Report calls for communities to be involved in summer planning

A new report has laid bare the challenges facing parts of Highland Perthshire ahead of the expected influx of tourists this summer.

The study by the Pitlochrybased John Muir Trust confirms that tourism is increasingly viewed as a double-edged sword by many local communities who are on the frontline of dealing with visitor pressures and opportunities.

The trust interviewed community representatives living in remote but popular tourist destinations in Highland Perthshire, Lochaber, Skye, Lewis, Harris, Assynt Isles and Sutherland, to create a picture of the issues facing them.

The report – ‘Frontline Realities: Rural communities and visitor pressures’ – reveals widespread problems, with 97 per cent of interviewees reporting concerns over litter, human waste, congestion on local roads and inappropriate ‘wild’ camping.

In Highland Perthshire, the report focused on the area around Schiehallion.

The John Muir Trust owns and manages the eastern part of Schiehallion and monitors visitor numbers through a people counter at the start of the Schiehallion path.

According to the report, visitor numbers rose by over 140 per cent in August last year compared with 2019.

There were also twice as many visitors in September and October.

Interview participants from around Schiehallion and Kinloch Rannoch also attested to the increase in visitor numbers.

Interviewees reported that there has been a rise in inappropriate “wild” camping and roadside parking, fires, littering, fly-tipping, and human waste. They also said a growing proportion of visitors are not abiding by the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.

The increase in cars on the single-track road leading up to Schiehallion was also raised.

The report states: “Visitor numbers have long since surpassed the car park’s official capacity of 25 spaces, and overflow vehicles parked along the verges on the single-track road are increasingly causing disruption.

“In summer 2020, trust rangers often recorded between 100 and 200 cars parked alongside the road, and Perth and Kinross Council ended up designating the road as a clearway, with penalty charge notices given to cars parked irresponsibly.”

Interviewees also raised issues with the lack of infrastructure in the area.

Among those interviewed was James Black, crew commander at Kinloch Rannoch Community Fire Station.

He said: “The fire service provides patrols of the camping area. In 2019, we counted 122 camping sites during the busiest weekend, and in 2020 that number increased to 174 camping sites.

“Those numbers are probably a low estimate, because we generally stop patrolling about 7pm at night, and even then there are still folk circulating on the road, looking for campsites, so those aren’t definitive figures.

I know people have said that this is because of COVID, but I think that’s only a contributing factor. The numbers have been increasing year on year, regardless of COVID.

“Visitor numbers are becoming so severe that the road leading to the Braes of Foss car park is continuously being blocked by overflow vehicles, which means that locals can’t get through, timber wagons and farm vehicles can’t get through, and more importantly emergency vehicles and fire engines can’t get through.

“This is creating a potentially really dangerous situation, because if there is a fire or an emergency, I won’t be able to get the fire engine through.”

As a result of the report, the John Muir Trust has made a