1) how complexity of policy making can be measured and what this practically means, (2) who controls the communication, (3) where the most important information resources are located, and (4) who is most trustworthy in this network. It is concluded that: "Important" information is not a source of trust, but rather inversely, through trust one can impose information as being important. Between actors of relatively high trust status, the most trusted one does not need to control information in order to strengthen its position. A less trusted actor may supplement the lack of power status with information control. The leading role that forestry sector may play even in cross-sectoral issues is pointed out in this case study.

Spatiotemporal Modelling of Nitrate and Orthophosphate Concentrations in Aquatic Ecosystems

A study of the temporal and spatial variations of Total Oxidized Nitrogen (TON) and orthophosphate in freshwater bodies within the boundaries of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park (LLTNP) is described. A hierarchy of temporal and spatiotemporal additive models (AM) and additive mixed models (AMM), using spline smoothing, were fitted to the data to explore trends, seasonality and variation. Individual site analyses of both determinands show different temporal behaviour across sites. Temporal and seasonal patterns also differ by site group - rivers, lochs and sewage treatment works (STW). Overall, TON concentrations in the rivers and lochs are declining but increasing at the STW sites. Orthophosphate time trends are similar in the three groups except that concentrations in rivers and lochs show signs of an increase from 2006. Seasonal patterns are apparent, with the concentration of orthophosphate at a maximum in summer and lowest in winter in rivers and STW sites. In contrast, the seasonal peak in the lochs is in late winter/spring. TON is higher in winter with lowest levels in the late summer/autumn in the rivers and lochs. At the STW sites, the highest levels were found in the summer and the lowest levels in the winter. The effects of nitrogen deposition and total weekly rainfall on TON depend on their interactions with different categories of land cover. This study is part of an assessment of the effects of regulatory efforts of Environmental Agencies to improve water quality in the region.

A GIS model for mapping spatial patterns and distribution of wild land in Scotland

This paper presents a robust and repeatable method for mapping wildness in support of decisions about planning, policy and management in protected landscapes. This is based around the application of high resolution data and GIS models to map four attributes of wildness: perceived naturalness of land cover, absence of modern human artefacts in the landscape, rugged and challenging nature of the terrain, and remoteness from mechanised access. These are combined using multi-criteria evaluation and fuzzy methods to determine spatial patterns and variability in wild land quality. The approach is demonstrated and tested for the two national parks in Scotland: the Cairngorms National Park and the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. This is presented within a wider debate on the ability of such models to accurately depict and spatially define the concept of wildness within both the Scottish setting and the wider global context. Conclusions are drawn as to scalability and transferability, together with potential future applications including local and national level mapping, and support for landscape character assessment, planning policy and development control. Maps of the wild land core, buffer and periphery areas of the two parks are presented.

Exploring the spatial patterns of car-based tourist travel in Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, Scotland

Car transport is a vital element in tourism yet there is a surprising neglect of the role of the car on tourism travel patterns, behaviour and activities. This exploratory paper focuses on the use of itinerary mapping as a useful methodology to identify how aggregate travel flow as well as more detailed individual itineraries can be mapped and understood using a Geographical Information System (GIS). The focus of this exploratory research is the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, Scotland's first National Park established in 2002, where a variety of itinerary patterns are revealed through a map-based questionnaire of visitors using National Park roads ( n=749). The implications for planning and policy initiatives are discussed.

Interpretive journeys and METS

PurposeTo report on initial work carried out on a Metadata Options Appraisal undertaken for the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park in the context of plans to create and manage complex digital objects called Interpretive Journeys, PDA‐based multimedia guides to Park tours. Design/methodology/approach – After some initial work, a phased approach was adopted. In Phase I (reported here), metadata schema for managing structurally complex digital objects were researched to provide a range of appropriate options. Their characteristics were then matched against the Park's general requirements as determined through discussions with staff and an examination of relevant documentation. Findings – It was determined that the METS metadata schema met Park requirements for managing Interpretive Journeys at a general level and could be used both, to inform the development of the planned Digital Asset Management System (an early priority), and to act as the main basis of a framework for determining a detailed metadata solution for the Park. Research limitations/implications – Further work is required in Phase II to determine the detailed metadata requirement for the Park. Practical implications – A useful guide to dealing with a range of management and metadata issues associated with managing complex digital objects, and to managing projects where guidance on metadata requirements is needed before the objects to be described are available. Originality/value – This paper offers an introduction to the management and metadata issues raised by Interpretive Journeys and digital composites of similar complexity, and an indication of how METS addresses these at a general level.

The natural heritage of Loch Lomond: Its importance in a national and international context

The dual character of Loch Lomond, its size as the largest area of fresh water in Great Britain and its diverse communities of plants and animals, make it of major importance locally, nationally and internationally and it will undoubtedly be the ‘Jewel in the Crown’ of the proposed Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. The greatly contrasting bathymetry, with a long narrow deep northern trough and a broad shallow southern basin, is unique for any lake in Europe. This division, by the Highland Boundary Fault, is reflected also in the catchment and in the flora and fauna of the loch. Among the flora are found notable species such as the Scottish Dock (Fig. 1), Slender Rush, Elongated Sedge and two species of Waterworts. Rare invertebrates also occur in Loch Lomond: the worm Arcteonais lomondi was new to science when it was discovered there and named accordingly. Nineteen species of fish occur in Loch Lomond — the largest number in any Scottish loch. Fifteen are native and four introduced. Two are of particular importance ‐Powan (Fig. 2) and an unusual local race of River Lamprey. Other aquatic vertebrates of significance are the Greenland White‐fronted Goose and the Otter. Within the Loch Lomond catchment there is a great variety of aquatic habitats that make a substantial contribution to the diversity and importance of the natural heritage of the area. Notable among these waters is the River Endrick. The importance of the loch itself has been recognised by the creation of the Loch Lomond National Nature Reserve, which itself was designated in 1976 as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. In spite of this, the loch's high amenity value — to tourists and for recreational purposes, as a fishery and a source of water supply — poses various threats and those with interests in tourism, camping, boat hire, cabin cruising, power boating, water skiing, canoeing, bathing, picnicking, natural history, angling, research, conservation and water supply are likely to be involved in conflicts of interests. Of particular concern are the number of alien plants and animals which have been introduced to the area; some of these are now well established. The problems concerned are likely to be resolved successfully only if some form of co‐ordinated programme involving the integration of conservation and multi‐purpose usage is developed for the loch and its catchment. Such a programme and its relevant monitoring must be one of the first tasks of the new National Park Authority.