The southern bit has gliders from Feshie bridge and when the mountain wave is running they have zero problems climbing in IMC if they are getting lift. And they don't paint very well on radar.
And the level is what unpressurised IFR traffic will be at or some visual approach profiles will be at if they are coming in heavier CAT machines.
Its 6K base its not really an issue for fixed wing VFR traffic. If your going IFR and above MSA its not an issue for you as you will be equipped anyway.
The ridge to the north has always had its issues. It has traffic in and out bound through it and under it is also the run in for Tain range under it. Again 5200ft is not really an issue for a VFR SEP. Gives you loads of air under you for the ridge if you want to go over the top but most will be going up the road past Tain at 2-3k. Once had a student (glider conversion) who I pulled the power on for a PFL near Knockbain and the bugger managed to get us right along the ridge to set up for a landing on the old Tain runway in a tommy climbing 2k feet in the process from 3k.
To be honest it is a lot less room than they are using now for vectoring and as traffic outside CAS will be deemed separated it should mean a lot less over controlling to get there deconfliction service minimums. It will now be perfectly acceptable for light aircraft to fly up the coast towards town with something on the ILS in sight. Just now it doesn't matter if you can see it or not they will try and shift the traffic to the north by over 5 miles or hold them at Munlochy bay until its landed.
Black isle training area is open at a reasonable level for normal stuff. Stalling you will have to get permission to climb such is life.
Personally as its new and mainly for separating SEP VFR out the way of the IFR I think they should shift the northern boundary for the SFL to a line Muir of Ord, TV mast, Cromarty. Just makes life easier for people not to bust it. And in the south windfarm(davot), edge of Nairn river, Forries. Zero real effect on the VFR traffic realistically, but makes life easier knowing where the boundary is. To the SW straight line from the corner of the class E through Urquhart Castle to erskadale, then straight line to The peak of wyvis. Or just go up through the wind farm to the corner of the stub.
But its just sorting out a problem with the current bollocks setup with services in uncontrolled airspace.
I can't see anything there that would restrict the flight profiles I would normally do in a SEP in the area apart from stalling exercises and maybe a PFL from 3.5k over the black Isle.
As CAS applications go in my opinion its not taking the piss, it doesn't create chock points, they haven't tried for ridiculous amount to surface level its only really 10 by 5 mile which is smaller than what they are trying to currently exclude VFR traffic from to protect the final approach for IFR traffic on a de-confliction. And the stepped increases doesn't force VFR traffic into stupid low levels above the ground to get places.
Definitely better than being told to hold at Munlochy when something orange is 15miles out on base until its trogged its way down finals to land on 08. And you could see the bloody thing since before it passed DAVOT.