Tourists Go Home!
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It's sad that Scotland has not got to grips with wild campers, too many now looking for free stops, sounds like the area is on overload, totally off putting. What happened to the tents only rule for wild camping? Hmm, think I'll stick to less touristy areas in future.
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Vans/MH's on Glenelg beach. RSPB warden told us that they have no permission to camp there, no drinking water or toilet emptying facilities. The local council have provided bins to try and keep area clean. It even looks as though they have a van storage area on the left.
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I fear Scotland's pushing of the NC500 may have made them a victim of their own success.
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Funnily enough, wild camping seems to be on the increase around here too. Last weekend, there were 3 campervans over nighting on the car park of our housing estate
It started last year with the odd campervan on the odd weekend. This year it's been a regular occurrence since late spring. Maybe they're stopping off here on their way to and from Scotland?
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You only have to look at the Facebook page for 'Scottish Motorhome Wildcampers' to see how many visit Scotland for the NC500 but never stay on sites, its becoming a big issue all over Scotland with some folk. Loch Lomond national park have introduced a permit now for areas you can overnight, Loch Earnhead is another place they gather at weekends spoiling the whole area with rubbish and late night parties.
As to the OP tourism in some places is so out of hand you have to feel for the 'locals' as DK said when cruise ships carrying 3000 plus passengers descend on a port it can completely overwhelm the area. Last year while in the Caribbean we entered one port where there were 5 huge cruise ships (we made 6) not all passengers get off but if they did that would be in excess of 15000 extra people in a small area, crazy.
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We stayed at the Stonehaven club site a couple of years ago. Nice stay but the adjacent public car park was full each night with motorhomes just feet from each other. We wondered if some might be tempted to use the site facilities. First time we've seen this but it must be worse now. Scotland seems to be open house!
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Brue.....I do think this is happening......we were there a couple of years back and noticed that pedestrians were coming onto the site, straight to the block, then off again.
We noticed several MHs parked on the sea front on several days, pretty sure they were coming onto the site to use toilets and showers. Probably sneaking in when dark to empty toilets, wardens would have no chance of spotting them.
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Keys or keypad locks might help, but how do you stop people walking onto a site to fill a water container, or empty a toilet?
The rest of us are paying so these people can stay for free!
Last time we were at the Edinburgh site we noticed a caravan sited a bit along from the site, down towards the beach......no facilities there.
Even if they had brought water with them, they would need to empty their toilet at least every 2-3 days. Could be they were sneaking onto the CC site to empty toilet and waste and refill water.
Wardens cannot police the site all the time.
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This discussion has been an interesting read coming from a tourist beach in Cornwall. I normally read and learn from the posts, rarely needing to add to the discussions, but I think that the tourist tax has a place in modern tourism.
Our village provides tourist facilities, including 7 new toilets for tourists and lifeguards for the season, the cost of which is borne by the council tax payers.
The 5 free clifftop car-parking areas are now heavily used by 'wildcamping' motorhomes/vans, with no real benefit to the local economy and the national trust employing a man to check and clean them in the morning.
The level of holiday/second homes has increased dramatically in the last few years with around 40% of the houses on our hill becoming used for a only few weeks a year.
The council funds lifeguards on the beaches from council tax, again from the locals pockets, it goes on...
Tourism here is only a part time business, giving minimum wage for at most, a few weeks of the year. Saturday cleaning of a second home for a few week will never replace a year round job.
I do love the thought that people have such a great time visiting here and have childhood memories that draw them back as adults, but when the roads are clogged or I can't just walk the dog on the beach in the morning because the council has banned them after 7am until October, then I really don't think any amount of 'they would be worse off without us' comments make the situation any better.
I have believed for a long time that a modest tourist tax, similar to the one we pay in France on sites, would help to fund our toilets, our lifeguards, our beach cleaning, litter-bins, landscape planting and maybe even make the place a better one for everyone.
Second homes kill the very thing that their owners are buying into, adding more sprawling housing estates, in the place of a living coastal village.
Us 'vanners that use sites out of the high season are really helping to support communities, keeping towns and villages more viable when the shop or cafe may otherwise close for lack of trade and not be there even in the busy 'tourist' season.
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I have only wild camped once on a 3 week fishing trip in Scotland with a caravan. Being solo the toilet emptying was not a great concern. I used 2 or 3 sites for an odd night, an offered manhole on somebody's drive and the odd public toilet. I was not trying to save money just needed some time to myself a few years after my wife's death.
Sadly though I would never be supportive of CC providing facilities for servicing motorhomes as I feel it might cause problems for local folk.
When I wild camped I was twice within about 200 yards of a home. On each occasion I dropped in so that they were aware that I was not a problem. If they had seemed concerned I would have moved on. I was invited in by both. One cost me a bottle of 10 or 12 year old Aberlour shared after an evening meal.
Lovely kind folk. 0 -
I do wonder if Scotland's 'right to roam' policy has been interpreted by some as right to camp. I was disapointed to see several folk camping at Sandaig the home of Gavin Maxwell, author of Ring of bright water. When we visited this time I thought it had lost some of its magical appeal. Although it's a nice walk in a lovely area I wish, in a way, I hadn't gone back.
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Well said, Dogbluwater.
I've been pointing out for years that it is Council Tax payers who fund the lifeguards and pay for the grand clear up in places like Newquay. In an area of poor wages and high housing costs it's no joke that we have sky high Council Tax bills, and we won't even talk about water charges!
I have an inkling as to the whereabouts of the cliff top parking areas you mention. They seem to be permanently inhabited by the same vans each time we pass.
Already there are clamp downs on second home ownership and their Council Tax relief and I have to say I consider that a positive move. I'm happy to share our county with those who come here to enjoy it but, please, act responsibly and don't abuse the landscape and facilities or I fear the tourist tax will become a reality.
Welcome, all, but treat us and our county as you would your own.
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It would be a case of the goodies paying partly because of the baddies, Easy.
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Quite right, One, but at least it helps ensure the council's costs are met so that the rest of the Council Tax payers aren't subsidising second home ownership.
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But the street lights still have to be provided, the bin lorry still has to call, the roadway still has to be maintained etc etc.
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