Them thar hills

This morning I visited the proposed Cononish Goldmine near Tyndrum which is about a mile outside my constituency and a mile inside Bruce Crawford's.

The mine is under the hill at the back of the picture and if you look closely at the picture ( it is available in large) you can see the tailings of the exploratory tunnel which was opened in the late 1980's. I walked 550 metres into it to see the main seam, which was fascinating.

On the way out I was given a wee rock from the floor of the tunnel. Of course I immediately asked if I should declare it but was told that the gold within it would be worth about a penny! Yet the mine is undoubtedly a commercial project and the Scotgold team are keen to be environmentally the best of neighbours too, especially as it is within the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park.