Businesses in a remote peninsula of Scotland are fighting to survive and children are unable to attend their local school nearly a month after record-breaking rainfall caused a severe landslip, which cut off a vital road link to the wider peninsula.
The Craignish peninsula in Argyll was battered by heavy rain in early October, causing a landslip on the A816 near Ardfern which left 6,000 tonnes of debris covering the road and rendered it impassable.
Weeks later, it is estimated that more than 4,000 tonnes of the debris still remains on the road, blocking the peninsula’s access to its nearest town, Lochgilphead.
Local people still face weeks of disruption as a result of the landslip, with some primary school pupils who live outside the peninsula unable to get to their school. Their teacher is having to travel by boat to spend time with them at another school site.
Road access to the rest of Scotland is available from the north, with drivers having to take a long, 90-minute route round to reach Lochgilphead.
Businesses in the area say they are facing a “fight for survival” with many still feeling the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis.
A group led by a charity, the Craignish Community Company, is vowing to do all it can to help businesses get through the disruption.
Chair Vicki Burnett said the group is “open for business and united”.
She added: “We’re taking a two-pronged approach. We want to keep this issue in the spotlight to encourage the local authority and their contractors to get this work done as quickly as possible and to make sure any additional support we’re entitled to comes here.
“But we’re also pleading with the wider Argyll and West of Scotland community – don’t forget about us.”
Businesses including Lucy’s Cafe, the Galley of Lorne and Lord of the Isles pubs, Ardfern Yacht Centre, Craobh Haven Marina and many independent arts and crafts professionals have set up the craignish.info website as a hub so locals and visitors can stay up to date with what is available and the latest information.
after newsletter promotion
Argyll & Bute council said work to remove the debris was ongoing and that meetings were taking place to create an “emergency route” in the meantime: “At this stage we are hopeful the road can reopen around the middle to end of November.”
The annual Craignish Christmas market is due to go ahead on the weekend of 18-19 November with local businesses pinning their hopes on a large turnout.
Craignish primary school struck a positive note when it said that although some of its pupils cannot get to school and are missing their friends, they are “having fun” in a special class that has been set up for them at another school, outside the peninsula, with their teacher “using the boat to go back and forth” between the different school sites.
“We had our first Google meet between both Craignish sites today and there were lots of smiling faces,” the school wrote on X, formerly Twitter.