'Dirty Camping' is an issue that unites SNP and Conservatives alike. The trashing of Scotland's countryside must stop – Kenny MacAskill

Wardens are now needed to protect Scotland’s countryside from ‘trash campers’ who desecrate beauty spots, writes Kenny MacAskill

Scotland's countryside, Glen Doherty on the North Coast 500 scenic route around the north coast, needs to be protected, says Kenny MacAskill (Picture: iStockphoto/Getty)

This week in the Scotsman, Murdo Fraser wrote about wild camping and access to land. We occupy different ends of the political spectrum, but some issues transcend it. For while coming at it from different angles, we still agree that action needs taken.

The right to roam runs deep in the Scottish soul. People were rightly angered by being excluded from land that they saw as their birthright and progress has been made by various Holyrood administrations.

But the rush to staycations has caused real issues not just for farmers but the environment. There were always idiots and the unthinking who damaged crops and frightened animals.

This though is far worse. Wild camping’s one thing, many doing it over the years and benefitting from it. But the abuse of beauty spots and a trashing of the countryside’s quite another. It’s not as if it’s just a few cans or some litter strewn about in a few locations, bad enough as that is.

Instead its tents left after use and general mayhem from trees being cut down to scenic areas desecrated, as well as RVs turning public car parks into caravan sites. It’s just not on.

The infrastructure isn’t there for it and much can’t be recycled. Remote spots don’t have the bins and discarded tents simply fill up landfill.

The bad weather may well be a salvation for now. But the issue remains and will likely return. For sure it requires education, but it also requires enforcement.

That won’t be easy given location and other pressures, but powers are needed, and wardens required. Perhaps, a tourist tax if needs be?

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Joy Yates

Editorial Director