Torridon – proposed mobile phone mast, and “improvements” to trail

I’m struggling to see how that case can be made for a mast which, unless I’ve misread their map, seems to deliver coverage to two very short stretches of the A896, rather than actual homes and businesses. Does their overall project have funding that relies on % increases in coverage, regardless of whether it is occupied or not?

You’d prefer we went back in time to the 90’s when the mobile signal dropped as you drove out of Dumbarton and then the next signal was at the 30 signs in Fort William?

See, when comments try to exaggerate other folks responses for comedic/hyperbolic effect, it all gets a bit personal, @poly exaggerated, @kennyp exaggerated and now @intheborders has too. How about stepping back, look at why folk have written what they have and try not to take it all so literally.

See, when comments try to exaggerate other folks responses for comedic/hyperbolic effect, it all gets a bit personal,  @poly exaggerated,  @kennyp exaggerated and now  @intheborders has too. How about stepping back, look at why folk have written what they have and try not to take it all so literally.

So scotroutes is actually Kemi Badenoch – wow 🙂

You’d prefer we went back in time to the 90’s when the mobile signal dropped as you drove out of Dumbarton and then the next signal was at the 30 signs in Fort William?

The map (whose link I posted) suggests the mast would improve the signal for a few miles of the A896. But yes, I’d obviously welcome a return to those times, and by extension am probably supportive of the Clearances and the Glencoe Massacre too.

See, when comments try to exaggerate other folks responses 

I’ve complained millions of times on here about people exaggerating things.

I thought the Jacobites were the good guys???

Depends which side you are on!  I mean not many today would argue that a religious war that believe god appoints the monarch and Parliament should be subservient is a greate cause… but it does depend how you spin the version of history…

To me, there’s a failure in the uk to create any kind of habitat.

you see this in the grouse estates, where they could rely less on open moorland and just grow trees, etc.

the French are quite happy to hunt in forests. Why can’t we?

I think the best habitat for wildbirds is to legally cultivate hemp.

the birds would appreciate the seeds, and the roots can fix nitrogen and stabilise the soil.

as for the visual intrusion of phone masts, why not something totemic?

the spire of a university reminds people that no matter how smart they think they are, there’s always someone smarter round the corner. It stops them trying to take advantage of any power.

some installation, brutal and jaggy, punctuating Torridons equilibrium may have a similar effect.

Planting trees as a potential habitat for wildbirds is a very long term venture.

its only once the trees reach maturity and decompose that they provide nutrients for bugs, and hence wildbirds.

pkanting hemp yields seeds in three months. All the while pulling co2 from the atmosphere (ten tonnes, per acre, per annum).

as for the phone mast, what if the electronics were mounted on something resembling a barrage balloon?

you’d achieve all the necessary coverage.

if the balloon was covered in photoelectric cells, it could also provide illumination to the trails.

(i had the idea that for surfers, if they had such a device chained to a raft, they could ride the waves 24/7).

@poly you are deliberatley hugely misrepresenting, and wildly exaggerating, what I am saying, for whatever reason I don’t know. So in the interests of balance two can play at that game……

well, I’m trying to stimulate your mind to consider the possibility that your immediate reaction (which will also be the immediate reaction of many others) may not necessarily be seeing the full picture.  Ecconomic development does not need to mean fast food, ski resorts etc.

Scotroutes thinks 4G improvements won’t be on the locals wish list.  I don’t know how he knows that, he might be right, and presumably Highland Council’s local development plan does have their input but if it’s like round here then the vocal locals aren’t necessarily that good as seeing a big picture.

Apart from his seeming inability to update his phone keyboard to automatically capitalise the first letter of each sentence. Cmon poly, it’s not that hard

I need to update the standard iOS keyboard to get that? I think it is just sometimes a bit flaky – particularly if you cut n paste quotes on this site or apply formatting?  I’m always just happy that I manage to get to submit without the page auto refreshing and wiping out my content.

well, I’m trying to stimulate your mind to consider the possibility that your immediate reaction (which will also be the immediate reaction of many others) may not necessarily be seeing the full picture.  Ecconomic development does not need to mean fast food, ski resorts etc.

My (genuine) last words on the matter as I’m away for the weekend, and hopefully ending on a friendly and conciliatory note. I do get what you are saying and in a lot of cases I’d be in agreement. However hopefully you will in turn agree that it’s a good thing for everyone in the country to have views on how the landscape is managed, that having a number of relatively “wild” (quotation marks definitely deliberate) spaces can have benefit for both locals and tourists and that objecting to the placing of one phone mast is not going to lead to s second Highland clearances.

Have a great weekend and enjoy Scotland’s beautiful cities, towns, lochs, glens and mountains.