Forest visitors disenchanted by two-hour roadworks delays

The Enchanted Forest visitor attraction in Perthshire has hit out at transport bosses, after roadworks left visitors facing delays of more than two hours.

More than 80,000 people a year visit the sound and light show, which is set in Faskally Wood near Pitlochry.

The Enchanted Forest's owners said the work by gas supply firm SGN on the A9 was causing tailbacks and "significant disruption" to its business.

SGN said the delays were "unfortunately inevitable" as a result of the upgrade.

However, following complaints, SGN said it would now be manually controlling traffic lights to help reduce the tailbacks until the event ends next weekend.

The Enchanted Forest had called for the works near Dunkeld to be suspended.

In an open letter to SGN, Nela Popovic, executive director of The Enchanted Forest, said she was dealing with "hundreds of disgruntled customers every day".

She added: "This region has been severely impacted by recent weather conditions, closing or impeding a number of alternative routes and the roadworks are simply exacerbating this, making a bad situation worse.

"I am terribly disappointed and frustrated at the lack of planning, consultation and the severe delays our customers, team and staff are facing which are not only impacting our event but also many businesses in our community."

A northbound section of the A9 is closed for work to upgrade gas pipes with traffic being controlled by temporary traffic lights.

The Enchanted Forest said on Friday its buses for transferring visitors were stuck in traffic for more than two hours, with some drivers telling organisers it took three hours to reach them.

John Swinney, SNP MSP for Perthshire North, said he backed The Enchanted Forest's call for the works to be suspended.

Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, he said: "I am doing everything I can to get the SGN works halted. These works might suit SGN but they suit nobody else. That is unacceptable."

The work is part of a project to replace a pipeline that runs close to the River Tay that needs to be moved due to erosion on the river bank.

SGN apologised for the delays and said it understood "the frustrations of motorists caught up in the tailbacks".

Katie Lobban, spokesperson for SGN, said: "Our project in the area is essential to ensure that homes and businesses in Birnam, Logierait, and Dunkeld continue to receive a reliable gas supply.

"While there is no ideal time to work in the A9, we are working during this time of year to avoid the busier tourism months.

"Alongside Traffic Scotland, we are providing information on delays in the A9 to help motorists plan their journey as delays are unfortunately inevitable."

A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: "This critical SGN work to relocate the gas main has been scheduled to avoid the busiest part of the year on the A9 and that decision had been based on understanding of traffic flows across the route and at the specific locations the work is being undertaken."