National Trust for Scotland (NTS) warns of wildfire risk posed by litter louts at Torridon, Kintail and West Affric sites in the Highlands
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Reckless campers are risking a devastating wildfire in the Torridon area, the National Trust for Scotland has warned.
The charity issued the stark warning as it launched an appeal to help it tackle increased littering and damage caused by irresponsible camping at its Torridon, Kintail and West Affric sites.
Operations manager, Will Boyd-Wallis, said: “Irresponsible camping has become an issue throughout the glen at Torridon. Our rangers have found visitors not properly disposing of litter or human waste, chopping down young trees and lighting fires in the woods.
“There is a risk of a serious wildfire like the one we suffered in 2011, where six people had to be airlifted to safety and an area of nine square miles was devastated.
“Campfires can be a real danger at Torridon as there are heavily wooded areas. A donation today can help with more patrols in the area, encouraging visitors to use a stove (or wear an extra jumper if they’re feeling cold) rather than risk lighting a fire.”
Elsewhere, the trust said bothies at its Kintail estate had also been left in an unkempt state – with clean-up work made more difficult by the buildings’ remote locations.
“There are bothies throughout the glens at Kintail to be used responsibly by walkers,” said ranger Willie Fraser. “Unfortunately, this hasn’t always been the case recently.
“We’ve had people use our buildings as public toilets, making no effort to clear up after themselves.
“We’ve also found that people have left their camping equipment, litter and food waste behind.
“As some are over 10 miles from the road, clearing up is no easy task.”
The trust said the issues in Wester Ross were being repeated at sites across Scotland, and has launched a fundraising page at nts.org.uk/leave-no-trace
It said donations as small as £15 could help teams pick up the litter left behind, while £30 can help buy fire retardant varnish for wooden structures, and £55 can fund new signs to educate visitors of the need to leave no trace and respect the outdoors.
