Ramblers Scotland and the Mountaineering Council of Scotland have joined forces to dispute plans to implement restrictions on wild camping.

The park authority’s public consultation on the plans to address anti-social behaviour ended last Monday, January 12, with more than 350 official responses registered.

In the closing stages of the consultation the plans drew criticism for ‘criminalising camping’.

Helen Todd, campaigns and policy manager with Ramblers Scotland, told the Reporter: “The national park listens to our concerns but makes no effort to adjust its plans to take account of what is being said by outdoor organisations and experts.

“By criminalising camping and other activities which are perfectly acceptable under Scotland’s right to roam legislation, the park authority would create immense public confusion over what is acceptable when accessing to our countryside.” Andrea Partridge, access officer with MCofS, said they have not seen enough evidence or statistics on the number of reported incidents, warnings, fines etc in the area where the byelaws are proposed.

She added: “The climber who sleeps in his or her car in order to get an early start; the cycle tourer who needs to stop for the night or the walker who gets delayed or has simply had enough that day; all currently have the right to camp responsibly under the terms of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.

“Scotland’s first National Park will be removing these rights from everyone in order to provide a deterrent to the few who are carrying out criminal acts.

“We acknowledge there is a problem with damage and overuse at certain key locations at busy times of the year, but there has been inadequate provision of camping and associated facilities by the park authority to help address this problem.” The proposals include a number of measures including: a projected £10m public/private sector investment in camping facilities over the next five years; new byelaws, which make it an offence to cause damage to the natural environment and/or wildlife in the park; regulate where visitors can camp and manage how laybys are used; and working with Police Scotland to enforce existing and the proposed new legislation. This is in addition to the existing management zone at east Loch Lomond. The three zones combined amount to less than five per cent of the National Park, however they relate to some of the most popular tourist spots.

Gordon Watson, director of operations at Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority, who takes over as CEO next week, said: “The byelaws proposed use powers already available under the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000 and are designed to deliver the spirit of land reform access rights, by dealing with no-go areas and halting environmental damage caused by irresponsible camping and antisocial behaviour.

“The dramatic improvements seen on east Loch Lomond showcase how byelaws can be used to enhance access and enjoyment. The area has been transformed; with families flocking back to a place previously blighted by behaviours that were very far from the responsible ‘wild camping’ envisaged in the Land Reform Act.

“We welcomed the debate during the consultation, and will now carefully consider all the points made before making a recommendation to our board on our final proposals which will be submitted to our minister.” Park officials will now consider each response, weighting up the quality and validity of the points made and deciding what changes need to be made to the proposals. A recommendation will then be made to the National Park’s Board who, in turn, will advise Scottish Government.