Shona Craven: How can we stop daft tourists driving local Scots crazy?

I checked my rear-view mirror. Could I reverse? Turn around? Find an alternative route that didn’t involve crossing four lanes of traffic? I hadn’t even had my breakfast. I wasn’t prepared for this.

My car Wendy is only small, but so am I, and from my vantage point I couldn’t determine the exact size or position of the box in the middle of the road where I could potentially sit while traffic on the far side of the road whizzed past. Luckily it was mid-morning on a Tuesday, and there was no-one behind me, so after a short wait for a total lull I was across the road and on my way. Wendy gradually picked up speed. I exhaled.

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Perhaps I should not have been relying on GPS to direct me. I could have plotted out my route in advance and checked for any hairy junctions, but to be honest I had no idea these even existed in Scotland, such is my lack of experience of driving around my own country.

I’m sure I’m not alone in having been daunted by unfamiliar road layouts, terrains and parking rules during the past year-and-a-bit, when limits on where we could go, how we could get there and who we could go with necessitated creative thinking by anyone seeking a getaway. Now, with restrictions mostly lifted but the booking of foreign holidays still an expensive gamble, familiar tourism tensions are surfacing.

Complaints about “over-tourism” had been growing before the pandemic, thanks in part to large numbers of visitors flocking to sites featured in the Harry Potter films and Outlander TV series. And while Covid-19 clipped everyone’s wings, it significantly increased domestic travel. I used to read about these infrastructure problems and think yes, something must be done about that. But now I’m acutely aware that I might be part of the problem myself. Am I a responsible tourist in my own land, helpfully boosting the hospitality sector, or a dreaded over-tourist ... maybe even a potential menace?

The decision this week by one motorhome hire company to discourage its customers from taking the North Coast 500 route is a sensible one, and not just because of alleged damage to its vehicles by those who object to their presence. It claims tyres have been slashed, wheel trims stolen and eggs and yoghurt hurled at the vehicles, but adds that “you can’t really blame the locals” for protesting at the presence of these giant vehicles on narrow, steep and twisty country roads. It’s clearly not in the firm’s interest to wave people off knowing that instead of enjoying a scenic and relaxing trip, they may be met with hostility.

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I say relaxing, but having read up on the twists and turns of the NC500 I reckon Wendy and I would remain on high alert even if no-one was waiting at the roadside with a multi-pack of Yeo Valley. It looks less like sightseeing to me, and more like extreme sport. An image was shared last week of an enormous motorhome wedged into a hairpin ben on the Bealach na Ba, and while it’s true that a large sign warns visitors the road is unsuitable for “very large vehicles or caravans” after the first mile, visitors are being told via slick branding that this route is the “ultimate road trip”, a “truly unique touring experience” and “what the world is talking about”. Who wants to go home and brag about having taken a safer, more responsible detour?

Elsewhere, natural wonders like the Devil’s Pulpit are hailed as must-see attractions despite an almost complete absence of parking facilities. Stirling councillors last year approved plans for a visitor centre and car park, but planning officers warned of a negative impact on the “unique landscape” of the area. Beside that unique landscape is an area clearly marked “emergency vehicles only” that is consistently used as a car park. Who is to blame for this situation? The Outlander location scout? Realistically, we can’t keep our hidden treasures secret – the tut-tutting of a few killjoy local authority workers cannot hold back a tide of TikTok tourists and Instagram influencers.

Potential visitors cannot all liaise and agree to be fewer in number, but they (we) could better prepared and, ultimately, willing to turn back or divert if, for example, car parks are full or arterial roads are jammed. Those living in rural Scotland should not be expected to tolerate endless tailbacks, blocked access or dangerous conditions, but they must work with local authorities to come up with practical solutions rather than turning their fury towards those who visit and risking damaging our country’s reputation.

Since returning home I’ve learned local campaigners have been pleading for a flyover at the Laurencekirk junction for years to no avail, even uploading dashcam clips of dangerous turning to YouTube. I’m glad to know I’m not just a wimp ... and very relieved that Wendy and I will not be featuring.