Adventure tourism scheme by Huntly a 'great benefit to our local community'
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PLANS to develop adventure sports at Greenmyers "will be of great benefit to our local community", according to the Huntly Development Trust (HDT).
A planning application was submitted by HDT in June for a cycle pump track, a water sports pavilion and changing facilities at the 63-acre site four miles south-east of Huntly.
The new facilities are to help promote "introductory level" cycling and watersports, including paddleboarding, in the area.
Supervised paddleboarding sessions at Greenmyers can currently be booked through HDT, but the organisation hopes that new changing facilities and a purpose-built pavilion will encourage more to get involved.
The Greenmyers pond is not open to casual use outside booked sessions.
HDT joint general manager Donald Boyd said the initial plans for family-focussed adventure tourism had come about through "extensive consultation".
“When we bought Greenmyres we undertook extensive consultation about how our community wanted to use the site," he said.
"We distilled initial feedback into three visions which we presented back to the community and got the response: ‘We want it all, but until better basic facilities are available we can‘t use it.’
"Since then, we have been working hard to provide those things – warm sheltered space, kitchen, toilets and storage.
"With those elements complete we are ready to move to the next stage, development of some exciting family introductory level adventure tourism infrastructure which will be of great benefit to our local community.
"We are very grateful to NEAT for their support in making this happen.”
Greenmyers was bought in 2014 to house a Trust-owned 500kW wind turbine, through a Scottish Land Fund grant and two small loans.
However, over nine years, the site's run-down farmhouse has been transformed into a community space named the Eco Bothy, and new walking and cycling trails have linked Greenmyers with Huntly and Gartly Moor.
Over 6000 native trees have also been planted and a wildlife pond created to boost biodiversity.
If approved, the Greenmyers proposal will be delivered by the end of March 2024, with funding from Opportunity North East's (ONE) North East Adventure Tourism (NEAT) project.
Last autumn, NEAT received £2 million over two years from the Scottish Government’s Just Transition Fund.
NEAT is operated along with sector businesses, Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, Aberdeenshire Council and VisitAberdeenshire.
Jennifer Craw, CEO of ONE and chair of the NEAT working group, said: “Huntly Development Trust has exciting plans for its site at Greenmyres, which fit with the region-wide ambition to make north east Scotland a go-to destination for adventure tourism.
"With attractions, infrastructure and facilities that offer experiences for everyone, from beginners to highly experienced elite participants pushing their limits.
"NEAT has already funded transformational developments at Tarland Trails and Transition Extreme with support from the Just Transition Fund.
"The partners now look forward to working with the community-led team at Huntly Development Trust to deliver the next stage of their ambition and build the region’s adventure tourism assets.”
