| Summary: | This thesis is a study of the ways In Which different types of land utters perceives end operate In, the Scottish Highland environment and of their relationships with one another in apace end time. The work attempts a systematic analysis of the patterns of activity on the land existing within ten districts of the Scottish Highlands selected on account of their widely recognised scenic and recreational attraction for a growing number of visitors each year. Particular attention Is given to the nature and extent of harmony or conflict between various forms of public recreation and agriculture, forestry and field sports which was revealed In each study district through extensive field work. In conclusion an effort is made to guage the extent to which various forms of public leisure activity can be given access within each of the ten selected areas In a way which will continue to be compatible with the conservation of the ecology, visual amenity and rhythm of activity of the Highland Countryside as the resource base for the local economy in the future, including public recreation and tourism. The main part of the thesis is followed by a series of recommendations which arose spontaneously out of field work investigations in the context of planning for the multiple use of the Highland countryside in the future within a framework of rural conservation. After an introduction outlining the current trends in outdoor leisure manifest in Britain and the United States, Chapter Two proceeds to examine the origins, character and attitudes of the main groups using the British Countryside for recreation today - with particular reference to the extension of these into the Highland environment. Emphasis is firmly placed upon the divorce In outlook trttlch evidently exists between town and country In Britain today concerning the role of the countryside - resulting In a widespread ignorance of the real character and vulnerability of rural areas which threatens to have serious consequences for the future use of the countryside unless combatted by a comprehensive scheme for mass rural education and conservation, channelling and zoning in the landscape. Following a chapter outlining the development of the modern patterns of rural management and public recreation In the Highland countryside, Chapter Four develops the ideas introduced in the preceding sections through studying the relationships between different types of estate management and public recreation by means of ten case studies of landed properties located in various parts of the Highlands. This Is followed, in Chapter Five, by an analysis of the nature and extent of the main landowning attitudes found in the region, from which it was evident that the great majority of estate owners, private and public, are prepared to accommodate various forms of zoned or channelled public access over their lands on the basis of mutual respect. In chapter Six, a closer study is made of the attitudes and patterns of activity of various kinds of holiday visitors to the Highlands front which it appears that two major groups of holidaymakers can be distinguished regarding their average lengths of stay, patterns of recreation and degrees of appreciation of the Highland countryside and Indigenous way of life. Chapter Seven, in the ;light of the discussion within previous sections, attempts a systematic analysis of the various degrees of accessibility Which are possible for different types of public recreation within the ten selected study districts, mentioned above, having special regard to the considerations of conflict or compatibility introduced earlier In Chapters Four and Five. In conclustion, it is emphasised that the degree of access possible in a given situation for public recreation depends upon a variety of interconnected factors and never simply upon the attitudes or idiosyncrasies of individual landowners. The need for a much more thorough assessment of the carrying capacities of different types of countryside in the Highlands for public outdoor leisure is also stressed, particularly in existing or incipient pressure areas of visitor activity alongside popular touring routes. Chapter Eight considers the general situation regarding the extent of access for various types of public recreation at present available in the region and underlines the need to adopt a regional strategy and local tactic of zoning an! channelling public outdoor leisure in the countryside in order to accommodate growing recreational pressures within a long terra policy of rural management involving conservation. To be really effective, however, such a programme requires a willing and informed response from every individual using the countryside - in marked contrast to the current lack of true appreciation and respect which seems widespread amongst the British public.
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