Lambert, Robert A. Contested Mountains: Nature, Development and Environment in the Cairngorms Region of Scotland, 1880–1980. Cambridge, UK: White Horse Press, 2001.
Contested Mountains explores the history of tourism in the Cairngorms from the “discovery” of mountain scenery in the late eighteenth century to the mass tourism of the later twentieth, the evolving debate over access to the mountains, and the multifaceted development of conservation as a land use strategy. Specific topics include detailed histories of the osprey and its reintroduction at Loch Garten, Glenmore National Forest Park, and the Cairngorms National Nature Reserve, and the abortive attempts to establish a Cairngorms National Park. The theme of conflicting aims and aspirations for the “contested mountains” of the title runs as a thread throughout the book, as conflicts arise not only between the different constituencies (landowners versus hill walkers, conservationists versus tourists) but also between official bodies (the Forestry Commission versus the Scottish National Parks Working Party) and between groups pursuing similar goals (skiers versus mountain climbers, for example). (Text adapted from an H-Net review by Angus J. L. Winchester.)
