CAMPERS ‘DESTROYING’ GLENMALURE VALLEY
A TRAILER load of bags of rubbish and a couch were removed from Glenmalure last Tuesday after being left behind by campers over the weekend.
Glenmalure Pure Mile volunteers had to clear up the mess left at the beauty spot at Baravore, with local Coillte forester Liam Byrne also gathering up a lot of the rubbish left behind.
Selfish campers stand accused of destroying the stunning Glenmalure valley by leaving behind a litany of materials when they go home.
‘ There was an event held over the weekend and some of the campers gathered all their rubbish in bags and then just left it there,’ said Brian Dunne of Glenmalure Pure Mile.
‘Animals started dragging the contents of the bags around so there was rubbish spread everywhere by Tuesday. We removed a car trailer full of rubbish. Our local forester, Liam Byrne, did a lot of the cleaning up before we arrived. We also removed a couch. Unfortunately, you often find the strangest things left behind. At one stage, we found a TV with a Sky dish and a commode on another occasion. You often find garden furniture. Some of the campers want to be as comfortable as possible but then leave everything behind them for someone else to clear up’.
Glenmalure Pure Mile Group was established in 2015 and won the award for Best Pure Mile in 2015 and 2016. Last year, they were presented with a special ‘Bringing Back the Valley’ award.
While the dumping situation has improved since the group was formed, members are still left frustrated by the attitudes of some campers.
‘It can get very frustrating,’ said Brian. ‘ There have been huge improvements since we made ourselves visible. We have approached campers and asked them to make sure they bring their litter home with them and they are very understanding. The majority are great and understand that its volunteers who will have to clean up after them if they leave stuff behind but, sadly, a minority are ruining it for everyone else’.
THE MAJORITY OF CAMPERS ARE GREAT... SADLY, A MINORITY ARE RUINING IT FOR EVERYONE ELSE