There is an obvious way to tackle 'dirty campers' - build more toilets
It is a difficult debate because I can understand the frustration on both sides - but surely building more facilities is the answer here?
It is becoming an almost yearly occurrence in Scotland. Just as the Edinburgh Festivals roll around every summer, so do the complaints about “bad” tourists.
This is even more compounded when it comes to the great outdoors and the Highlands.
For example, Loch Leven nature reserve in Kinross-shire is restricting access at weekends after “significant” levels of “human waste, litter, fires, damage to vegetation and wildlife disturbance”.
Secondly, a petition has been lodged at the Scottish Parliament to introduce enforcement teams and fines to tackle “dirty campers” on the North Coast 500.
I am often pretty conflicted when I do these stories as a journalist. On the one hand, I completely understand locals’ frustration. On the other hand, I understand (to a certain extent) why people do this.
It is difficult to get into the mindset of someone who does not think twice about emptying their campervan’s chemical waste at the side of the road. I have seen human waste and used sanitary pads at the side of the road in the Highlands, and it boggles the mind.
But at the same time, if there are no facilities nearby, that is what is going to happen. If that person had the option of using an actual toilet, they almost certainly would.
When I did the NC500, I stopped in a village once and asked about the toilets. Despite being the middle of the day in the middle of summer, they were closed and I was told the nearest one was 40 miles away. At this point, what are tourists really supposed to do?
I also have an app on my phone pinpointing public toilets. It is a fantastic tool, especially in big cities, but if you try turning it on in the Highlands it is just … blank. There is nothing there.
This is clearly a problem here and now, and no amount of telling people they cannot go to the toilet or dump their waste at the side of the road is going to stop them if there is no facility for it.
Often this is left to local businesses and communities to sort, and that in itself is a problem. Who pays for it? Who is responsible for the upkeep?
That can sometimes mean costs for using the toilet or dumping chemical waste.
While I understand businesses are struggling to make ends meet, and I definitely understand it is a lot to ask of volunteers, the cost of a staycation is astronomical. I can sympathise why people want to cut costs as much as they can, and not want to pay for these facilities.
This is why I am conflicted. “Dirty campers” are disgusting, but often there are no facilities available so I am reluctant to blame these tourists too much.
Affordable and accessible toilets, waste facilities and aires might not seem like an issue government should be getting tied in knots about - after all, there are much bigger issues ministers and local councillors need to grapple with right now. But it is difficult to see how this problem is going to get any better without some more thought on this issue.
Maybe tourist taxes are the answer here so there is more money available to spend on things like this. But doing nothing means nothing will change and we will be having the same conversations with the same disgruntled Highlanders in 2027.
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