HILL-walking organisations have had their say on the newly approved camping byelaws implemented by the National Park Authority.

A report outlining the details of new seasonal byelaws to be operated from March 2017 were approved by the National Park's Board earlier this month.

The byelaws were introduced by the authority to help manage camping pressures over less than 4 per cent of the park's ground.

This includes the provision of over 300 camping places through a mix of campsites and camping permit areas (for tents and motorhomes).

These measures were approved by Scottish Ministers earlier this year following a period of wide consultation by the Park Authority which began in 2014.

A spokesperson for the National Park Authority said: "Following a previous Board decision to approve camping areas, the report proposed a £3 per tent/motorhome charge in camping permit areas, £7 per adult charge for a serviced campsite, with children going free.

"The report highlights ‘the need to ensure that camping is low-cost and accessible to all, while recognising the need to recover some of the costs of looking after these busy locations.’"

In the lead up to this approval, both Ramblers and Mountaineering Scotland voiced concerns about implementing the byelaws which could unfairly punish casual campers.

David Gibson, Chief Executive Officer of Mountaineering Scotland, said: "Monday’s decision reflected the Park Authority’s misguided determination to use the new byelaws, despite already having powers at their disposal to act against a small number of roadside campers who created a nuisance.

"We made a formal objection against these byelaws, but since their approval by Scottish Ministers we have particular concerns about the practicalities of the scheme and the possibility of innocent campers being criminalised.

"Our assessment of the signage the Park Board intends to use to provide guidance to intending visitors is that it is misleading and wholly inadequate.

"There is a very real risk of innocent people simply not understanding how camping management zones work and more importantly, how the byelaws impinge on their rights to responsible access and the potential penalties.

"The camping byelaws are unnecessary to tackle litter problems, which can be dealt with under existing legislation, and fly in the face of the progressive access legislation achieved in the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003."

Brendan Paddy, director of Ramblers Scotland, said: "We are disappointed by the park board’s decision to go ahead with a plan which relies so heavily upon an untested permit scheme.

"The changes undermine Scottish access legislation by charging people to camp in previously-free areas, in many cases without providing any new toilets, drinking water or bins in return.

"We also have concerns about people being put off by the need for permits, how they will obtain them and how they will be enforced."

He added: "We agree that large numbers of visitors can cause pressure on individual areas and support the park authority’s plan to provide more camping infrastructure.

"However, we believe any problems are best handled through education, investment in low-cost campsites and enforcement of existing laws – not bans.

"We will work to ensure that these new byelaws are effectively monitored ahead of them being formally reviewed in three years’ time."

Simon Jones, Director of Conservation and Visitor Operations at Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, said: "The seasonal camping byelaws, which cover less than 4% of the Park, have been subject to a wide ranging consultation going back to 2014 and were approved by the Scottish Ministers in January.

"This came after years of trying to deal with the problem of destructive camping and litter through other measures.

"We value the feedback of partner organisations and have set up a Stakeholder Forum, which includes Mountaineering Scotland, as a way of sharing information and addressing any questions about the project.

"We recognise that communicating the detail of the Camping Management Zones clearly to the public is vital to its success, with signage being one element of this alongside online information and engagement with Park Rangers.

"An overview of the approach to branding and signage was given at the Stakeholder Forum in November. "Mountaineering Scotland who were present, raised no concerns at that time.

"Following the Board’s approval of the report on Monday outlining the approach to branding, we are in the process of finalising the details of the signage.

"We would be happy to discuss this further with Mountaineering Scotland in order to allay their concerns."