'Don't bomb' idea for Cape Wrath firing range

By Steven McKenzie
Highlands and Islands reporter, BBC Scotland news website

A disused Saxon armoured vehicle at Sgribhis-beinn, Cape Wrath

Schoolchildren are to identify objects on a remote military live firing range they would like to see protected from being bombed or shot at.

The "anti-targets" include defunct armoured vehicles used for target practice on Cape Wrath in Sutherland.

The idea is part of a wider project aimed at raising public understanding of the range and its past.

A survey by archaeologists recorded traces of a Norse farm and remains of a hunting lodge on the moorland site.

Europe's largest military exercise - Joint Warrior - uses Cape Wrath twice a year for training soldiers, sailors and air crews for actual combat.

CAPE WRATH FACTFILE Cape Wrath's best known man-made landmark is a lighthouse built by George Stevenson in 1828 Guided walks and talks will be held during the course of Defending the Past The project will see a briefing put together for military personnel on the range's heritage sites

The Royal Commission of the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) is leading the Defending the Past project with support from Defence Estates and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

RCAHMS staff spent two weeks surveying the 23 sq mile (60 sq km) range in August 2008.

They recorded traces of a Norse farm building, the remains of a hunting lodge and defences dating from World War II and the Cold War.

RCAHMS published the survey last year.

Defending the Past will see significant input from local schoolchildren.

Project manager Laura Gutierrez said youngsters were fascinated by the military vehicles, which include hulks of armoured personnel carriers, that dot the landscape.

One is a Saxon armoured vehicle at a place called Sgribhis-beinn.

Ms Gutierrez said: "The children were very struck with these targets and are going to be creating anti-targets which will be placed next to sites they don't want bombed."

Efforts will also be made to trace the history of some of the vehicles.

A major part of the project is an invitation to schoolchildren to design a new milestone to replace a missing one on a public road near the range.

The RCAHMS survey team noted the eighth milestone along the route was lost. The markers date back to the 1800s.

Heath fire

The project will culminate in a three-day community event in the summer. RCAHMS will also add details of archaeological sites to its online database, Canmore.

Organisations involved hope it will lead to an enhanced relationship between the military and the local community.

In 2008, Highlands and Islands MSP Rob Gibson criticised the Ministry of Defence (MoD) following a heath fire at the range caused by a live firing exercise.

It was later revealed that government agency Scottish Natural Heritage believed 338 acres were affected and that it could take 10 years for the area to return to normal.

The MoD said at the time that it took its environmental responsibilities seriously.