A PARENT living in the Highlands has hit out at the “lack of respect” shown by visitors after a campervan driver used a primary school car park full of parents to stop for a toilet trip in the bushes.
Mum-of-two Stacey French lives in Dores, close to Loch Ness, and is frustrated with the mess being brought by motorhomes to the area.
The National recently reported on an artist’s concerns over tourists going to the toilet on the famous Morar beach, close to Arisaig, over the bank holiday weekend. She reported “shocking scenes” in the scenic coastal villages, with visitors burning grasslands and stealing parts of crofters’ fences to start fires.
READ MORE: 'An absolute disgrace': Artist's plea to Highland tourists after 'shocking' scenes
French was waiting at Aldourie Primary School when a campervan entered the car park – two men got out of the vehicle and relieved themselves on the grounds. One man used an area designed for pupils to learn about nature.
French said she had encountered problems with campervans in the area, but this incident left her in “total shock”.
“The first guy got out and ran up the bank into land that was gifted to the school by another parent’s family and is now used by the children to learn about nature,” she recalled.
“The other guy ran behind a car and a few bushes and literally went against a joiner’s shed – it’s a place of work, there are even signs there to say so.
“When I challenged the guy he said he was ‘bursting’, I was just astonished. There’s a toilet on board but he said he would have to pay extra to the hire company if he used it.
“It’s a sheer lack of respect for those of us who live here, just to save a bit of money.”
READ MORE: Gerry Hassan: Dirty camping in Scotland is a symptom of a worldwide problem
There have long been complaints about over-tourism in the Highlands with residents reporting that the rural infrastructure can’t cope with the traffic.
However one campervan owner said visitors are unfairly targeted. After someone left a note on his van telling him not to leave his waste water in Gairloch, he insisted he was a “responsible tourist”.
“I found this targeted encounter creepy and accusatory,” he told the Press and Journal. “Please stop this passive vigilante behaviour of innocent tourists.”
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