www.theguardian.com
welliesontheschoolrun.com
Having recently been all up the Outer Hebrides and visited much of the Highlands all I can say is I never encountered any personal ill felling. In the Hebrides all the comments I got were about being glad to see us back. The FB pages "The Land Weeps" and "The dirty truth" are run by white setters who in no way represent the indigenous people. For these who are wondering what a "white settler" is they are the people who move to a lovely peaceful area and then either try to pickle it in aspic or change it to their views. They do not and never will represent the people who have been born and brought up in these areas. If people move to a place and fit in without problems they are not "white settlers". This happens all over the UK, not just the Highlands and Islands.
Yes a well written thought provoking article by a thinking man, who seems void of any propaganda trashed out by our media. Ok I could complain about his comment about a van parking in a supermarket, or the no overnight parking signs that only make matters worse, but on this occasion I won’t, because these comments are an attempt to balance out things in a fair and equitable manner.Poo, Potholes and Park-Ups - Why Highlanders Are Tired of Scotland's North Coast 500 Route · Gail Anthea Brown
Wild camping, overnight park-ups and over-tourism. The North Coast 500's detrimental impact on the communities who live along the route.
It seems like articles on the NC500 are like busses with several coming along at once. This second article is particularly well written and although aimed at wildcampers in general, I can't help feeling the underlying bias is still aimed against people in vans. Although most of the problems listed (supermarket parking aside) are probably down to people without on board facilities and not being able to deal with a lack of infrastructure in the area. But then again.. i suppose a lack of infrastructure is what most people find appealing (myself include, if I'm being honest). I also felt the tone changed midway through the replies with the considered message from Cameron McNeish when the article writer admitted to owning a campervan as well as being a local.
I suspect that is especially true in Cornwall. I would guess that some Londoners with second homes down there are often very vocal especially as they gain no income from our presence
Well said and I couldn’t agree more.
Nail on the head, spot on Mac.
In CAMpRA we are very aware of this. Most of the leadership are used to being able to go offgrid and wish to continue to do so. We are trying to get safe overnight parking in places where the pressures are to ban us. If we don't do anything there will soon be no free places left. We quote Hawick as a great template as it is free and has been shown to boost trade in the town. We need all the help we can get to keep the places we love to stop.
I agree, I hate all this negativity. The ferries do a good job of effectively rationing the number of visitors on each island and that is to the advantage of both the visitors and the islanders. You only need to try to visit Skye in the high season to see how unlimited access has spoiled many parts of the island... just try to park to walk in to the hills from the Glenbrittle road.
I reckon simply giving priority to the islanders on standbye would have been fairer. Yet again we are singled out for special treatment. I fully appreciate that islanders sometimes need unplanned visits to the mainland, and I support them being treated differently, but to say a car should be given preference over us is clearly wrong. And the fact that these problems have in part been created by the very people who have decided this makes, matters even worse.
Much as I loved Skye, this was the very reason why I stopped going there a couple of years after the damned bridge was opened!
