Cycling in Dumfries and Galloway experiences 'transformative' 12 months
South of Scotland Cycling Partnership's review of 2024 has revealed a number of highlights, including major events in Gatehouse and Ae.
The past 12 months have been described as 'nothing short of transformative' for cycling in Dumfries and Galloway.
The past year saw the official launch of the Kirkpatrick C2C cycle route from Stranraer to Eyemouth as well as a range of improved cycle routes.
And the region also played host to major events, with Ae Forest attracting 500 competitors for the British Enduro Championships and both the Raiders Gravel and The Gralloch being based in Gatehouse.
These are among the highlights in the South of Scotland Cycling Partnership's review of 2024.
The organisation is made up of a number of local and national organisations, including South of Scotland Destination Alliance, Dumfries and Galloway Council, Visit Scotland and South of Scotland Enterprise.
Chief executive of SSDA, David Hope Jones, said: 'The year 2024 was nothing short of transformative for cycling in the south of Scotland.
'From hosting world-class events to launching the Kirkpatrick C2C, together we have shown the world what our region has to offer.
'These achievements are not only boosting our visitor economy, they are embedding cycling into the heart of our communities and landscape.
'The SSDA is proud to work alongside partners to ensure cycling continues to play a central role in putting the South of Scotland on the map for active and sustainable travel.'
Chair of the council's education, skills and wellbeing committee, Councillor Maureen Johnstone, said: 'This review is a welcome one and shows how strong an offer we have as an area in relation to cycling.
'I would like to say thank you to all the partners who have come together to collaborate in this work to date, and long may it continue.'
SOSE chairman, Professor Russel Griggs OBE, added: 'The South of Scotland Cycling Partnership Strategy annual review highlights the exceptional contribution of partners, businesses and community groups across the South who have made positive social and environmental impacts which cycling provides to our region.
'We want cycling to become the most popular choice for shorter, everyday journeys by 2032 in the South, and the review highlights the progress being made to achieving our collective goal.'
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27-05-2025
- Scotsman
Center Parcs coming to the Scottish Borders is like a 'blue whale arriving in a medium-sized pond'
Center Parcs want to build its first site in Scotland near Hawick in the Scottish Borders. Sign up to our Scotsman Rural News - A weekly of the Hay's Way tour of Scotland emailed direct to you. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A tourism chief has compared the interest of Center Parcs in the Scottish Borders to a 'blue whale arriving in a medium-sized pond'. The hugely-successful holiday park company wants to build a £400 million site near Hawick, with a potential opening date of early 2029 proposed. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad An impression of some of the lodges planned for the proposed Centre Parcs site near Hawick in the Scottish Borders. Picture: Centre Parcs. | An impression of some of the lodges planned for the proposed Centre Parcs site near Hawick in the Scottish Borders. PIC: Centre Parcs. Center Parcs has signed an option for the land with the Duke of Buccleuch. The company's commitment to the area comes as major work advances in the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway to boost tourism revenue by £1 billion by 2034. David Hope-Jones, chief executive of the South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA), said the investment of Center Parcs and the associated visitor numbers could be 'transformative' for the area. David Hope-Jones, chief executive of the South of Scotland Destination Alliance. | Contributed Mr Hope-Jones said: 'Essentially, it is the equivalent of a medium-sized pond and suddenly a blue whale arrives. It is the largest single investment that there has ever been - £400m. It is larger than the entire cost of the Borders Railway. 'It is going to create 1,200 year-round permanent jobs and that is probably where the biggest impact will be. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'When you take 1,200 jobs, even if they were at minimum wage, which they won't be, that is a total salary of £30m to £40m a year. That is going into pockets where it wasn't before. 'You look at Hawick, Jedburgh , Selkirk - these are towns that lost their mills between the 1970s and 1990s. Hawick High Street can feel like a depressing place at times. This is the equivalent of re-opening several of those old mills, but in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.' Centre Parcs has proposed to build a new site on Duke of Buccleuch land just north of Hawick in the Scottish Borders. PIC: SSDA. | Centre Parcs has proposed to build a new site on Duke of Buccleuch land just north of Hawick in the Scottish Borders. PIC: SSDA. Center Parcs wants to build 700 lodges and accompanying tourist facilities on a site to the north of the town. If approved, it will be the company's first site in Scotland and its seventh in the UK and Ireland. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A series of public consultations has been held, with the most recent one last week at Hawick Rugby Club attended by Center Parcs' chief executive Colin McKinlay and Rajbinder Singh-Dehal, the chief corporate officer. Some concerns have been voiced about the loss of usable farmland and also that visitors might not venture into the surrounding area, according to accounts. Mr Hope-Jones said his own research found the 'overwhelming majority' of businesses locally were 'strongly supportive' of the development. He said: 'I would say there hasn't been a single item of news that has had such consistent positivity in places such as Hawick in decades and decades. I did a survey of businesses after one week and after six months and the overwhelming majority are strongly supportive.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mr Hope-Jones said it was expected the SSDA would sign a formal partnership with Center Parcs by the time a planning application was submitted, which is due to happen in July. The partnership would look to encourage Center Parcs guests - with 35,000 a year expected to stay at the Hawick site - to explore the surrounding area. 'Even if we are only talking 10 per cent of guests bolting on a three or four-night stay afterwards, that would be transformative,' Mr Hope-Jones said. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He added: 'The extraordinary thing about Center Parcs is not just the price point they command, the brand loyalty they command, but also their occupancy rates. They are phenomenal. READ MORE: 10 unique events taking place across Scotland this summer 'The most recent Center Parcs was built in Longford in the middle of Ireland, the bit that no one really knew about. Within five years - and it included Covid - they have got an occupancy rate of 98.8 per cent. 'It has taken one of the poorest areas of Ireland into one of the most economically active areas of Ireland in terms of job creation and taxation. The growth is unprecedented. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Scotsman
27-05-2025
- Scotsman
Center Parcs coming to the Scottish Borders is like a 'blue whale arriving in a medium-sized pond'
Center Parcs want to build its first site in Scotland near Hawick in the Scottish Borders. Sign up to our Scotsman Rural News - A weekly of the Hay's Way tour of Scotland emailed direct to you. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A tourism chief has compared the interest of Center Parcs in the Scottish Borders to a 'blue whale arriving in a medium-sized pond'. The hugely-successful holiday park company wants to build a £400 million site near Hawick, with a potential opening date of early 2029 proposed. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad An impression of some of the lodges planned for the proposed Centre Parcs site near Hawick in the Scottish Borders. Picture: Centre Parcs. | An impression of some of the lodges planned for the proposed Centre Parcs site near Hawick in the Scottish Borders. PIC: Centre Parcs. Center Parcs has signed an option for the land with the Duke of Buccleuch. The company's commitment to the area comes as major work advances in the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway to boost tourism revenue by £1 billion by 2034. David Hope-Jones, chief executive of the South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA), said the investment of Center Parcs and the associated visitor numbers could be 'transformative' for the area. David Hope-Jones, chief executive of the South of Scotland Destination Alliance. | Contributed Mr Hope-Jones said: 'Essentially, it is the equivalent of a medium-sized pond and suddenly a blue whale arrives. It is the largest single investment that there has ever been - £400m. It is larger than the entire cost of the Borders Railway. 'It is going to create 1,200 year-round permanent jobs and that is probably where the biggest impact will be. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'When you take 1,200 jobs, even if they were at minimum wage, which they won't be, that is a total salary of £30m to £40m a year. That is going into pockets where it wasn't before. 'You look at Hawick, Jedburgh , Selkirk - these are towns that lost their mills between the 1970s and 1990s. Hawick High Street can feel like a depressing place at times. This is the equivalent of re-opening several of those old mills, but in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.' Centre Parcs has proposed to build a new site on Duke of Buccleuch land just north of Hawick in the Scottish Borders. PIC: SSDA. | Centre Parcs has proposed to build a new site on Duke of Buccleuch land just north of Hawick in the Scottish Borders. PIC: SSDA. Center Parcs wants to build 700 lodges and accompanying tourist facilities on a site to the north of the town. If approved, it will be the company's first site in Scotland and its seventh in the UK and Ireland. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A series of public consultations has been held, with the most recent one last week at Hawick Rugby Club attended by Center Parcs' chief executive Colin McKinlay and Rajbinder Singh-Dehal, the chief corporate officer. Some concerns have been voiced about the loss of usable farmland and also that visitors might not venture into the surrounding area, according to accounts. Mr Hope-Jones said his own research found the 'overwhelming majority' of businesses locally were 'strongly supportive' of the development. He said: 'I would say there hasn't been a single item of news that has had such consistent positivity in places such as Hawick in decades and decades. I did a survey of businesses after one week and after six months and the overwhelming majority are strongly supportive.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mr Hope-Jones said it was expected the SSDA would sign a formal partnership with Center Parcs by the time a planning application was submitted, which is due to happen in July. The partnership would look to encourage Center Parcs guests - with 35,000 a year expected to stay at the Hawick site - to explore the surrounding area. 'Even if we are only talking 10 per cent of guests bolting on a three or four-night stay afterwards, that would be transformative,' Mr Hope-Jones said. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He added: 'The extraordinary thing about Center Parcs is not just the price point they command, the brand loyalty they command, but also their occupancy rates. They are phenomenal. READ MORE: 10 unique events taking place across Scotland this summer 'The most recent Center Parcs was built in Longford in the middle of Ireland, the bit that no one really knew about. Within five years - and it included Covid - they have got an occupancy rate of 98.8 per cent. 'It has taken one of the poorest areas of Ireland into one of the most economically active areas of Ireland in terms of job creation and taxation. The growth is unprecedented. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Scotsman
27-05-2025
- Scotsman
Centre Parcs coming to the Scottish Borders is like a 'blue whale arriving in a medium-sized pond'
Centre Parcs want to build its first site in Scotland near Hawick in the Scottish Borders. Sign up to our Scotsman Rural News - A weekly of the Hay's Way tour of Scotland emailed direct to you. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A tourism chief has compared the interest of Centre Parcs in the Scottish Borders to a 'blue whale arriving in a medium-sized pond'. The hugely-successful holiday park company wants to build a £400 million site near Hawick, with a potential opening date of early 2029 proposed. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad An impression of some of the lodges planned for the proposed Centre Parcs site near Hawick in the Scottish Borders. Picture: Centre Parcs. | An impression of some of the lodges planned for the proposed Centre Parcs site near Hawick in the Scottish Borders. PIC: Centre Parcs. Centre Parcs has signed an option for the land with the Duke of Buccleuch. The company's commitment to the area comes as major work advances in the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway to boost tourism revenue by £1 billion by 2034. David Hope-Jones, chief executive of the South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA), said the investment of Centre Parcs and the associated visitor numbers could be 'transformative' for the area. David Hope-Jones, chief executive of the South of Scotland Destination Alliance. | Contributed Mr Hope-Jones said: 'Essentially, it is the equivalent of a medium-sized pond and suddenly a blue whale arrives. It is the largest single investment that there has ever been - £400m. It is larger than the entire cost of the Borders Railway. 'It is going to create 1,200 year-round permanent jobs and that is probably where the biggest impact will be. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'When you take 1,200 jobs, even if they were at minimum wage, which they won't be, that is a total salary of £30m to £40m a year. That is going into pockets where it wasn't before. 'You look at Hawick, Jedburgh , Selkirk - these are towns that lost their mills between the 1970s and 1990s. Hawick High Street can feel like a depressing place at times. This is the equivalent of re-opening several of those old mills, but in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.' Centre Parcs has proposed to build a new site on Duke of Buccleuch land just north of Hawick in the Scottish Borders. PIC: SSDA. | Centre Parcs has proposed to build a new site on Duke of Buccleuch land just north of Hawick in the Scottish Borders. PIC: SSDA. Center Parcs wants to build 700 lodges and accompanying tourist facilities on a site to the north of the town. If approved, it will be the company's first site in Scotland and its seventh in the UK and Ireland. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A series of public consultations has been held, with the most recent one last week at Hawick Rugby Club attended by Centre Parcs' chief executive Colin McKinlay and Rajbinder Singh-Dehal, the chief corporate officer. Some concerns have been voiced about the loss of usable farmland and also that visitors might not venture into the surrounding area, according to accounts. Mr Hope-Jones said his own research found the 'overwhelming majority' of businesses locally were 'strongly supportive' of the development. He said: 'I would say there hasn't been a single item of news that has had such consistent positivity in places such as Hawick in decades and decades. I did a survey of businesses after one week and after six months and the overwhelming majority are strongly supportive.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mr Hope-Jones said it was expected the SSDA would sign a formal partnership with Centre Parcs by the time a planning application was submitted, which is due to happen in July. The partnership would look to encourage Centre Parcs guests - with 35,000 a year expected to stay at the Hawick site - to explore the surrounding area. 'Even if we are only talking 10 per cent of guests bolting on a three or four-night stay afterwards, that would be transformative,' Mr Hope-Jones said. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He added: 'The extraordinary thing about Centre Parcs is not just the price point they command, the brand loyalty they command, but also their occupancy rates. They are phenomenal. READ MORE: 10 unique events taking place across Scotland this summer 'The most recent Centre Parcs was built in Longford in the middle of Ireland, the bit that no one really knew about. Within five years - and it included Covid - they have got an occupancy rate of 98.8 per cent. 'It has taken one of the poorest areas of Ireland into one of the most economically active areas of Ireland in terms of job creation and taxation. The growth is unprecedented. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
