Gear Sports

    Mountain-boarding is just one of 50 extreme sports being highlighted in a major campaign to attract more tourists from the UK and abroad. 

SCOTLAND could be transformed into the “adventure capital of Europe” as extreme sports enthusiasts flock to take advantage of the country’s superb resources.

More than 50 extreme sports are being promoted through a campaign launched yesterday in the Highlands.
The tourism agency VisitScotland and more than 30 businesses have teamed up to lure sports-lovers to a new breed of adventure, including white-water rafting, mountaineering, snow sports, kitesurfing and dogsledding. The project, which runs until May 2007, aims to attract younger enthusiasts, particularly those aged 18 to 40.

“Scotland has an enviable adventure sports portfolio with over 50 activities available and a growing reputation as a key European adventure tourism destination,” said Emma Campbell, the sector development manager at VisitScotland.

To encourage more visitors to try out Scotland’s extreme sports, tourism bosses have launched a pocket-size adventure pass containing more than 40 discount offers on everything from sea kayaking and mountain guides to B&Bs, self-catering accommodation, retail outlets, pubs and restaurants.

The project will be piloted in the Lochaber-Fort William area, in north-west Scotland, but will be extended to other parts of the country, if successful. “It is impossible for us to estimate how much money it will bring into the local pots, as this is a pilot project,” said Miss Campbell.

“This is the first time that we’ve teamed up with 32 businesses, including activity and accommodation providers, to market an area as an adventure destination.”

Alan Halewood, the manager of Lochaber-based the Ice Factor, one of the world’s biggest providers of indoor ice-climbing, which is taking part in the scheme, said: “The objective is… to encourage people to make good use of these activities, by increasing their profile.”

Alan Rankin, chief executive of the Scottish Tourism Forum, said: “The outdoor activity market is a growing market and… the number of the businesses involved is great. We see a lot of growth in this sector, particularly from the UK market, and we wish it every success.”

On the right road

FOUR scenic Scottish routes have been named in a new list of the ten best autumn drives in Britain for open-top motoring.

The A827 Loch Tay-Aberfeldy road and the B846 and unclassified roads from Aberfeldy to Glen Lyon were placed fifth in a survey of hundreds of Mini drivers.

The ten-mile drive over the Dukes Pass, north of Aberfoyle on the A821 in the Trossachs, was seventh. It was followed in eighth place by a 15-mile route from Cannich to Glen Affric, south-east of Inverness.

The Crieff-Strathearn road in Perthshire was voted the ninth best.

The number one route in the UK was a 15-mile section of the A466 through the Wye Valley between Monmouth and Chepstow on the English-Welsh border.