It’s been 10 years since the North Coast 500 was officially launched as a 516-mile tourist trail around the Highlands.
The company that markets the route couldn’t have foreseen that it would become one of the top road trips in the world, akin to Route 66, in just a decade.
North Coast 500 Ltd says it’s committed to “promoting responsible, sustainable tourism and fostering positive relationships between visitors and the communities of the North Highlands.”
But such an accelerated rate of success also brings challenges, with the effects mostly felt by people living in previously quiet rural communities.
Our reporters Alex Banks and Alberto Lejarraga completed the North Coast 500 as part of a project exploring its impact.
They spoke to locals, tourists and businesses including Robin Pettigrew, the administrator of the Facebook group NC500 The Dirty Truth.
The forum was set up to expose the issues brought by overtourism in 2020 and has now grown to 17,000 members.
Mr Pettigrew, 74, is “not against tourism”; however, he claims “disrespectful” tourists are ruining communities across the North Coast 500.
The engineer and blacksmith moved from Yorkshire to Lochcarron in Wester Ross 19 years ago.
He explained that when he first moved, “there was a slower pace of tourism”.
“People came and stayed several days in B&Bs and hotels or in a campsite.
“We’d stop and chat with people and it was fine.”
However, he claims that after the NC500 was launched, visitors are now driving through and stopping one night in each place due to the new “fast food mentality to hospitality.”
NC500 The Dirty Truth admin says they are not ‘tourist-hating, demon-spawn, motorhome haters’
NC500 The Dirty Truth was created in July 2020.
At that time, Covid lockdown restrictions were constantly changing and travelling abroad could mean quarantining for several days. A full international travel ban was later imposed.
As a result, there was a boom in ‘staycations’ – and the North Coast 500 “exploded” in popularity.
“We started seeing hundreds and hundreds of vehicles parking up and blocking out the villages.
“We were desperate as they parked up along our verges all over our common grazing and crapped in our gardens.”
Mr Pettigrew says he is “not against tourism”, admitting that “sustainable” tourism is a significant part of the local economy.
However, in recent years there has been an increase in badly behaved tourists.
It led to the introduction of North Coast 500 Ltd’s visitor pledge, which urges visitors to respect the environment, support local communities, engage with the community and promote responsible tourism.
Mr Pettigrew continued: “My position is very clear; I am not against tourism.
“Responsible, sustainable tourism is a significant part of our economy and should be encouraged, but we’ve always had that.
“Our problem is that since the inception of the NC500 and the promotion of it as a great world-class road trip, we’ve had substantial numbers of vehicle-based camping.
“And it’s not just motorhomes or camper vans, it’d be wrong to pick on them in isolation.
“A lot of people think we’re some kind of tourist-hating, demon-spawn, motorhome haters, – but we’re not.”
‘Human faeces, blocked public toilets and urinating in front of the houses’
Mr Pettigrew explained that “a lot of” people with motorhomes, camper vans or roof tents and car campers, “don’t understand what they’re coming to.”
As a result, he claims some badly behaved tourists are “disrespecting” the environment and the local communities.
“Stuff like dumping their toilet cassettes into the environment.
“We’ve had them dumping their drains over the road and into the water,” he said.
He recalls seeing the nearby town of Applecross “completely trashed” a few years ago.
Applecross has hit the headlines in recent years, after claims it was considering ‘withdrawing’ from the North Coast 500.
He explained: “There was human excrement all over the place, toilet paper.
“We used to go to the beach regularly to take the dogs out, and it just got absolutely impossible and unsafe to go anywhere near it.
“I’ve got photographs where there’s literally dozens of people camping in the bay area and the place was covered in human faeces; it was disgusting.”
The group’s administrator added that public toilets across the route are often “clogged up” by motorhome owners dumping their cassette waste into the toilet.
Residents along the NC500 claim there are currently more than 20 public toilets out of service.
Mr Pettigrew said: “We’ve got a really good public toilet in Lochcarron, but people park up and urinate over the embankment in front of our houses.
“It happens regularly every week right through the season.
“It’s just gross. I had one guy who came in on a bike, parked his bike over there got a toilet rolling and went round in the bushes in front of my house for a crap.”
North Coast 500 Ltd condemns “irresponsible waste disposal or disrespectful behaviour towards local communities”.
‘No homes for locals’ due to Airbnb boom
Another issue NC500 locals are experiencing is the lack of affordable housing due to the holiday let boom.
The Lochcarron resident claims: “People who are looking for investment see the NC500 as this big success. Houses are being snapped up for Airbnbs.
“Last year, year we were literally watching wrecks being snapped up for stupid money, which means the housing stock is rapidly disappearing.
“The local youngsters can’t live here because they can’t afford to buy a house.”
Mr Pettigrew added that there is a false assumption that tourism is creating jobs.
He said: “It’s not creating more jobs because there’s nowhere to house the workforce.
“People can’t get houses; doctors, care home workers, nurses, the ambulance people.
“We had one guy looking for six months for a home, living up here until someone took pity on him.
“If you look at the employment figures, there’s so many hundreds and hundreds of unfilled vacancies up because they can’t house the workers.
“Therefore, they can’t fill the jobs, so all this business about creating wealth and jobs is rubbish, absolute rubbish.”
North Coast 500 Ltd refuted this claim, describing the housing shortage as ” a complex issue with multiple contributing factors”.
Development & Engagement Manager David Richardson added: “The discussion around sustainable housing solutions must take all factors into account rather than attributing the challenge solely to tourism-related accommodation.”
NC500 lay-bys converted into car parks
Mr Pettigrew explained that locals are campaigning for a vehicle-based levy.
Highland Council recently consulted residents on plans to charge visitors a 5% fee for overnight stays.
The outcome has yet to be decided, but it’s proposed that motorhomes and campervans which don’t stay on campsites are excluded from the scheme.
Mr Pettigrew said that campsites operate at 50% occupancy in the summer because visitors prefer to park in lay-bys overnight.
He explained: “Campsites are charging £20 to £30 a night but people don’t want to pay.
“Come up, enjoy yourself, but don’t trash our environment.”
David Richardson said: “The use of lay-bys for overnight parking is a broader issue beyond the NC500, involving national and local regulations.
“While businesses would clearly benefit from more visitors staying in approved campsites, motorists have the legal right to pull into lay-bys if necessary for safety reasons.”
In response to Mr Pettigrew’s claims that the North Coast 500 has resulted in overtourism, he added: “As a marketing organisation, North Coast 500 Ltd is committed to promoting responsible, sustainable tourism and fostering positive relationships between visitors and the communities of the North Highlands.
“While we do not have jurisdiction over policy or enforcement matters, we recognise the challenges that can arise with increased tourism and actively engage in initiatives to promote best practices.”
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