Ramblers reject Gloag appeal bid

Ramblers will no longer be able to roam 10 acres of the estate

The Ramblers Association Scotland has decided not to appeal against a judgement on access rights in favour of the Stagecoach tycoon Ann Gloag.

Mrs Gloag had challenged Scotland's access legislation by seeking to declare several acres of grounds around Kinfauns Castle, near Perth, private.

The Ramblers said they were not appealing, as that could be a prolonged process, potentially taking years.

They will be taking the issues raised by the case to the Scottish Parliament.

The Land Reform Act, which enshrines right-to-roam laws, was one of first flagship policies of the first term of the newly created Scottish Parliament.

At the beginning of the year Mrs Gloag went to Perth Sheriff Court to seek a declarator on just 10 acres of lawn and woodland on her 23 acre estate.

The Ramblers Association and Perth and Kinross Council challenged the legal bid, maintaining that access rights applied to the four acres of woodland.

Last month Sherriff Michael Fletcher ruled in Mrs Gloag's favour.

It meant she was the first private individual in Scotland to exempt her land from right-to-roam legislation.