It came to my attention the other day that the National Park Authority that run Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park are seeking to ban wild and free camping among other things on the following Islands on Loch Lomond :- Inchtavannach, inchconnachan, inchcruin and inchmoan, with the ban possibly extending to parts of the East bank of Loch Lomond as well .
As far as I understand Park Authorites are seeking to restrict leisure activities in these areas as a result of Anti Social Behaviour by a minority of park users but are seeking to do so by placing restrictions on everyone rather than using ample and existing laws to deal with individual offenders . As usual , the British way of banning the majority to deal with the minority comes to the fore when existing legislation is adequate to deal with the problem.
Apparently they are seeking to pass these restrictions by way of changes to the Park bye laws and the current bye laws are being reviewed by way of a Bye law Review which is subject to a public consultation period of 3 months having started on 26th March and ending on the 18th of June.
Full details of the review and reports concerning same can be found on THIS SITE .
I feel the site in itself isn't too clear on what the consultation is about and the consultation report is extremely long but you will find an online response form at the above link and you can read the consultation report HERE . This is a very extensive report but the gist of it without reading the whole document is that the park Authorities are seeking to restrict recreational activities including boating, fishing, walking, pic-nicking, barbecues and camping on the islands at the east End of Loch Lomond with a possible extension to cover the east bank of the Loch at the Endrick bank as far as I'm aware.
It's really important that if you want existing access to Loch Lomond and it's islands to remain as it is that you submit your views to the park authorities before 18th June 2012 and speak for the people who visit Loch Lomond responsibly every year.
Here's an article from the BBC News which probably exlpains things in a more concise way than the Loch Lomond Park Authorities site does
Here's an article from the BBC News which probably exlpains things in a more concise way than the Loch Lomond Park Authorities site does
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I'm honestly sick of it, Everyone should not be punished because some idiots are incapable of cleaning up after themselves and are disrespectful, I used to go camping to Loch Lomond several times when I was younger and we always left everything the way we found it. We tidied up, no rubbish, destroyed the fire and dis-assembled it etc.
ReplyDeleteI plan to go with my fiancee next Saturday because she has never been and would like to see the islands and the sites and I just feel so demoralized that I can no longer wild camp without peering over my shoulders, waiting for a patrol to tell me it's illegal to camp in my own country on land that is not owned by anyone. It's a free country and I'm disgusted that this is even being considered.
Designated paid areas of Loch Lomond is not camping, I camp to get away from the general hussle and bussle of the city centre of Glasgow so that I can be free and embrace nature and have a sense of peace and serenity, not so I can interact and sleep beside them.
These laws are a lost cause, If anything it just encourages the idiots to destroy it even further. It also makes the responsible people like myself and the majority of other campers fill with anger and frustration and that is not the way Loch Lomond should be.
This law is the equivalent to saying you can't sit on a public park bench, it's ridiculous.
Loch Lomond belongs to everyone.
Target the minority, tell them to clean up after themselves, teach them to respect the area, move them if non-compliant but for goodness sake don't ban everyone from enjoying the natural wonders of their own country, it's simple, what is being proposed is simply 'overkill'.
I couldn't agree more !
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