The land at Talla was described as the 'wild heart of the Southern Uplands'. Photo: Iain Russell CC-BY-SA-2.0
A conservation charity has lost out in its bid to buy an area of the Scottish Borders which was described as the ‘wild heart of the Southern Uplands’.
The John Muir Trust was outbid for the 2,150ha (5,300-acre) Talla and Gameshope estate.
The trust said it had received a huge response from its members and the general public, but its bid on the open market was not successful.
Stuart Brooks, chief executive of the John Muir Trust said: “This was an opportunity to do something special with a beautiful and unique piece of Borders land, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be.
“Our staff and trustees, along with colleagues at the Borders Forest Trust, worked incredibly hard and we are very disappointed not to have realised our vision for the estate.
“We understand there was a lot of interest and although we managed to gather enough resources to put in a very credible bid we understand we were just pipped at the post.
“We’d like to thank everyone who gave such a great show of support. We continue to keep an eye out for special areas of wild land that could potentially come under our care.”
Mike Merchant
19 March 2012That's tough. I don't know about the Borders Forest Trust, but it is worth remembering that the JMT has never won an open-market auction for any of its estates. Landowners it has bought from had formed the view that it was a suitable body to take on the guardianship of their land, and negotiated a fair price. A pity that the sellers in this case weren't so minded.
Thank you to both trusts for doing the right thing. And hopefully the coverage the bid has generated will encourage more hill goers to enjoy, and excercise their rights in, this area.