Rural Tourism
As lockdown continues to lift, join Mark Stephen and Euan McIlwraith as they ask if rural tourism in parts of Scotland is getting out of hand
As lockdown continues to lift and wild campers and campervans pitch up to the countryside, Mark and Euan ask is rural tourism getting out of hand?
As Euan recounts his experience of being a tourist on Mull for the past week, Anne Widdop, founder of the βStop Trashing Mallaig, Morar, Arisaigβ Facebook page tells of the damage wild campers have caused to the local beaches and loch in her area, and the movement that is building in the community to protest this. Adventurer and kayak instructor Will Copestake chats to Mark and Euan about a potential tourist tax solution that heβs witnessed working in the Torres del Paine area of Chilean Patagonia and discusses whether this would likely translate to Scotland. And the Secretary for the Rural Economy Fergus Ewing will be outlining his stance on the issues brought about by rural tourism, and discussing his vision for addressing the problems caused in the short and long term.
Hostels are another area that have been negatively affected by coronavirus. Mark and Euan investigate to what extent the hostel industry has been hit and what the future holds for the humble hostel.
For our dig into the archives this week, we follow Mark and Euan on a trip they made to Smoo Caves near Durness.
Weβll also hear from author Leonie Charlton on her book βMarram,β written about her Hebridean trip From the southern tip of Barra to the ancient stone circle of Callanish.