{"id":25132,"date":"2021-03-12T16:21:11","date_gmt":"2021-03-12T16:21:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.walkhighlands.co.uk\/news\/?p=25132"},"modified":"2021-03-12T16:40:49","modified_gmt":"2021-03-12T16:40:49","slug":"getting-scotlands-outdoors-ready-for-busyness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.walkhighlands.co.uk\/news\/getting-scotlands-outdoors-ready-for-busyness\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Scotland\u2019s outdoors ready for busyness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Helen Todd, campaigns and policy manager at Ramblers Scotland, takes a look at efforts to ensure Scotland will be better prepared than last summer to cope with the pent-up demand for the great outdoors when lockdown is eased.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last summer, outdoor recreation in Scotland hit the headlines, but not always for the right reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After all the pain of the first Covid lockdown, it was uplifting to see so many people \u2013 especially beginners \u2013 enjoying the outdoors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, a major independent survey<\/a> published this month by the David Hume Institute (DHI) showed 36% of people in Scotland spent more time outside in nature last year than before. This will have had a fantastic impact on their health and wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, photos of abandoned tents, parking mayhem, human waste and piles of litter prompted justified complaints from outdoors fans and rural communities. That even resulted in calls from some quarters for a ban on \u2018wild camping\u2019 at hotspots – although often these actually referred to motorhomes in laybys, rather than tents covered by access rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That same DHI survey found 58% people in Scotland intend to spend more time outside in future, so the conundrum of how best to manage visitors isn\u2019t going away soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wild camping<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This increased demand equals a huge opportunity to boost rural economies and the nation\u2019s health. But with summer 2021 fast approaching and the ongoing pandemic and travel restrictions, there are likely to be some visitor management challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is a quick-fire run-down of how we ended up here, what\u2019s been going on behind the scenes to prepare for the busy summer and what we can all do as individuals to help.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The opportunity ahead<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re reading this Walkhighlands article, you won\u2019t need reminding how great it is to get active outdoors. It keeps you fit, reduces stress and it\u2019s fun. The impact of the pandemic has highlighted these benefits even more, especially for people stuck far from our beloved wild places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But as well as being good for our health, outdoor activities and trips significantly boost the economy. In February, NatureScot reported<\/a> that walkers and cyclists on Scotland\u2019s long distance paths, canal network and National Cycle Network together contribute \u00a31.91 billion of economic value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The dream of holidaying in the Highlands and Islands – but do we have the facilities? <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s not an outlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All those cups of tea, overnight stays, hiring of guides and last-minute purchases of waterproof trousers you forgot to bring add up to a staggering \u00a32.6 billion<\/a> from Scottish residents alone. Recreation is also a massive sector in Scotland\u2019s tourism industry, with walking tourism<\/a> contributing \u00a31.26 billion each year according to VisitScotland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So you\u2019d assume that having such a valuable industry, which benefits the whole country, boosts health and sustains thousands of small businesses would be seen as a national asset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sadly, that\u2019s not been the case. Scottish Government\u2019s funding for access<\/a> has flatlined for more than a decade at \u00a38.1million a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve been great at marketing our amazing scenery and outdoor activities. Unfortunately this hasn\u2019t been matched by supportive investment, leaving our infrastructure creaking at the seams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve seen the loss of ranger services<\/a> and access officers<\/a>, the closure of toilets, the reduction in low-cost campsites and the lack of facilities like car parks and well-maintained path networks which help to manage visitors at popular areas like the Old Man of Storr in Skye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vital public services: toilets at the Ben Lomond car park<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Covid challenge<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This all came to a head last summer when the nation was released from lockdown, often unable to travel abroad or go to the usual festivals and events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, many of us found it hard to book a cottage, hostel or hotel room in Scotland due to many places not being fully open. Instead, people did the obvious thing and rented a campervan or got a tent. Although the majority acted responsibly, the visitor pressures were so great that all sorts of problems arose, especially caused by those who lacked education in how behave in the outdoors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For years Ramblers Scotland and others have been calling for more support for the outdoor sector. In our view, this amounted to three elements:<\/p>\n\n\n\n