- The distance of a required path for this route would be more than double of the previous route, 2.3 miles from the end of the path at Drumcross Rd to Cairnpapple alone, compared to only 0.9 miles of required path from Ballencrieff Toll to the entrance to Cairnpapple Hill.
- There are several sections of the road from Drumcross Rd (going along past the Knock to Cairnpapple) that have no space for a path at all and are dangerous to walk on due to poor visibility of oncoming traffic.
The main obstacles to the original route are that it crosses over Cairnpapple Hill which is used for livestock & the landowners are opposed to the access for the public for reasons identified at the meeting. It seems to me that there are two options, either to abandon the path idea or to raise pressure on WLC's access officer to uphold the 'right of access' and seek support from the wider public via local papers & social networking sites. These options are to be considered at the next Bathgate Community Council Meeting in Novemeber 2011
