Fairy Pools boost as car park and toilets open
A new car park and toilets at the famed Fairy Pools, near Glenbrittle, on Skye were officially opened on Monday.
The community and environmental charity-led £800,000 project has helped boost tourism to the popular attraction.
Cutting the ribbon to mark the opening of the development was Finance and Economy Secretary and Skye MSP Kate Forbes.
The project was spearheaded by Minginish Community Hall Association (MCHA), the local community volunteer organisation, the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland (OATS), Scotland’s leading environmental charity promoting sustainable public access, and the Highland Council Development and Infrastructure Service, with funding from LEADER, Highland Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the Scottish Government, the Scottish Land Fund, OATS and MCHA.
The improvements mean the site can now safely accommodate 200,000 visitors a year and Ms Forbes said she was delighted the government had been able to support the work.
‘The Scottish Government is supporting our rural communities as much as possible to cope with the increased numbers looking to enjoy Scotland’s countryside, especially as we encourage people to staycation this year,’ said Ms Forbes.
‘Scotland has world-leading legislation giving people rights to access our countryside, but it’s important these are exercised responsibly and with respect for others, for wildlife and for the land. Investing in visitor management and supporting rural communities is a crucial part of sustainable tourism growth.’
An unsustainable 82,000 people visited the Fairy Pools in 2015, with more than 180,000 people recorded in 2019. The narrow single-track access road was regularly blocked with parked cars, verges were damaged and residents, businesses and emergency services had to deal with significant disruption.
The lack of infrastructure also led to path and habitat degradation and litter and waste management issues.
MCHA used the Community Asset Transfer scheme to acquire the land from Forestry and Land Scotland.
The car park site was then leased to OATS, which had the experience, the expertise and the capacity to deliver the scheme and handle the liabilities for 20 years on condition it constructs, operates and maintains the car park and toilets.
Dave Till, chairman of SkyeConnect, said: ‘The official opening of the Fairy Pools car park and toilets is the culmination of a lot of work and creative fundraising by a range of organisations.
‘SkyeConnect is committed to continuing to develop the island’s infrastructure in line with Skye’s ever increasing popularity. We recognise we have a duty to protect our unique environment and develop tourism in a sustainable manner that minimises the impact on the resident population.’
Since opening the first 100 parking spaces in January 2019, and despite closing for Covid-19 lockdowns, the car park has already generated enough revenue to pay for two full-time and eight casual support staff, the rent, PPE equipment and further site infrastructure development and administration costs. This included the addition of a defibrillator on site.
The operating surplus is being reinvested as seed-corn funding for access and conservation work, including for the new Skye Iconic Sites Project, and funding community benefit projects.