Page 5 | I know IABU.... Scottish Highlands tourism

Firefightress1 · 2023-04-08T19:31:47+00:00

I know IABU as we were tourists before we moved to Skye but I'm absolutely gobsmacked by how busy it has been over the weekend. I know its not even the busiest time yet but I'm already struggling to get diesel to get to work and the coop is stripped bare. Had a campervan nearly drive into us earlier on the wrong side of the road at a junction and people parking in passing places on single track roads which means traffic is at a standstill. We always followed the rules and pulled in/let people overtake but there seems to be a new selfish version of a tourist. I know we need to get used to it but people just blatantly disregarding signage and peeing/sh*tting all over the place is just awful! I honestly don't remember it as bad as this when we were tourists but i guess we didnt live here then There are so many facebook groups trying to make improvements but the tour buses and guides still insist on stopping at closed sights and encouraging groups to force open gates and move cones to gain access. Its causing so many issues to wildlife and repair operations that are badly needed.

Citygirlrurallife · 08/04/2023 23:24

Gosh this thread makes me so sad. We’ve lived abroad for 10years, moved home last summer and I’ve been so excited for weekend trips around the U.K. to finally show it off to the DC

ProudToBeANorthener · 08/04/2023 23:28

Try living in the north of 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England; it’s been horrendous since Covid restrictions eased and lifted. We crave rain and cold to keep them at bay. They’re worse than midges and worse still leave litter and. everywhere. 😡

FairlySane · 08/04/2023 23:31

My family have lived in a village in Scotland now dubbed the poshest in Scotland. Over run with English retirees and English 2nd absentee home owners. More recently international art dealers have fucked the soul out of the place. What’s left for us ? 5 generations, and still being colonised. Fuck

Trez1510 · 08/04/2023 23:36

RideACockHorseToSunburyCross · 08/04/2023 23:16

"No second home till everybody have their first home for starters"

What does this mean? Surely a second home is exactly that?

I took it to mean ..... no second home for anyone until everyone has their first home.

Tauranga · 08/04/2023 23:36

I live in the borders which is still ignored by the majority of overseas tourists thank god.

KnackeredGoat · 08/04/2023 23:42

Please don’t think all tourists are the same. My family a few generations back are from Scotland and we’ve visited a few times.

We did the NC500 years ago before it became popular. It was stunning. We didn’t have a camper. We stayed in B&Bs, hotels, glamping pods etc along the way. We ate in local places and contributed to the economy everywhere we went. I would never leave litter or park anywhere other than a designated space.

I think the behaviour of people in general is much worse recently. There was a thread earlier about the theatre that had to call the police because people were singing and ruining the show, then kicked off when they were asked to stop. I don’t know why people are becoming so disrespectful but I think it has a lot to do with the ‘fast society’ we like in. Whatever we want is almost always instantly accessible. Shops, food, entertainment. People have forgotten how to be patient and respectful.

MrsAvocet · 08/04/2023 23:51

and of course @Firefightress1you’ll be waiting for me to point out that you’ve presumably taken one of the homes on Skye that locals can’t now afford to buy. So you’re part of the problem!
That isn't necessarily true. Rural areas often need new people. If the area where I live depended on locals to fill all the healthcare and teaching jobs for example there would be even bigger problems than there are already. In my experience people who move here and genuinely make it their home, contributing to the community and the economy, are welcomed.
What the local people object to is rows of houses that are empty for months on end, particularly if they are owned by absentee landlords. Where I live, a particular issue is that the small houses which would previously have been fairly inexpensive are the ones most likely to be used as holiday homes. It's still relatively easy to find bigger homes here, but the type of places that would typically have been bought by first time buyers in the past are like hens' teeth. And there are lots of knock on effects which affect the permanent residents, like falling numbers in village schools and so on.
All communities need some population movement both inward and outwards to thrive but the problems arise when there is no genuine inward movement but enforced excessive outward movement.

MrsMoastyToasty · 08/04/2023 23:54

I live near Bath, the whole city is a World Heritage site. Tourists are in the millions each year and the infrastructure isn't really there. The roads were built for horses and carriages not 50 seater coaches.

Felixss · 08/04/2023 23:59

I've just been to Bute and west coast of Scotland to visit relatives. It's so packed unpleasant, I think since COVID people are holidaying more in the UK. I used to be able to hire accommodation for very cheap. I can't wait until it becomes unfashionable again and people piss off back abroad.

SaySomethingMan · 09/04/2023 00:04

MrsAvocet · 08/04/2023 23:51

and of course @Firefightress1you’ll be waiting for me to point out that you’ve presumably taken one of the homes on Skye that locals can’t now afford to buy. So you’re part of the problem!
That isn't necessarily true. Rural areas often need new people. If the area where I live depended on locals to fill all the healthcare and teaching jobs for example there would be even bigger problems than there are already. In my experience people who move here and genuinely make it their home, contributing to the community and the economy, are welcomed.
What the local people object to is rows of houses that are empty for months on end, particularly if they are owned by absentee landlords. Where I live, a particular issue is that the small houses which would previously have been fairly inexpensive are the ones most likely to be used as holiday homes. It's still relatively easy to find bigger homes here, but the type of places that would typically have been bought by first time buyers in the past are like hens' teeth. And there are lots of knock on effects which affect the permanent residents, like falling numbers in village schools and so on.
All communities need some population movement both inward and outwards to thrive but the problems arise when there is no genuine inward movement but enforced excessive outward movement.

A friend (English ) and his wife (Croatian) moved to Skye when they retired. They tried to fit in for two years but has to sell up and move back due to the hostility openly displayed towards them. They would greet and be ignored, walk into shops and people would swap from English to start Gaelic, while glaring at them. Not even their next door neighbours wanted to speak to them.

This was a few years ago though, so hopefully it’s better now. OP seems to feel welcome.

I think if you live in a touristy area, you should be grateful for tourists, because they bring a lot to the economy. Sure those who behave appallingly need to do better. However the way some people speak about tourists, you’d think they were disease-carrying vermin.

I live in a place with some beautiful walks and it can get very busy but i appreciate the difference the people who visit, make to our local economy.

Original poster

Firefightress1 · 09/04/2023 00:06

Hardbackwriter · 08/04/2023 22:57

Bit of a shame then that the person who sold your house to you chose to take your money rather than a local buyer, isn't it?

Show quote history

Not really when we have made a life here and are locals . They stipulated it was not to be a holiday let.

OP posts:

pleasehelpwi3 · 09/04/2023 00:10

I wonder if these NIMBYS feel the same way about other people's areas when they holiday in other popular places people live in....
I mean, have you seen the tourists with their suitcases on the tube? And as for anyone who isn't local going to Cornwall in the summer, how selfish is that?
I also wonder how many of those complaining about second homes voted for Corbyn, about the only politician who probably actually would have done something about them. (I've got a second home, well flat, not by choice, and yes I did vote for him.)
Yes tourists can be annoying, but unless you yourself have never been on holiday, don't take the holier than thou attitude. After all, take away the tourism in many places and you take away the jobs and the livelihoods (and the house prices.)
Not a Tory at all, indeed I'm a committed socialist but Norman Tebbit did have a point with his mischaracterised 'on yer bike speech' of the early 80s:

I grew up in the '30s with an unemployed father. He didn't riot. He got on his bike and looked for work, and he kept looking till he found it.

The point being that there isn't a god given right to live in an area, subsidised by the state, just because your family live there. People complain about second homes in Cornwall and Skye and places like that, which is understandable, but no-one ever complains about people in eg Brixton or Bermondsey in South London not being able to live where their families are from due to changing house prices, second homes, and gentrification. Are these people not white enough, or not middle class enough? Genuine question- or maybe people just think tough shit it's London?

In fact, the people with the largest amount of second homes- 25 according to this article- and all funded by our taxes- "belong" to the Royal Family.
https://www.purewow.com/entertainment/properties-owned-by-the-royal-family
I hope everyone moaning about second homes in tourist areas agrees with me that if we gave these parasites the boot there would be more money for better public services, including better jobs, training, housing and transport in places like Skye, Cornwall that would offer better paid jobs to locals- or anyone else for that matter- in these and other areas.

Just a bit of a rant, but it's so easy to moan at other people and feel smug, whilst all the while being totally hypocritical.

pleasehelpwi3 · 09/04/2023 00:10

I wonder if these NIMBYS feel the same way about other people's areas when they holiday in other popular places people live in....
I mean, have you seen the tourists with their suitcases on the tube? And as for anyone who isn't local going to Cornwall in the summer, how selfish is that?
I also wonder how many of those complaining about second homes voted for Corbyn, about the only politician who probably actually would have done something about them. (I've got a second home, well flat, not by choice, and yes I did vote for him.)
Yes tourists can be annoying, but unless you yourself have never been on holiday, don't take the holier than thou attitude. After all, take away the tourism in many places and you take away the jobs and the livelihoods (and the house prices.)
Not a Tory at all, indeed I'm a committed socialist but Norman Tebbit did have a point with his mischaracterised 'on yer bike speech' of the early 80s:

I grew up in the '30s with an unemployed father. He didn't riot. He got on his bike and looked for work, and he kept looking till he found it.

The point being that there isn't a god given right to live in an area, subsidised by the state, just because your family live there. People complain about second homes in Cornwall and Skye and places like that, which is understandable, but no-one ever complains about people in eg Brixton or Bermondsey in South London not being able to live where their families are from due to changing house prices, second homes, and gentrification. Are these people not white enough, or not middle class enough? Genuine question- or maybe people just think tough shit it's London?

In fact, the people with the largest amount of second homes- 25 according to this article- and all funded by our taxes- "belong" to the Royal Family.
https://www.purewow.com/entertainment/properties-owned-by-the-royal-family
I hope everyone moaning about second homes in tourist areas agrees with me that if we gave these parasites the boot there would be more money for better public services, including better jobs, training, housing and transport in places like Skye, Cornwall that would offer better paid jobs to locals- or anyone else for that matter- in these and other areas.

Just a bit of a rant, but it's so easy to moan at other people and feel smug, whilst all the while being totally hypocritical.

pleasehelpwi3 · 09/04/2023 00:11

I wonder if these NIMBYS feel the same way about other people's areas when they holiday in other popular places people live in....
I mean, have you seen the tourists with their suitcases on the tube? And as for anyone who isn't local going to Cornwall in the summer, how selfish is that?
I also wonder how many of those complaining about second homes voted for Corbyn, about the only politician who probably actually would have done something about them. (I've got a second home, well flat, not by choice, and yes I did vote for him.)
Yes tourists can be annoying, but unless you yourself have never been on holiday, don't take the holier than thou attitude. After all, take away the tourism in many places and you take away the jobs and the livelihoods (and the house prices.)
Not a Tory at all, indeed I'm a committed socialist but Norman Tebbit did have a point with his mischaracterised 'on yer bike speech' of the early 80s:

I grew up in the '30s with an unemployed father. He didn't riot. He got on his bike and looked for work, and he kept looking till he found it.

The point being that there isn't a god given right to live in an area, subsidised by the state, just because your family live there. People complain about second homes in Cornwall and Skye and places like that, which is understandable, but no-one ever complains about people in eg Brixton or Bermondsey in South London not being able to live where their families are from due to changing house prices, second homes, and gentrification. Are these people not white enough, or not middle class enough? Genuine question- or maybe people just think tough shit it's London?

In fact, the people with the largest amount of second homes- 25 according to this article- and all funded by our taxes- "belong" to the Royal Family.
https://www.purewow.com/entertainment/properties-owned-by-the-royal-family
I hope everyone moaning about second homes in tourist areas agrees with me that if we gave these parasites the boot there would be more money for better public services, including better jobs, training, housing and transport in places like Skye, Cornwall that would offer better paid jobs to locals- or anyone else for that matter- in these and other areas.

Just a bit of a rant, but it's so easy to moan at other people and feel smug, whilst all the while being totally hypocritical.

Dave7900 · 09/04/2023 00:12

Did you know that Scots are subjected to abnormally low barometric pressures more often than the English further south that cause depression among other this?

pleasehelpwi3 · 09/04/2023 00:15

sorry for three postings, it said server was down!

Dave7900 · 09/04/2023 00:15

Did you know that Scots suffer from abnormally low barometric pressures more often than the English further south?

Scottishdreams1991 · 09/04/2023 00:17

Still bbq marks on benches at aberdour from last year 😡

CorneyFlower · 09/04/2023 00:20

We're in Skye this Easter, visiting my DH's parents, and it is absolutely packed with campervans - and people who don't know how to drive on single track roads. The co-op in Portree looked like it had been hit by a plague of locusts on Thursday.

Window2muchlight · 09/04/2023 00:22

I've recently returned from holiday abroad, where there was zero litter !

I don't understand the issue the UK has with litter

I sometimes visit a UK tourist area that has lots of signs advising no fires, no BBQs, but people blatantly ignore the rules. Just why ?

We have enjoyed the NC500 in a campervan. Yes we contributed to the economy. Yes we mainly parked on campsites. We left no trace..

The councils should invest in more paid parking sites with facilities or aires & the money could go back into the local community.

I saw a cow in a field eating a bit of plastic rubbish, so sad

How to balance the environment versus humans ?

ChaToilLeam · 09/04/2023 00:28

I come from a wee town in the Highlands. Lots of reports of inconsiderate parking in lay-bys, emptying chemical toilets at the roadside and in lochs, and even hanging out washing on a village war memorial! I don’t understand such people.

bossonext · 09/04/2023 00:29

Dave7900 · 09/04/2023 00:15

Did you know that Scots suffer from abnormally low barometric pressures more often than the English further south?

And?

shazshaz · 09/04/2023 00:30

I live on an island - one road in and one road out connected to the mainland by a bridge. Come nice weather it can take 2+ hours to leave at peak time, fair enough- I have learnt not to hit the roads on a sunny Sunday afternoon. I've seen tourists leave soiled nappies under their cars and bags of rubbish by overflowing bins. Criminals also drive on to dump skip loads of rubbish in quiet lanes. I wouldn't do the same and struggle to understand the mentality of people who do. These people fail to understand that we are all in it together. Why treat one area like a rubbish dump just because you don't live in it. And ps to anyone who says one nationality is worse than another - guess what? We are all humans at the end of it, occupying the same piece of ground called Earth we should treat every inch as if it was your own garden.

KimberleyClark · 09/04/2023 00:32

We love Skye and have been holidaying there every year for the best part of a decade. We stay in a cottage, we spend plenty in the supermarket, restaurants etc but have noticed that more and more people don’t respect the passing places - and all the camper vans are so irritating.

DisquietintheRanks · 09/04/2023 00:39

Ah Schrodinger's tourists- who simultaneously take up too much local accommodation and not enough. And who don't contribute enough to the local community whilst stripping the shops bare.