Loch Lomond&Trossachs National Park camping Laws
Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park camping by-laws come into force
New seasonal by-laws have come into force restricting camping around Loch Lomond and in the Trossachs.
Camping in four management zones in popular areas between March and September will require a permit or booking a campsite pitch.
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park said the move was to protect the area from antisocial behaviour, including littering and fireraising.
Ramblers Scotland say there will not be enough pitches to cope with demand.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-39117802
Comments
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Not surprised as this is the sort of thing that gets left behind by "campers".
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The ramblers spokesperson, in my view, seems to be missing the point when he says ther are now only 300 camping places, when previously up to 800 tents had been recorded. Surely the reason for these restrictions is to limit impact on the environment and make the area an enjoyable place to visit. It is just an unfortunate fact of life, that in parts of our country the number of people that want to visit at certain times is too high. We can either allow this to continue, resulting in the destruction of what we are going there to see. Or introduce controls as has been done in this case.
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When you see the banks of Loch Lomond littered with drinks cans and takeaway food rubbish it's about time things changed. Years ago it was a relatively peaceful, unspoilt area to visit but it's been a victim of it's own popularity. There are still places where you can escape the crowds especially out of the main holiday season. I hope the new rules work.
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Again its the inconsiderate few that spoil it for the rest. I don't like to see restriction imposed but neither do I like to see litter and destruction to our lovely open spaces.
In our village we have the river Tay running through, we have a small sandy beach which is lovely for folk to go and sit when the weather is nice, sadly it has become a place where a few young folk go and drink, drugs and BBQ on open fires. They leave broken bottles and needles behind, along with other unmentionable things that should only be in a toilet. So now young families cannot take their little ones to it which is such a shame, imagine this in the size of The Trossachs and you can understand why they have made the decision the have.
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We haven’t been to this area for years, simple too many people crowding into too small an area for our liking; leading to destructive pressures on the very environment that attracted us there in the first place.
However given sheer number of humans now inhabiting the planet, I think we all need to admit, that we are all part of such problems, wherever they manifest themselves.
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I think we need to start with the very young everywhere and stop the littering - the grounds of a school near here are an absolute disgrace so how can we expect an improvement. And I am not saying it's up to the teachers - it should of course start before school. I agree that the spokesperson from the Ramblers was missing the point. There are definitely a lot of inconsiderate wild campers around.
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I used to fish one of the Perthshire lochs which had an area frequented by picnickers and by and large they tidied up after themselves.
On one occasion a Rolls Royce with 4 people in their 70's pulled up and they enjoyed a very upmarket picnic with bottles of champagne etc. They packed it all away into a black bin bag and then just chucked it to one side and proceeded to turn the car round to drive off.
A fellow angler, who was closer to them, raced over and picked up the bag of rubbish and shoved it through the drivers open window with a few choice words about where he would deposit it if he found it dumped elsewhere. So it is not only youngster who need educated.
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It'll be Interesting how they'll police the no wild camping in motorhomes. The words say: "It shall be an offence for any person to sleep overnight in a stationary vehicle within a Management Zone".
"Sleeping officer? Moi? I was simply reading my book with the blinds closed!"
Robert
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We live within a 30 minute drive of Loch Lomond. The mess left by some campers and picnicers is terrible.
When our daughter was young (5-15 years) ( 27- 17 years back) OH and her Mother used to organise a picnic or two by the Loch either at the start of or at the end of summer, before schools were on holiday, or once the main schools had resumed. So much quieter then.
Even then they found stuff like nappies, human excrement, and general rubbish left behind.
Back then, in the picnic areas there were no toilets provided, so quite what people were meant to do if spending a day there I have no idea. OH and Mum/daughter only went for a few hours.
Now, there are toilets, but this is a recent addition. This is a beautiful area, near to a large centre of population, the council should expect then that people will visit and therefor provide the appropriate facilities.
The Ramblers and wild campers are presumably au fait with digging latrines etc and taking their rubbish with them, but I do think that the appropriate facilities need to be provided to allow the general populous to enjoy what is on their doorstep.
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In the 90s we thought of renting a little whitewashed farmhouse on the north eastern shore of Loch Lomond accessible only by boat or several miles along the West Highland way. Unbelievable mess left by walkers in and around the barn and the house had metal grills which hadn't stopped anyone. And sadly many had not dug latrines. I am not sure how they could police the West Highland Way as there are long stretches of beautiful path being ruined by the selfish. That cottage was rented by a Pop group and has changed hands a few times since rather sad.
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