In reply to UKC News:
I was there this evening with John Stewart Watson and it was a really interesting meeting. A lot of local people have been engaged in the process so far and it's great to see the place getting some long overdue attention. Thankfully for us climbers, the climbing area is safely nestled under the protection of Historic Scotland with whom we currently have a great understanding. The planners involved were very interested in our perspective as climbers and understand that we don't want to see the climbing area compromised in any way. What we will hopefully see, is the old manky brick wall knocked down and some landscaping done to improve line of sight to the bouldering area. Most of the focus in terms of development appeared to be to regenerate the Marina next to Levengrove Park and link the Rock to the town through a riverfront walkway. Thankfully heritage and leisure uses were being talked about a fair bit as opposed to just housing or retail developments. There was also talk of illuminating the castle/rock at night and even some interpretation boards explaining Dumby's immense climbing heritage. All positive things I'd say!
A series of workshops focussing on ways to improve tourism around the renowned Glaswegian climbing hotspot Dumbarton Rock and its historical castle will be taking place over the next four days.
