‘Dirty’ campers set fire to safety fence

Vandals removed safety rails from a fence on a steep path to use on a campfire.

The National Trust for Scotland yesterday condemned the culprits, who struck in the woodlands of An Torr, which leads to Signal Rock, reputedly a gathering place for the MacDonalds of Glencoe.

Several metres of fence was removed beside a drop of around 20ft near a bridge over the River Coe.

Volunteers also found a pop-up tent and litter at the site, despite the nearby car park being closed during lockdown restrictions.

In a post online the charity said: “While the vast majority of visitors to NTS Glencoe National Nature Reserve cherish this incredible place as much as we do, dealing with the impact of thoughtless, ‘dirty’ campers is a habitual and unwanted part of our ranger team’s role.”

It added that while staff are furloughed to reduce costs, incidents of litter and damage across the 14,000-acre estate and 37 miles of footpaths in its care are “even less welcome than usual”.

Emily Bryce, NTS operations manager for Glencoe and Glenfinnan, said last night: “It’s a popular area for wild campers, but genuine wild campers take away their litter and leave no trace.

“This is more what we call dirty camping.

“The fence is on a narrow stretch of path and placed there for safety purposes.

“Ultimately it’s vandalism and damaging property. But it seems quite obvious that this fence has a purpose, so to not consider the impact removing it might have is a little bit bizarre and disappointing.”