Polaris Ranger gains Fife’s trust
Between the Firth of Tay and The Firth of Forth lies what is still commonly known within Scotland as the Kingdom of Fife. Custom has it the area was one of the major Pictish kingdoms, known as Fib, after the departure of the Romans.
Today’s Fife is a Local Authority and lieutenancy area with the Fife Coast and Countryside Trust looking after over forty sites, including the Fife Coastal Path and beaches, Local Nature Reserves (LNR’s) and the Lomond Hills Regional Park. Managing the various terrains, from large water areas to ancient woodlands, calls for a maintenance team to regularly access some challenging coast and countryside environments, many of which are not reachable in 4 x 4 pick-ups.
The Trust invested in a Polaris Ranger, supplied by authorised Polaris dealers Ness Plant of Kinross, and found it the ideal solution for their needs. The Midsize side by side utility vehicle is living up to its reputation of ‘hardest working’ with exceptional cargo capacity and towing ability, together with On Demand True All-Wheel Drive ensuring it can tackle the toughest tracks. Independent Rear Suspension, long suspension travel and high ground clearance ensure a smoother ride for the driver and passenger.
“The Polaris Ranger is in constant work,” says Ian Laing, the Fife Coast and Countryside Trust’s Park Manager, “it’s used by as many as six different drivers on a daily basis for everything from routine emptying of bins to carrying the gear for felling trees. It’s been totally reliable and handles terrain no ordinary 4 x 4 can get to. I don’t know how we lived without it.”
The Ranger has been ‘personalised’ in white with the Trust’s name and has a number of Polaris Lock and Ride accessories including a cab, doors and windows to keep out the elements and provide extra comfort for the Fife Coast and Countryside Trust’s team, in what can be the most challenging conditions.
The Fife Coastal Path alone stretches for 117 miles of walking experiences, from the easy to the wild and demanding, while the LNRs comprise woodlands, wetlands, meadows and coastal sand dunes. The Lomond Hills, Fife’s most prominent landmark, are at the centre of twenty five square miles of moorland, lochs and farmland.
