North Coast 500: Signs warns visitors to stay away

Signs have been put up on a stretch of the North Coast 500 driving route, which includes this stretch on the A83 near Bettyhill, Sutherland, warning tourists to stay away. PIC: Peter Moore/geograph.org/Creative Commons. | Other 3rd Party

Signs have been placed along the popular North Coast 500 driving route in the Highlands warning tourists to stay away.

The notices have appeared on the Sutherland stretch of the popular route that covers the north and west Highlands ahead of the Easter weekend.

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Motorhomes and caravans have been urged to go home amid the Crononavirus outbreak.

The sign stress that local small shops and hospitals cannot cope with extra visitors to the area.

Jim Johnston, from Bettyhill Community Council, said a surge in vistors a few weeks ago as people started to go into isolation had caused alarm among residents.

Mr Johnston told BBC Scotland: "It was surprisingly active right at the start of the lockdown here and that caused a degree of anxiety locally.

"People felt that maybe these people were fleeing from fear of the virus further south and intended to come up here and avoid it, but that would endanger those who do live here."

While visitors are being asked to stay away, there is some concern over the future of the vital tourism industry in the area.

The 516-mile route generated £22.8m for the Highland economy in 2018, according to Glasgow University’s Moffat Centre for Tourism.

The Scottish Government has urged people not to travel to second homes or rural areas amid the outbreak.

One resident Joyce Campbell said the route was "absolutely silent" apart from a few essential workers.

She told the broadcaster: "Last year you could have sat here and every two minutes there would have been a car or a campervan past, many of them coming to spend their money in the local economy.

"So it's a real concern for the businesses that really rely upon that tourist income in such a fragile rural economy as ours."

Small businesses can apply for financial support from the Scottish Government on premises that have a rateable value up between 18,000 and £51,000 a year . A £25,000 grant is available for such enterprises with rates relief also in place.