(The community engagement work was delivered as part of the overall project by our contractors - their full report is downloadable here)

Local, community and rural organisations

The Upper Almond area is characterised by a highly dispersed and remote rural population. Only ten households sit within the catchment, but no public roads. The nearby community hall (Amulree) has a further 169 residential properties within a 10km radius. Four other community halls lie in rural areas beyond the edges of the catchment, but nearer than any main settlements. The nearest settlements of Dunkeld-Birnam (18 miles), Aberfeldy (19 miles), Kenmore (19 miles) and Crieff (13 miles) have their own halls and community centres. 

There is no specific association or administrative grouping which describes the headwaters catchment or its riparian area. Below the headwaters and until the river Almond reaches its confluence with the river Tay, the watercourse flows across the boundaries of several community councils.

As a result, the project team had to interpret what a local community was in this context based on four specific geographies.

These are:

• The hyper-local, i.e. the Upper Almond catchment out to and including Amulree
• Constituent organisations and individuals within the two component community council areas, including
  • Birnam and Dunkeld
  • East Strathearn
• Organisations and individuals along the Lower Almond, i.e. downstream of our project area

Visitor community

There are specific focal points for general access within the area. Munros, footpaths and picnic sites are a few obvious examples.

Ben Chonzie is a Munro and the Upper Almond glen is on the route of the Rob Roy Way and the St Columba Way (both relatively unknown, and which both link to the wider network of adopted core-paths), as well as the Sma’ Glen picnic site, immediately downstream of Newton Bridge, which is probably the main road-side stopping point (limited and informal) on the A822 Dunkeld-to-Crieff road.