I know IABU.... Scottish Highlands tourism

[Firefightress1]

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.

@Trez1510 the phenomenon of retirees and second home incomers certainly isn’t peculiar to Scotland. Ask anyone in Cornwall or Pembroke or Co Antrim or the Costa del Sol or anywhere that’s beautiful to live. They’ll tell you the same. I’m not sure what difference the nationality has, the outcome is the same.

This thread is real eye opener- the whole of the country is seemingly overwhelmed with tourists. There must by literally millions of empty homes all over the UK as people move into holiday homes or take their tents or camper vans to the tourist places.

It would be interesting to see genuine numbers of bank holiday migrations, but I suppose it must be impossible to really know or work out, but it must be massive.

I live in London, and around here it seems normal, not a tourist area - but thinking about it, maybe a but quieter that normal so maybe this is a net donor area, and we have sent you lots of tourists

This is unbelievable. Who are these people who want nature on the one hand but do this vile sort of stuff? Disgusting.

Tbh that’s not just a Skye issue. All over the UK.

near us a new built estate is going up on the edge of the village and the prices are 50k above the average village property for the similar type.

village already isn’t affordable with current prices for people wanting to stay here, and even though house prices are going down the houses recently which have been listed have upped their valuations to match the new build prices.

Also when the site was approved it was with an additional primary school and some shops.

these have now been dropped so it’s just an overload onto the current village services.

anyway a long tangent to say I feel for you but the issues you have with housing are UK wide

The SNP passed a right to roam act, hence the destructive wild camping, when I imagine there are plenty of sites with toilets.

I imagine the Scottish government are far too busy fighting about trans issues to bother about real problems

I've seen lay-by's in NZ similarly draped in toilet roll and disgusting litter. Our problem was exacerbated by freedom campers converting hatchback cars with beds and travelling around for months spending very little.

A range of measures have been brought in - bans on camper vans without self contained toilets, bans on sleeping in vehicles in some areas and better facilities.

I can't believe people are being called NIMBY's cos they don't want tourists shitting everywhere.

I get the concerns about right to roam and wild camping. But in Scotland it does not apply to motor homes, Camper vans or enclosed areas.

so if people are doing that it’s a case of it needs enforcement by police Scotland (and that is probably a problem in itself)

Perhaps the question is, if these people in their current numbers, behaved with respect for their surroundings, ie took their litter with them, didn't scorch grass with bbqs, wash out their stuff in the Loch, would their presence still be resented?

If 'locals' didn't sell to 'outsiders' in the first place, villages would be still be viable. Of course people have the right to sell their property to the highest offer, and most will. It's unreasonable to ask the rest of us to subsidise economically failing villages.
As for people shitting in verges etc, of course that's unreasonable.

And that as a result, Scots suffer with depression more than the English further south.

Hi @Trez1510 , "English" living in rural Scotland here wondering if you could clarify whether DH and I are welcome or should go back where we came from.

We are still of child producing age but due to DH's previous cancer treatment are needing some extra help to conceive. If we don't manage it before my ovaries finally give up the ghost should we pack up and take our useless, barren selves elsewhere?

We bought our flat (after it being on the market for 6 months) mostly using money from my mum's share of my late grandad's 2 bed semi in Fife, which I think you're saying is ok, but with a small contribution from my dad who unfortunately earned his money in That London. Does the latter override the former in terms of acceptability?

We both do jobs that our respective organisations (public sector and charity) find hard to recruit for. My job had to be readvertised originally as they needed 2 people and I was the only 1 suitable applicant. DH's only competition for his job was a South African lady, not sure if that's better or worse than The English? Anyway I suppose what I'm suggesting is perhaps there could be a special visa we could apply for for low paid unpopular work - I hear the Tories in government down south have some interesting ideas about that which would allow employers to get some benefit from us without us acquiring any sort of rights or ability to stay past our usefulness. You might want to have a chat with Suella, she's got some ideas you'd find yourself getting on very well with.

Wild camping doesn't apply to motor homes .... but in a lot of cases it is legal to park on a car park or lay-by and stay overnight

The problem shouldn't be someone legally parking overnight, moving on and leaving no trace

The problem is inconsiderate parking , hogging parking areas , leaving litter blocking roads

I agree this thread has become embarrassing now. House price inflation and large tourist numbers is a global issue but apparently that's no barrier to a xenophobic rant.

I live near Skye too. There are many more tourists visiting. The holiday season is much longer too now. We just don’t have the infrastructure for the tourists. Highland council needs to spend money but since pot holes are never dealt with why should we expect money to be spent on helping tourists have a better experience. Broadford is also not getting an additional school but a brand new school.

I’m on the fence about this. If tourists are a problem, why aren’t local councils paying for more traffic wardens and bin emptiers several times a day at peak season? A local council up north has just imposed a hotel tax which could pay for things like this, and afaik local councils can limit AirBnB style lets. We are currently on holiday now and the local beaches all have BBQ disposal areas, so you can safely get rid of your BBQ. Why aren’t you demanding more of your local councillors?

It’s not unreasonable to want to go on holiday, and the idea that we’ll all stay happily in a crappy B and B or overpriced hotel has long gone.

I never said it was ok for your grandchildren to be bullied over their accent. It was just an example of that sort of idiocy working both ways.

As for calling me "Uncle Tom" carry on making a fool of yourself and showing your true colours.

Umm actually the right to roam (actually a right of responsible access) was Passed in the first Scottish parliament, so a labour/lib Dems coalition....

@manontroppo i think part of the issue is that people always think what they are doing is on the right side of the line, but it is other people who are the problem. “I was fine when I was a tourist, but tourists now are worse”

or if you look at home owners there is a spectrum from “I was born in the village” through to “I was from the local town and moved out” to “I am from England and moved here to work” then “I moved here to retire” and then “I love it here so bought a second home”. Wherever people sit on this spectrum they seem to view that as the line of acceptability and everything beyond that as ruining it.

There are some people who are awful with litter, but in the main the tourists I come across are much as they always were (ok there are more, but there are more people bloody everywhere). I think the OP is just now looking at it through a locals lens. (When she was a tourist she was fine 😉)

I think the sale of disposable barbecues should be banned.

They are a fire hazard as directly on the ground, generate huge waste of valuable finite resources, and are a health hazard: the food just gets covered in carcinogenic soot as the grill is so close to the charcoal, and there isn’t enough of it to burn to a good hot charcoal bed.

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

What a bizarre idea

Oh look little engalanders, sorry scotlanders complaining about tourism which brings money in. With the economy up the creek, you would think they would be grateful. This insular, small island mentality seems to be getting worse in this country.

Blame the Scottish government for not providing facilities for tourists. It’s their job to promote tourism and make money for the economy. But I guess they are too busy worrying about how dudes can call themselves women. That takes precedence.

Sad to hear this as we’ll be on holiday in Scotland this summer including a week on Skye.

I would say in the tourists defence
a) you can’t easily get to Skye without a car - and touring it you absolutely need one (there’s no airport nearby).
b) the accommodation is super expensive and to get it you seem to have to book months in advance

so I can understand why there are so many camper vans..

Still you’d think the local authorities would be well aware of this as well. Such a shame that they want the tourism but aren’t prepared to pay for the infrastructure to go with it.

Tourists showing no consideration for others and local customs/practices, agree is unacceptable. Unreasonable to complain about volumes or be surprised at them on a four day bank holiday weekend with OK weather.

I hope if the OP goes to the Med for a holiday they are not the kind of person who expects only 'British' food and never speaks a word of the local language.

I went to Skye once about 12 years ago and despite how lovely it is, hated how busy and crammed with motorhomes it was. I can imagine it has only got much worse.
It's a twin issue (in many many places) of lack of infrastructure for the numbers of visitors and poor behaviour arising from mass tourism.
I think we need the domestic tourism market but how we make it work for visitors and residents I don't know.

On South Coast here.busy from mar /Apr to October!in New forest not far away. 40mph limit still people exceeding this ponies Hurt .lots of litter. On our well known seaside town. Beaches strewn with rubbish . Some woodland destroyed by fires.i think you have a rosy view when you move somewhere you enjoyed on holiday. My dp did the same when we decamped from London!