A Visit to Talladh a Bheithe

View across Talladh a Bheithe to Schiehallion

Earlier in the year a proposal was put forward for a wind farm at Talladh a Bheithe, an area of the Central Highlands lying between Loch Ericht and Loch Rannoch. It’s not well-known as it contains no Munros though it is overlooked by a remote Corbett (hill between 2500’ and 3000’), Beinn Mholach. However there are many Munros surrounding Talladh a Bheithe so any wind farm would be highly visible in many views near and far, a factor that has prompted many outdoor and conservation organisations to object strongly to the proposal. A group has been set up to fight the wind farm too. Called KeepRannoch Wild it has an excellent informative website with many links.

Beinn Mholach, looking towards a distant Ben Nevis

As it was clear from the map how obtrusive this wind farm would be I put in my objection as soon as I heard about it. I was aware though that I didn’t really know what the area was like. Indeed, although I had climbed Beinn Mholach and had looked across Talladh a Bheithe from many Munros I had no recollection of actually going there, nor was I even aware of the name. I decided to remedy this with an overnight visit and another ascent of Beinn Mholach so I could view the area from above. 

View over Talladh a Bheithe from Beinn Mholach

A predicted weather window of 24 hours or so amongst the long run of storms this autumn looked a good opportunity. I hoped the forecast was correct as I set off in the evening from Dalnaspidal on the A9 road in rain and wind and tramped along the track beside Loch Garry. Leaving the lochside as darkness fell the track deteriorated into a boggy morass. However as my feet grew muddier and wetter the rest of me started to dry out as the clouds cleared and the rain faded away. There was a sharp feel to the air when I reached the estate bothy Duinish at the base of Beinn Mholach and soon an almost-full moon rose into  the sky and a frost settled on the ground. I lit a fire in the bothy, which made the place feel a little more welcoming though did little to create heat, and settled down for the night.

Ben Alder from Beinn Mholach

Dawn came calm and clear. Just a few high thin clouds streaked the sky. I was soon away up the heathery, boggy slopes of Beinn Mholach. This 841 metre hill is big and complex with several subsidiary tops and several little rock outcrops (the name means shaggy mountain). As I climbed the landscape all around opened up. There are no other hills of similar height nearby so Beinn Mholach is an excellent viewpoint. To the south across Talladh a Bheithe and Loch Rannoch I could see the distinctive cone of Schiehallion, a mountain that would dominate the whole day, and the Glen Lyon and Ben Lawers hills. North and east were the A9 Munros, big rounded lumps. North and west Ben Alder was snow-capped with to the south two usually hard to see Munros, Carn Dearg and Sgor Gaibhre, clearly visible. Further away were many more hills including a distant very snow Ben Nevis. Beinn Mholach really does feel in the heart of the mountains. I could also look down to Talladh a Bheithe, an area of low hills and stream valleys to the south-west. Wind turbines here really would stand out and completely disrupt the feel of being in a wild place. There are no big manmade structures close to Beinn Mholach and so it should remain.

Ben Nevis from Beinn Mholach

I continued along the broad ridge stretching west from Beinn Mholach until I was directly above the proposed wind farm site. Here I descended beside the Allt a’ Choire Odhair Bhig, passing a small ragged plantation, into the centre of Talladh a Bheithe where I camped close to the stream, a peaceful spot on the edge of a wide flat boggy area and below rounded hills. The only sounds were the trickling of the stream over stones and the occasional guttural roar of a rutting stag from high in the hills. In the distance I could see Schiehallion. Dusk brought another hard frost and a crispness to the air that made the mountains all round stand out as sharp silhouettes. A wind farm here would totally destroy this peacefulness and subtle beauty.

Dusk at the Talladh a Bheithe camp

The weather window was just that and I woke to rain and wind and low cloud hiding the mountains. A five-hour head-down, hood-up march took me round the base of the hills and back along Loch Garry to my car. I didn’t mind. I’d seen Talladh a Bheithe, I’d had a lovely camp and I’d climbed a fine hill.

Protect Scottish Wild Land! Object to a windfarm above Loch Rannoch.

View over Loch Rannoch from the Glen Lyon hills. Ben Alder is on the skyline on the right of the photo. The wind farm site is the mid ground between Loch Rannoch and Ben Alder.

UPDATE: October 30, 2015.  Great News! Application rejected on a technicality.

The Talladh-a-Bheithe wind farm application has been rejected as 'non-competent' because the company behind it wasn't legally incorporated.

Comments from the John Muir Trust here.

Here's an account and pictures of my visit to Talladh-a-Bheithe last autumn, which I think shows just why a windfarm shouldn't be built here.


Last month, on the same day that Scottish Natural Heritage launched a new Wild Land Map, a developer put in an application for a wind farm in the heart of wild land between Loch Rannoch and Loch Ericht.  If it goes ahead this Talladh-a-Bheithe wind farm will in my opinion, and that of many others, be one of the most damaging yet, destroying the feeling of wildness and natural beauty for miles around.

Looking at the maps it’s clear that the 24 proposed 125 metre high turbines will be visible from many summits including Schiehallion, and also the  A82 road and the scenic West Highland Railway. To see just how disastrous this wind farm would be see Alan Sloman’s excellent and passionate blog post, which has maps showing just how visible the wind farm will be and its proposed location, as well as links to some heartfelt objections. 

The John Muir Trust says that if this wind farm goes ahead it would ‘fatally undermine’ the wild land map. I agree. If the wild land map and the protection for wild land in the new planning policy (which I wrote about here) are to have any meaning or credibility this wind farm must not go ahead.

Tourism is vital to the economy and many of those involved are campaigning against the wind farm as it stands to severely damage or even wipe out their businesses. Visitors come to experience nature and the beauty of the landscape, not huge industrial developments. Local businesses are being supported by the Mountaineering Council of Scotland.

The company proposing the wind farm are from the Netherlands, Eventus BV. The Talladh-a-Bheithe landowner is a major shareholder of Eventus BV. I guess he stands to make a fortune. The company is also challenging SNH on the validity of the wild land map. 

More information is available on the Keep Rannoch Wild website. This organisation is well worthy of support.

Object Now! Just One Week Left.

Now is the time to make objections to the application for this wind farm. Indeed, the opportunity closes on August 5^th. I urge everyone who cares about wild land and the Scottish landscape to object. Objections can be as long or short as you like. It’s numbers that count. Objections can be sent to representations@scotland.gsi.gov.uk.