Campers hit by communication problems at site
Construction site‘blocking’ the signal
Construction of flats in Callander have been blamed for causing communication problems at a new ecocamp site 10 miles away on the shores of Loch Katrine.
Stirling MP Stephen Kerr heard about the problems when he visited the site and spoke with Gordon Allan, chief executive of the Steamship Sir Walter Scott trust which runs the recently-opened camp.
The new eco camp, which comprises eight eco lodges (four en-suite and four standard), eight camping pitches, a shower and toilet block and some campervan stances with electricity, water and wifi hook ups, has been designed with strong eco credentials given its location. It was created at a cost of £300,000 and opened in June.
The environmentally sensitive site is close to Loch Katrine, which supplies over 150 million gallons of water daily to households in Glasgow and Central Scotland.
Mr Kerr was told how successful the campsite was proving to be and the plans to create more dedicated motorhome facilities, something badly needed in many areas.
However, he also heard about months of problems the organisation is having with communications.
Mr Allan said: “Bookings have far exceeded expectations and the feedback is extremely positive. Unfortunately the frequent loss of communications has affected us severely with bookings not being made, customer complaints and lost revenue. The lack of a proper solution is very frustrating.”
Mr Kerr said: “This has been going on for months and appears to be linked to the building of new flats at Station Road in Callander, blocking the microwave link from the Callander exchange that connects, via the mast at Ben Guillpen, to the Trossachs exchange.
“The building partially obscures the signal and the scaffolding presently erected on the site is making the issue worse by denuding the signal strength.
“The eco camp is of the highest quality and provides excellent facilities. Creating this site required a large investment and I am very worried to hear about the problems the trust are experiencing. This has to be sorted out quickly. I call upon BT and Openreach to solve this problem as a top priority.”
A spokesman for BT technology services said: “We’re sorry to hear about the issues affecting the eco lodges. We’re investigating a fault and will have an engineer on site in the next 24 hours to see if further adjustments are required.”
Frequent loss of communications has affected us severely with bookings not being made