NC500 concerns.

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It seems things are coming to a head with the locals and the tourists and it causing a fair bit of rift between them.

The BnB I stayed at said they are also concerned by the massive influx over the years, despite them benefiting from it. Amongst things is the total lack of funding going back in to the area from the local council (Highland) and campers/campervaners generally parking everywhere/anywhere and leaving a mess when they're gone.

Having just got back this afternoon I'd say it's the quietest I've known it for 10 years for obvious reason but things will come to a head sooner or later. Various suggestions about a tourist tax, ANPR cameras, toll roads etc have all been mentioned and there is also a FB page for the locals where they are posting their bad experiencing from visitors.

Unless the Highland council do something the bubble up there is going to burst.
 
Trouble is, once the bubble does burst a lot of the small businesses who are currently bemoaning about the abuse of the NC500 will go to the wall. Having heard about some of the vitriolic comments being posted on faceshite about those doing the NC, some of them deserve to go to the wall.
 
Bryony has this problem with campervans, they park across their entrance, block the slipway and quay, the inhabitants of the wobblyboxes crap on the quay rather than use their own facilities (saves having to empty the casette, use chemicals and clean the unit). One campervan user crapped in one of the boats last week (week before?). They buy bugger all, the cause day long traffic jams - 11 Italian campervans in one direction, 6 French ones coming the other way... on a single track road with passing places. The 'promotion' of 'wild camping' and allowing anyone to stay overnight anywhere has been to blame. Parking in a layby is not wild camping.

I am rather glad it has started to filter down. I think the ANPR cameras will be a waste of time, people will just cover their numberplates, or use amended ones. Electronic surveillance in the wilds of the NW is not the way forward. George Orwell was bang on the mark. People have brought it on themselves.
 
Pops said:
Trouble is, once the bubble does burst a lot of the small businesses who are currently bemoaning about the abuse of the NC500 will go to the wall. Having heard about some of the vitriolic comments being posted on faceshite about those doing the NC, some of them deserve to go to the wall.
Click to expand...

Do you honestly believe that ? These businesses were probably all there long before the they named the area, places I have stayed at a number of times before they named it were all doing ok before then, in fact I know someone who sold up beside me and bought a BnB up there before it was named and they were doing plenty fine.
 
King Rat said:
Bryony has this problem with campervans, they park across their entrance, block the slipway and quay, the inhabitants of the wobblyboxes crap on the quay rather than use their own facilities (saves having to empty the casette, use chemicals and clean the unit). One campervan user crapped in one of the boats last week (week before?). They buy bugger all, the cause day long traffic jams - 11 Italian campervans in one direction, 6 French ones coming the other way... on a single track road with passing places. The 'promotion' of 'wild camping' and allowing anyone to stay overnight anywhere has been to blame. Parking in a layby is not wild camping.

I am rather glad it has started to filter down. I think the ANPR cameras will be a waste of time, people will just cover their numberplates, or use amended ones. Electronic surveillance in the wilds of the NW is not the way forward. George Orwell was bang on the mark. People have brought it on themselves.
Click to expand...

Indeed, apparently the lack of toilet facilities is a huge issue and was only a couple years back the Highland Council shut all the public toilets up that way, what were they expecting to happen :blast
 
Feck next they will want to dual carriage sections of it.

However my family who live up on the north coast, do have some mixed views.
But a genuine gripe is the "crap" of all shapes, types, sizes left without a care.
 
The Laxford Bridge to Inchnadamph stretch is still one of the finest biking roads I've ever ridden despite is being in piss poor condition.
 
Once upon a time it was fab then some bellend came up with NC500 full of campercunts as is the WAW another money spinner but again full of twats that don't give a fuck, any chance of going back to the old days??
 
I was in an AirBnb at Ardmair last week and the A835 past was fairly quiet, not surprising as hotels etc had only been allowed to open up earlier that week. Camping and caravan park at Ardmair Point was full and only taking those who'd booked. I can see that "wild camping" will become a thing of the past, for the majority as I can't see how parking your campervan in a car park is "wild" or by the side of a loch. Also I've seen, on Facebook, where there's been people camping on Ardvrek castle (as in on the ruins) and in the ruins of the Clan Macleod house nearby. These people tend to be the ones who leave the rubbish and shite behind as well unfortunately.

I don't know how to stop it, but one of my best trips so far this year was going up to Smoo Cave and then back down, even though it was in a car.
 
Cabby said:
Do you honestly believe that ? These businesses were probably all there long before the they named the area, places I have stayed at a number of times before they named it were all doing ok before then, in fact I know someone who sold up beside me and bought a BnB up there before it was named and they were doing plenty fine.
Click to expand...

I wouldn’t want any business to go to the wall, but the folk that run these businesses up there, and rely on tourism really need to be careful what they wish for.
 
Neglect of the infrastructure....roads, crap emptying points, proper 'aires' with facilities is the biggest problem. Wild camping will never be stopped now, it's a major part of the land reform and access agenda. The Lomond National Park were able to bring in some by-laws, but its too difficult for other authorities, and who is to police it? It has become a political hot potato.
Same thing with access/dogs....lot of problems with attacks on stock, even some wanting it compulsory for dogs to be on leads, they put through the new access laws, talking glibly about 'responsible' access, but there is no policing of those who behave irresponsibly....who are becoming a larger proportion sadly.

As Nutty says, they need to think, but also if they are reaping the benefit of being in the best part of the UK, the authorities...local and national....need to support that with spending some back....and they don't.
 
I think the lack of facilities linked to the increasing numbers visiting has a huge effect. This year has been a perfect storm of months of lockdown and then a reopening but with some/much of the local facilities still closed.
I visit at least twice a year and the vast majority of people I speak with, B and B owners, campsite owners, shop owners and local etc all think that the majority of visitors are fine, but we always tend to concentrate on the shitty minority. I've no idea what the figure is 10%, 20%....so a negative 10 or 20% outweighs the positive 80 or 90%.
It surely can't need education....to not dump your rubbish or toilet waste in a layby?
 
I agree with Cabby, it's going to get worse for sure.
The NC500 gets all the publicity and usual bad press re this situation , but it is happening all over the Highlands. There are laybys strewn with rubbish and the like.
Our local hospital is inundated with trauma cases due to ill equipped adrenaline junkies getting themselves into all sorts of shit on the hills. I guess the Alps are not as difficult as our hills ?? ;)
True we need the tourists, but at what cost ? The only winners in this are Aldi, Tesco, Morrisons etc. The wobbly van tourists won't spend on inflated prices in local village shops or petrol stations and I can't blame them. Highland council are already cash strapped so they are unlikely to contribute.
I don't know the answer to this, I guess we will have to wait until the end of the season to evaluate.
We have been very lucky up here wrt covid cases, but I am thinking we will suffer shortly.
 
Its ben many years since i ventured up there, when i do it will likely be on the bike staying in b&b,
This is despite having a motorhome for 16 years,
The main reason is the ars**oles that spoil the camping including the free camping movement, dumping toilets/rubbish and spending nothing as mentioned,
this isn't just scotland, stinking lay-bys full of trucks and campers overnight, campsites that require a booking a year in advance and very little competition allowed, with facilities not meeting demand,
Regrettably this is why in recent years i prefer europe for longer trips,
There are schemes like brit stops etc supported by pubs etc, but car park camping on aires and lay-bys doesn't make for a week plus holiday for me,
just like many things in the current climate , there are too many people that don't care about others and its effect like the highlands issues,
 
There's a similar issue re Air BnB in Embra. The SP has begun to address this https://www.gov.scot/news/regulating-short-term-lets/

The thing is that, despite devolution, we're still a highly centralised nation (or nations, across the UK). Local authorities should have powers to deal with this kind of stuff without needing acts of parliament etc.
 
Not on the NC500, but I was in Boat of Garten at the weekend. Apparently at Loch Morlich in the Cairngorms there were around 90 people 'wild' camping. With no toilets. That's a lot of logs.
 
And whilst foreign travel is restricted, Scotland will be a destination more will travel to, meaning more congestion, rubbish etc.

I guess the income needs to outweigh the negatives, or it'll spoil it for everyone.
 
I travel frequently to Scotland in my CamperVan. I always use recognised sites, will eat a meal out locally probably once a day, and buy locally :thumb

Unless stopping at the Bridge of Cally :D

:beerjug:
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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