The NPA yesterday confirmed a move to ban roadside camping in some parts of the area. It has now emerged it could be extended if the pilots are successful.The NPA aims to introduce camping by-laws to ban camping in certain areas, while setting up informal camp sites with toilet and litter facilities in others.
The first areas to be targeted are East Loch Lomond, Loch Lubnaig, Loch Venachar and Luss and if successful are set to be introduced elsewhere, the authority said.
Anyone do a bit of cycling and wild camping around there? I've wild camped up at Balmaha in the summer and it does get pretty wild!
Don't like the principle of banning wild camping, but Loch Lomondside needs it.
The whole length of the west highland way path along the east side is punctuated with bags of litter, dirty nappies, burnt out fire places etc.
Does set a slightly worrying precedent though, how long before Glen Nevis/Glen Etive face similar bans?
wild camping is not parking your car in the carpark and putting up a tent, this is no surprise 🙄
I've stumbled across plenty of "interesting" campsites in some pretty remote locations in the area so they wont just be restricting camping next to car parks and roads as they would be missing a lot of the people they're trying to target.
This has been coming for a while. some areas get overused - and some are informal party sites. Not so bad if this happens
while setting up informal camp sites with toilet and litter facilities in others.
Interesting to see how this pans out. The right to wild camp is specifically included in the Scottish Land Reform Act.
Shame but the area is a magnet for a$$holes of all descriptions and this has surely been coming for a long time. Gave up windsurfing at Milarrochy becuse of the jetskiing contingent - have they banned that yet?
Worst experience was at a beach up the east side on a Saturday night about 4 years ago. Me and a mate had taken a run up in the car, parked next to a beach and went for a walk. We came back to the beach and had a chat for a while on the sand. It was getting dark and we decided to head home but my mate discovered he'd dropped his keys in the sand and we couldn't find them 🙄
The horde of bams that were camped on the beach were taking an interest in us by that point and started staggering over to where we were looking for the keys.
6 hours of hell followed which included them accusing us of stealing their axe 😆 and trying to start a fight and having to endure their relentless hard house and pish chat, before it was finally light enough to find the keys!
The bams have well spoiled it for everyone else. The rangers are all now special constables and the police patrol the loch in the summer too.
Nearly been run over in a kayak and had "ya couple of fannys" shouted at us as we asked a doof doof car to turn their music down.
The campsites need formalised/banned American style.
Axes and wood cutting equipment should be confiscated on arrival. YOU do NOT NEED an axe to have a fire.
Wood supply and more Rubbish collection points could be operating. Making idiots use them would be more problematic. You basically have to take these people by the hand.
I really only go in winter when it's quiet and bam free.
Wouldn't it be simpler just to put a big wall up round Glasgow?
Wouldn't it be simpler just to put a big wall up round Glasgow?
Someone was going to say it - glad it weren't me 😆
Wouldnt it be better if we removed all the bams from glasgow and put them in special towns....opps, they tried that many years ago, but they reappeared. 😀
About time something was done about the genetic filth washing up on the shores of Loch Lomond, getting pished up, playing banging choonz you can hear from the other side of the loch, chopping down trees (as not smart enough to know that green wood won't burn)then ****ing back off from where they came, leaving litter, shit and needles everywhere.
It's a shame it's come to this but as there are no absolute rights in the Land Reform Act, each right is balanced by a responsibility and if people as a whole aren't exercising their rights responsibly then something has to be done.
[i]Wouldn't it be simpler just to put a big wall up round Glasgow? [/i]
I think you just hit the nail on the head!
I'd be happy if "wild camping" meant you had to be at least 1km from a public road. Yes - that would help clean up the sewer that Glen Etive has become too.
We used to camp in Glen Etive about 15 years ago, hardly anyone there and just small groups of people out enjoying the hills. The only sign anyone had been there was a bit of flattened grass and maybe some tyre tracks at the edge of the road. Was down there last summer and it couldn't have changed more - loads of people, loads of mess, loads of fire circles in the grass. It's sad to put an absolute prohibition on anything but if people won't behave responsibly then I can't see what else you can do.
Plenty of other places where it's becoming a significant pressure as well - Menock Valley nr leadhills and the Meldons (nr Peebles) spring to mind.
The wild camping part of the LRA has been a bit of a failure IMO - well intentioned but too widely drafted and too many nobbers not acting responsibly.
Simple - restrict wild camping to people who get there on foot, by bicycle, or by horse.
Might mitigate it somewhat but there is a slight flaw in your argument e.g take the bus to Balmaha then walk the last km or so to Milarrochy.
Plenty of bothies have been stripped, torched and desecrated by folk who have walked a considerable distance to get there. The problem might be amplified at LL becuase of proximity but its not just the Glesga thing folk on here love to have a poke at.
You're right.
Maybe the answer is to create a purpose built fornicating forest and parkland close to Glasgae and put a few pubs in the middle - would be irresistible. 🙂