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Balmoral Estate Summer Events by Glyn Jones
Saturday 2nd July - Magical moorlands Off-roading adventure to visit the Whitley bomber air-crash site! Meeting point: Spittal of Glen Muick visitor centre. Time: 9:30 - 3:30pm Distance: 14kms (9 Miles), ascent 524m. Cost: £5. Booking essential 013397 55059. Mountain walk. Bring lunch. Monday 1st August – Lochnagar traverse A spectacular mountain traverse across one of Scotland’s most famous peaks. Walk from Keiloch to The Spittal of Glen Muick via the summit of Lochnagar. A long mountain day. Hill walking gear and a good level of fitness and stamina are required to complete this walk. Meeting point: Keiloch car park. Cost: £10 Distance: 25kms (16miles). Ascent: 900m Time: 9:00-6:00pm Booking essential– 013397 55059 (book early to avoid disappointment).
Wednesday 10thAugust - Walk in the Footsteps of Queen Victoria Join the Rangers as they walk around Loch Muick. Learn about the unique Royal and cultural history of this remote highland glen. Meeting point: Spittal of Glen Muick Visitor Centre. Time: 10.30am – 3.30pm. Bring a packed lunch. Cost: Free. Distance: 12kms (8 miles) on fairly level tracks. Booking essential- 013397 55059. Saturday 10th September- Meet your ancestors A guided tour around the Spittal of Glen Muick Township. Meet the township residents along the way and hear some of their tales and find out how they live. Organised as part of Scottish Archaeology month. Meeting point: The Spittal of Glen Muick visitor centre. Distance 1km, ascent 30m. Time: 2:00pm-4:00pm. Cost: Free. Booking essential– 013397 55059.
STUART ESSON PLUMBING & HEATING ENGINEER TEL: 013397 56378 MOBILE: 07786 543100
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Home Security and Road Safety by PC Steve Lafferty With summer upon us and the days longer, it’s a good time to consider home security arrangements. It must be stressed that domestic housebreakings are very rare in the upper Deeside area. However we should not be complacent. Owners of older properties should consider upgrading locks on door and windows. Three and five lever locks are currently recommended and all external doors should have three points of locking (ie one good quality mortise lock and bolts top and bottom). This greatly reduces the risk of anyone gaining access to your property. Window locks should also be considered. These are effective, relatively inexpensive and easy to fit. Similar thought should also be given to garages, outbuildings and sheds, which are likely to contain vehicles and expensive gardening equipment. The same advice applies, - all external doors should have three points of locking and if your outbuilding has windows, fit a blind or curtains, to obscure a view within. Another consideration when the gardening season commences is to secure away all gardening equipment, tools and ladders etc, which can be used to gain entry to your property. If you are working or enjoying time in your garden, lock the doors of the house to prevent anyone slipping in and out unnoticed. External lighting is also important and there are many products on the market from spotlights to lights fitted with movement sensors. Alarm systems are a consideration and have good deterrent value. We should also be considering what would be attractive to a thief inside the home or outbuildings. All property can be security marked using a UV pen. Simply write the postcode and house name/ number on each item. Valuable items should also be photographed and if using a digital camera, the memory card should be retained securely...don’t down load them onto your computer. It won’t help if your computer is stolen!
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Finally if you think your home security is lacking, there is a myriad of information available on the internet. Grampian Police Crime Reduction Department can also carryout Crime Prevention Surveys free of charge and will advise householders of necessary steps to greatly improve security. Road Safety is always an issue on Deeside during the summer months, with our roads seeing a particular increase in the numbers of motorcycles. Local officers in partnership with the Roads Policing Department are again involved in Operation Zenith, which is targeted at educating motorcyclists regarding the dangers of excessive speed etc on the roads. Last year this Operation, which is Force wide, was a great success and greatly reduced the number of collisions and injuries involving motorcyclists in our area. Car drivers also need to be aware of motorcycles, which in general are less visible. Take care at junctions and if overtaking, and again, let us know if you have any particular issues you feel we can assist with. As always if you require advice or have any information regarding a crime, call at the Police Office in Ballater or call the Grampian Police Service Centre on 0845 600 5 700.
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