Campsite to offer limited service as demand soars

In Sutherland, Stewart and Sharlene Moore run the Halladale Inn restaurant and bar and the North Coast Touring Park, with 18 touring pitches, 10 tent pitches and six glamping pods.

They have been kept busy during lockdown providing meals for the vulnerable and offering drive-through takeaways.

Now they have set themselves a provisional target of reopening on July 18, for pre-booking only, and say the pent-up demand is obvious.

Mr Moore said: “On the day the Scottish

Government mentioned July 15 was a possible date for reopening, we had 77 emails from people wanting to book.”

The couple say they will not reopen the restaurant or bar but have prepared the campsite to comply with social distancing.

Mr Moore said: “We have spent a lot of time making sure the pitches are wellmapped, numbered and clear.

“For the toilet blocks, which we invested heavily in last year, fortunately we have enough room for distancing, so we will operate a tag system.

“If there isn’t a tag hanging up outside the door, people have to wait until someone exits with a tag and then go in.

“We operate high standards of hygiene operation anyway and want to look after everyone’s safety, including our own.

“Social distancing going down to one metre would help everyone.”

The couple will open their waste disposal and water amenities to everyone but say, like the rest of the community, they fear many wild campers will be heading north.

“The government should look into that,” Mr Moore said.

“These are particularly unpleasant issues for the local community to deal with.”

Photograph by Sandy McCook Sharlene Moore of North Coast Touring Park at the Halladale Inn, Melvich.