The Living Lomonds Landscape Partnership

Falkland Centre for Stewardship is delighted to be a partner in the LIving Lomonds Landscape project. The partnership recently secured a successful first-round pass from the Heritage Lottery Fund with additional funding from the Forestry Commission and Fife Council. This will allow the partnership to commence the 'development phase' of the project.

If you want to know more about the project, or how your community can get involved, please contact the Project Development Officer, Alex Page (or phone 07958 066756).

Our Vision for the Living Lomonds Landscape Partnership - reconnecting people with the living legacy of the Lomond HIlls by:

Bringing people to the hills

Revealing and reviving our lost heritage in the hills

Celebrating and sustaining all the good things that come from the hills

The Living Lomonds focuses on a 162km2 area of Fife taking in the Lomond Hills and contrasting communities to the north and south of them, including Falkland, Scotland’s first conservation village and historic mining communities such as Benarty. The hills, dominated by two distinctive volcanic plugs and the lowland plain between are home to significant natural heritage and support a wide variety of wildlife such as ospreys, peregrine falcons, hen harriers, red squirrels and green tiger beetles.

The area tracks the history of mining with some of the oldest examples of small scale mining from medieval times through to the deep pits of the 19th century. Channelled water from Loch Leven fed many of the area’s other industries such as flax spinning, weaving, bleaching, grain milling, distilling and papermaking.

The Landscape Partnership aims to reconnect people with the hills so that they can understand, enjoy and celebrate the built and natural heritage that they share. Woodlands, dry-stone walls and historic pilgrim routes will be restored and new all access paths created. Volunteering, training and employment opportunities will be created in heritage skills while a programme of activities such as the re-enactment of a medieval deer hunt and exploring Gaelic heritage through place names aim to provide a stronger connection between people and the landscape.

Other groups and organisations in the partnership currently are: Fife Coast and Countryside Trust, Markinch Heritage Group, Kinross Museum, Fife Council, Tracks and the Benarty Community Forum.