In the last ten days I have travelled up and back down the A82 and, as usual, stopped off in a few popular visitor destinations to see how they are being managed. Toilet provision At Tarbet it was good to see that mobile toilets had been provided by the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park…
Tag: Camping bye laws
Two weekends ago Police Scotland charged the same number of people for breaching the camping byelaws in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park than had been charged over the whole of the previous three years. Stirling Council’s response to people traveling into the National Park after the first phase of lifting of lockdown was…
Toilets, or rather the risk of Covid-19 being transmitted in toilets, appear to be a major factor why the Scottish Government’s advice to people has been to stay local (see here): “Because of the high chance of the virus living on hard surfaces, we don’t want people using public toilets or going into someone’s home…
In late 2018 the RSPB submitted a planning application to construct a new footpath at Ward’s Farm, part of the National Nature Reserve (NNR) at the south east corner of Loch Lomond (see here for the planning papers that remain public). Over 18 months later, on 25th May, the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park…
Yesterday the Scottish Government formally announced its proposals for Phase 1 of its Route Map out of the Covid-19 lockdown. The proposals involve relaxing controls over activities that take place in the outdoors so long as people stay apart: working outdoors, meeting people outdoors and outdoor recreation. While parts of the guidance are excellent and…
This story, which appeared in the Guardian last Saturday, appears to have been placed by Police Scotland. It was headed by the quote – cut off in extract above – on the left. The article fails to answer the obvious question, why are the police saying “This is not the time to visit our areas…
The corona crisis – the lessons of foot and mouth and a beacon of hope in the countryside “lockdown”
[NB this post has been updated. I have been informed that the LLTNPA has not closed the gates to all its carparks but instead police tape has in some cases been placed across them] The Foot and Mouth Crisis We have been here before, although the corona crisis is far more serious. I well…
With half the country in panic mode, I was pleased I took a break from my book and attended the scheduled Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority Board meeting on Monday (see here). What the tattered remnants of the meeting showed is that this is a Public Authority only interested in itself and its…
Forest Drive has miraculously re-opened after my post last week (see here) which revealed that the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority had only opened 192 out of the 300 plus camping places it had promised to Scottish Ministers for the start of the camping byelaw season. In permit area Q, for example (see…
Yesterday saw the start of the new camping byelaw “season” in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. The LLTNPA has kept very quiet about this, there is no news release, but they were taking bookings for 1st March (see here) so they are operating the byelaws again. As I pointed out in December (see…
The Adventure Syndicate recently produced an excellent video on girls’ and young women’s participation in outdoor activities called “Should” (see here). It should be required viewing for every member of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority Board and their ranger service. Action 10 of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority’s draft…
Every year I check out the litter and marine debris washed up on the shore at the head of Loch Long at Arrochar, and occasionally the state of a similar beach at Lochgoilhead. Debris accumulates in vast quantities during the southerly gales and high tides that annually occur between October and late Spring. Because of…
On 16th December, just before the “dead” holiday period the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park launched a six week consultation on a new Outdoor Recreation Plan (ORP). The consultation closes at 5pm today (see here to respond). Mary Jack, earlier this month, considered the discussion at the Board Meeting prior to the consultation launch,…
The two fine letters speak for themselves. Sadly, there is now widespread misunderstanding about the law on access across Scotland: Camping is one of the activities covered by access rights but but those rights specifically exclude motor vehicles. This slide, appended to the consultation document issued by the Fife Coast and Countryside Trust on Freedom…
I was pleased to get this letter into the Badenoch and Strathspey Herald on Thursday in response to their excellent coverage the week before about the potential for camping byelaws to be introduced into the Cairngorms National Park Authority. While it was good to see Grant Moir, the CNPA Chief Executive (above) deny there…
Three years AFTER the introduction of the camping byelaws, its been revealed that there is a “growing problem of litter and waste in the National Park”. Remember all those photos of abandoned tents left by campers who were blamed for the litter problems in the National Park and which were used to justify the introduction…
Last week the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority’s Board approved their third Annual Update on the camping byelaws for Scottish Ministers (see here item 6). They still describe this as “Your Park” – an insult to the dozens of people, anglers for example, who used to camp freely along the loch shores enjoying…
Next Monday the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority will be asked to approve its third Annual Update Report to Scottish Ministers on the camping byelaws and a revised Outdoor Recreation Plan for public consultation (see here for meeting papers). I will take a critical look at the the content of these Board Papers…
In September, the local SNP Councillor for North, West and Central Sutherland, Kirsteen Currie (see here), lodged a petition with the Scottish Parliament petitions Committee to create no wild camp zones in Scotland (see here). The petition was prompted by perceived concerns with the impact of camping and campervanning along the North Coast 500 (see…
This post looks at how little of the ORP 2013-17 (see here for plan) has been fulfilled from a Water User’s perspective. At the time of writing this article there has been no sign of a new or even ‘refreshed’ Outdoor Recreation Plan to replace the outdated 2013-17 ORP. The Loch Lomond and the Trossachs…
The camping byelaws, which were intended to ban people from staying overnight in the four camping management zones without a permit, also allowed people to apply for exemptions in certain circumstances. These included Duke of Edinburgh award expeditions and Events requiring the erection of tents. This post takes a look at how the National Park…
The camping byelaws in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park cease to have effect from midnight tonight. Before then you commit a criminal offence if you “set up, use or occupy a tent, wigwam or bivouac at any time” within one the four “camping management zones” the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority…
On Friday I, along with many other adults, joined the student inspired climate “strike” in Glasgow. Protest is essential and being out on the streets with so many other people was indeed inspirational. There is no doubt many people want change and urgently. As, however, the police helicopter hovered over George Square gobbling up carbon,…
As the downpours continue, the Cabinet Secretary for the Environment, Roseanna Cunningham, should be asking herself why so much of the recent flood damage has been within our National Parks? Examples include disruption and damage to the rail network near Carrbridge in the Cairngorms (see here), at Ardlui and north of Crianlarich in the…
I have never met the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park’s Litter Prevention Manager, Nik Turner, but since she was appointed earlier this year she has launched a number of initiatives (see here for example) and appears to have woken the Park out of its slumber. That is welcome. Many of the problems she is…