MY VIEW: Roads in and around Inverness are ‘flooded’ with campervans
May used to be considered a shoulder month for those of us in Highland hospitality, it's as busy as August these days, for good reason…..glorious sunshine, writes Angus MacDonald.
The roads are rammed, especially single track roads, no doubt the West Coast of Skye, through Applecross or along the North Coast 500 are nose to tail.
I drove home last night unable to pass two campervans traveling at 40mph, one of them towing a small car. As we pottered along I wondered if they didn’t pull over because along Loch Ness the layby’s are full of campervans.
A fellow Cllr, Duncan Macpherson was telling me that on Friday last week the overflow car park of Barn Church in Culloden had 10 motorhomes, all parked for free beside the 5* Culloden House Hotel. Locals were complaining that people dumped their waste in the burn.
Don’t get me wrong, I love campervanning myself. A big birthday saw my family trundling around New Zealand in one. However, in Scotland this influx has caught us out.
Unlike America, New Zealand or Continental Europe, campervanner’s can be parked in any layby, here there are Apps and websites advising on good ‘wild camp’ spots, even on private land.
It’s no surprise that campervanning has become so popular, tourist accommodation is full, with the introduction of short term letting licenses, many B&B’s have chosen to close, and parking in a layby is free
I know that Calmac, with their lack of ferries, are struggling to find room for local cars and lorries to and from the Hebrides. The introduction of ‘road equivalent tariffs’ a decade ago seemed a well intentioned move then, but has resulted in an enormous government subsidy being applied to campervans sometimes traveling to an island full of fuel and shopping to last their week on a beach side island viewpoint .
A massive increase in tourist demand for this subsidized service deprives a local with a ferry slot.
I posted a photograph on social media of a sea of campervans which resulted in a storm of comments and emails. This is a subject that agitates many clearly.
What do they do with toilet waste, with no roadside bins where do they put their rubbish, people asked.
The Scottish Government has withdrawn Highland Council funding for rangers, hardly a good time.
When (not if) the visitor tax arrives, only campervans in campsites will need to pay. The Highland Council intends to ask all campervans for a voluntary £40 for their week, I’m certain this will not work.
A carnet should be compulsory levied at campervan rental places, available on line and subject to significant fines if not complied with. Surely with license plate recognition this should be practical, in any case tourists will get the message.
It will have to be a requirement at some stage that campervans and motorhomes are required to stay overnight in registered aires or campsites with toilets, waste facilities, electricity connections etc. This is a sensible move and for the benefit of the Highlands.
Angus MacDonald, Liberal Democrat Highland Councillor and Westminster candidate.
