August 1, 2016
Scotland

Outlander author Diana Gabaldon: ‘Windfarms will ruin tourism’

01 August 2016 | www.scotsman.com

Outlander author Diana Gabaldon has launched an attack on windfarms, claiming they will destroy tourism in Scotland.

The American writer, whose popular fantasy book were made into a worldwide TV blockbuster, spoke out during her latest visit to the Highlands.

She said: “One of your principle sources of income is tourism.

“If you go around screwing up your landscape, that’s certainly going to screw up your tourism.”

The American writer, whose popular fantasy book were made into a worldwide TV blockbuster, spoke out during her latest visit to the Highlands.

She said: “One of your principle sources of income is tourism.

“If you go around screwing up your landscape, that’s certainly going to screw up your tourism.”

Gabaldon has previously voiced objections against a planned wind farm near Loch Rannoch, where scenes for a television adaptation of her popular novels were filmed.

She has now urged anti-windfarm campaigners to continue their fight against developments in wild land.

The author added: “I don’t know that there’s a great deal of stuff that you can do other than go on fighting and go through the courts if possible because nothing slows things down like litigation.

“Put a drag on things. Make it so much nuisance to do that, whoever you’re fighting against will find an easier way and move further out.

“This is the thing about turbines – why put them directly in one of your most scenic landcapes or on the edge of one of your most important cultural sites?”

Ms Gabaldon’s novels feature the adventures of Second World War nurse Claire Randall, who is transported back to the Scotland of 1743.

They have been adapted for a television series which has attracted millions of viewers in the US and features iconic locations across Scotland.

The series is predominately filmed in Scotland.

The technicians for the series have a studio facility in Cumbernauld which Ms Gabaldon said has received significant help from the Scottish Government in founding and expanding the facility.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2016/08/01/outlander-author-diana-gabaldon-windfarms-will-ruin-tourism/