Face coverings in gondola as Nevis Ranges eyes return

FOOT passengers and cyclists using the mountain gondola at Nevis Range will be asked to wear face coverings when the outdoor activities centre reopens.

The site – which attracts 75% of its visitors between May and September for walks, mountain bike rides and other outdoor activities – expects to welcome visitors back from 15 July.

Chris O’Brien, chief executive at Nevis Range, said: “Whilst an opening date is very good news, all of the challenges that we face will remain the same: the initial phase means we can open; the two-metre social-distancing rules will remain in place; eating in our restaurants will be possible but the two-metre social-distancing rules must be observed; and mountain gondola travel will be in singles or for groups of two or more that have travelled to Nevis Range together and customers will be asked to wear face coverings.

“When we do open, due to the nature of the financial crisis that we find ourselves in, we will be operating on a Wednesday-to-Sunday basis, making exceptions around bank holidays, and we plan to carry on with this five-day week operation throughout the rest of the summer.”

The lockdown began at the worst time for skiiers and snowboarders, with the Nevis Range having had so much snow during March that it had expected to offer snow sports all the way through to May.

O’Brien added: “Very sadly there will be some redundancies at Nevis Range as we try to return to a sound financial footing in order to keep delivering quality outdoor activities and events for all of our customers all year round.

“Despite all of the challenges and tough decisions we are having to make as a direct result of the Covid-19 pandemic, there is still a mood of cautious optimism amongst the team.

“Whilst many of our projects have been cancelled due to funding pressures and a catastrophic loss of revenue, we are continuing with our ‘Blue Bike Track’, a new blue-graded, uplift-accessible trail and hope to have that open in May 2021.”

Read more stories about how Scotland’s businesses are bouncing back from coronavirus on Scottish Field’s news pages.