Clean up your act!

Piles of rubbish left behind at Lochaber beauty spots last weekend lead to tourism secretary Fergus Ewing hastily organising a conference call this week with community leaders desperate for help to tackle the growing problem of ‘wild camping’.

The call sounded positive but this issue is not going to go away without much more debate, and hard cash being made available.

At the moment campervaners and motorhome owners are being blamed for a lot of the mess. However, as well-known broadcaster, author and outdoor pursuits expert Cameron McNeish points out, hordes of young people who would normally be drinking on the sunwarmed beaches of Costa del Sol and Ibiza if it wasn’t for Covid, are instead buying cheap tens and plenty booze and heading up here, having no idea of what no-trace-camping is about. Education and infrastructure is needed, including more bins and public toilets that are open, if our local environment is to be protected.

The outstanding natural beauty of our region is why many people visit, and we don’t want to stop them. But if we don’t find a way to manage this issue, visitors wanting to spend time – and money – in our area may decide not to come back if all they can see is piles of litter and flytipping.

Instead of getting to the point where legislation is the only solution, let’s find a positive way forward.