Latest News
Wild Strathfillan Free Event
Coming to a woodland near you - our partners Wild Strathfillan will be organising some free events in our local community woodlands and the first of these will be in the Tyndrum Community Woodland on Thursday the 8th of August at 11am.
If you are interested in learning more about our trees and plants or just fancy some time out in nature, then please come and join in. Contact sharon@trustinthepark.org or scan the QR code in the image to book your spot (free of charge). Hope to see you there!
Saplings 2024
This year’s Saplings will offer the following exciting activity sessions for the children of Crianlarich and Dalmally Primary Schools:
July 10th: Make your own pot with Nicola Lindsay at Crianlarich Village Hall.
July 15th: Cycling in Tyndrum Community Woodland with Trailcoach Ramsay MacFarlane.
July 23rd: Indoor games day with Dalmally Youth Group & lunch at The Hungry Haggis hosted by Lisa Beckett.
July 29th: Hands-on estate management with Falcon Frost at Glenfalloch Estate.
August 2nd: Canoeing in Strathfillan with Matt Brook from Active Stirling.
All sessions are free of charge! If you would like your child to attend any of the sessions listed above, then please download a booking form from https://www.strathfillancdt.org.uk/projects/saplings.
Please return this form via email to Sheona@strathfillancdt.org.uk.
If you would like any further information on this years Saplings please get in touch with Sheona@strathfillancdt.org.uk or lisabeckett.gicc@protonmail.com.
Additional Information:
The Indoor Games Day Session at Dalmally Village Hall will now include Lunch at The Hungry Haggis. If you are booking this session, then please be sure to let us know of any dietary requirements your child may have.
There is only 1 remaining space in the Canoeing Session hosted by Active Stirling.
Keep Strathfillan Tidy
The Trust is launching a new initiative to support our Community Rangers in maintaining and enhancing our beautiful natural environment. We are asking for your help to report any environmental or social issues you feel our Community Rangers should be concerned with. The Community Rangers would like to know if you've seen:
Litter Dumps
Firepits
Abandoned Campsites
Invasive Species (Japanese Knotweed, Giant Hogweed, Himalayan Balsam)
Woodland Damage
Illegal Gold Panning
Dangerous Parking or Off-Roading
Please join our Keep Strathfillan Tidy WhatsApp group to report or question any issues you see around Strathfillan. Alternatively, you can contact the Community Rangers directly at rangers@strathfillancdt.org.uk.
Permits: Fishing and Gold Panning
Our Gold Panning Permit form for the 2024 season is now available. You can access the permit form here. The permit prices will remain the same as 2023.
Fishing permits are available from The Green Welly Stop, Tyndrum, Crianlarich Store, the Crianlarich Hotel and the Rod and Reel pub, Crianlarich. They are also available online at Fishpal.com, search for Strathfillan AA or from our own permit page here. To find out out more visit this page: Strathfillan Angling Association
Seasonal Rangers 2023
A big thank you to our 2023 Seasonal Rangers, Gavin and Diane (and Oss) for all their hardwork this year. Our two rangers have worked hard to keep Strathfillan litter free, provide advice and information to visitors, and record and report any antisocial behaviours.
This year has been the year of the Gold Panning Permits and the Fire Pits! With the start of the year being very hot and dry, our rangers had to be on the ball regarding open fires. They have been issuing firepits across the area to those who need them, reducing the risk of wild fires and the impact on the environment.
This has been the first year the Trust has required gold panning permits for Tyndrum Community Woodland. This has been very successful, helping us monitor and manage gold panning in our fragile habitats, and provide a bit of income that will help us maintain our woodlands better.
We really hope to have our Seasonal Rangers back in 2024, so fingers crossed!
This project is supported by NatureScot through the Better Places Fund
Winter Warmer Hub
Come along to Crianlarich Village Hall on Tuesdays until April 25th for our Winter Warmer Hub, from 12.30pm to 2.30pm.
You can get a cup of tea, coffee or hot chocolate, and there should be a bowl of soup and a roll and biscuits too. A chance to catch up with folk, warm up without footing the bill, and grab a bite to eat.
There is no charge, just bring yourself.
Hope to see you there!
Support Tyndrum Bike Park: Can you donate the price of a coffee?
Please donate £3 and share the link with all your mountain biking friends. With the support of our community, visitors and Scotland's mountain bikers we can make a first class facility for our community and visitors.
Click on the QR code on the left to take you to our secure Givetap donations site or click on the link here to take you directly to the page.
Gavin and Clare, our Seasonal Rangers looking very happy!
‘This project is supported by NatureScot, through the Better Places Green Recovery Fund’
Strathfillan Season Rangers Pilot Comes to a Close
Sadly, or Seasonal Rangers Pilot has come to a close, with our rangers' contracts finishing on October 31st. We are very sad to see them go, but hope that we will be able to have them back again next year.
As part of our funding conditions we had to produce an End of Project Report. As part of this we asked for feedback from the local community and the National Park's Rangers Team. This has proved interesting and insightful. If you are interested in reading the report then you can find it here. Rangers Report.
We would like to thank Gavin Macnab and Clare West for all their hardwork over the 2021 season.
Strathfillan Seasonal Rangers
The Trust is very pleased to have received funding from NatureScot's Better Places Green Recovery Fund in May this year to employ two Seasonal Rangers to help keep Strathfillan cleaner and tidier over the tourist season, as well as providing information and advice to visitors.
We have been very lucky to employ two local people, Gavin Macnab from Tyndrum and Clare West from Crianlarich, who have done sterling work over the past couple of months. They are enjoying the role, even it's challenges, and have been working well with the National Park Rangers and Stirling Council workers. They have had to deal with a variety of cases, from littering, irresponsible fires and camping, and illegal parking. They have both done a great job and we would like to thank them for their hard work.
If this pilot is successful we hope to undertake it again next year.
Polytunnel Up! Crianlarich Community Garden update.
The Crianlarich Community Polytunnel is up and new bench installed! Thank you to everyone who came along over the two weekends to help.
Our shed has also arrived and waiting to be erected. Now that the pandemic restrictions have relaxed we are more able to get out and do more in the Community Garden. We will let you know when the next day is arranged - probably at the weekend.
We have sent plans for a vehicle access and orchard planning to the National Park Planners, so hopefully they will give us the go ahead soon.
We have also been very lucky to secure materials from the SSE subcontractors working on undergrounding the electric cables locally, including raised beds and stone for the access - many thanks to Theresa Elliot for such good negotiations!
If you are not already involved with the Community Garden but would like to please contact Kelly at kelly@strathfillancdt.org.uk to be added to our list.
Place Plan - Get Involved and Have Your Say!
Strathfillan Community Development Trust is working with the National Park to develop our next Community Place Plan, which is very important to the development of our community for the next 5 plus years. If you want to find out more follow this link here.
To make sure that our communities develop in the way we want - for example making sure houses are built where we need them, or that public transport is not cut further - then please join one of our focus groups. We have three groups to get involved with: Young People (18yrs and under), Tyndrum Residents, and Crianlarich and Inverarnan Residents. Businesses are being contacted separately.
If you want to get join a focus group and make sure your voice is heard please complete the google form by clicking on this link.
All focus groups will be led and facilitated by the Trust and the National Park. We cannot over emphasise how important it is you get involved with the Place Plan.
Make sure local development happens with and for you, not done to you.
Ewich Forest - up coming timber harvesting alert
Message from Tilhill Forestry: Harvesting is due to start at Ewich Forest the week commencing 25th January 2021 and is expected to last 6 to 8 weeks. This is the initial phase of felling to allow clearance for the proposed forest road plus an additional area of approximately 7ha.
The Drovers Loop will be affected by the harvesting operation, and will be temporarily closed during part of this time in the interests of safety.
We will also erect “What's on” style noticeboards on all known entrances to the forest in advance of harvesting commencing. Apologies for the short notice.
Join Strathfillan Community Council and make a difference.
Strathfillan Community Council is recruiting for new volunteer councillors. If you want to make a difference to the Strathfillan area then please join. The next AGM is on Monday, January 11th at 7pm and will be hosted on Zoom. Please click here for the link to the poster which contains a link for the Zoom meeting. The meeting is open to the public, so even if you don't want to join but just find out more about the Community Council, please come too. Many thanks in advance!
'Movement Snacking' - Keeping fit in Lockdown
We all know how difficult it has been over the past year to get out and about, even just for a walk, and we also know how important exercise is for our physical and mental health. This has been even more difficult for those who are shielding or are more vulnerable. Therefore, we are delighted to have teamed up with Later Life Training to bring you a number of opportunities to get 'Movement Snacking'! Click on this link to our new page which will give you all the information!
Bike Park Update August 2022
We held our first bike skills session with Ramsay McFarlane of Trailcoach on the 19th of July. The Saplings Youth Group started with some essential maintenance & had a day of bikes skills training and a bike hike around Tyndrum.
We have more sessions planned with Ramsay at local schools in the coming weeks and some more. With thanks to our funders, the National Lottery Awards for All for their support for bike skills in Strathfillan. We are also in discussion with Scottish Cycling
We are working with funders to start work on the Bike Skills Park and will put out an update very soon.