The Tiree Access Forum has received support from Len Scoullar, Argyll & Bute Council’s Spokesperson for Islands and European Affairs, in its efforts to manage the the number of camper vans and caravans coming to the island.

The Forum – or TAF – was established to develop the quality of experience offered to visitors to Tiree and manage the sort of problems that can arise in a small island with limited facilities and a small population that swells significantly in the summer.

A particular problem arises with camper vans and caravans. In June and July 2009 Tiree has seen a 154% rise in arrivals of these vehicles as compared with last year.

There is only one small campsite on Tiree and this year it was fully booked all summer. The island does not have the capacity to cater for the additional demand of up to 50 camper vans a night.

Len Scoullar says he is ‘delighted that so many people want to visit this wonderful island, but the sheer scale of the influx has been causing problems’.

The problems caused by this over-demand range from the environmental impacts to concerns for public hygiene.

With no places on the formal campsite, vans have naturally been parking where they can – and this often means parking in idyllic places near the sea – those covered in machair, the unique blend of grasses and plants that hold the fragile sand dunes together. This practice disturbing the wildlife and damages the grass and wild flowers which are so much a part of Tiree’s beauty and which preserve it for the future.

Then there are the obvious and unpleasant aspects of camping. With the lack of campsites, there are recurring problems with the inappropriate disposal of human waste by some visitors. The emptying of chemical toilets is a particular concern. There is no suitable facility for such disposal on Tiree and some chemicals used in these toilets are not compatible with the island’s septic tanks.

The answer to the spectrum of problems is a two-pronged one. TAF knows that it has to hit two simultaneous targets:

• establish better facilities to support caravans and camper vans visiting the island;
• accommodate more of these vehicles and control their numbers by limiting them to the number of sites available.

Part of their plan is to ask the island’s crofters to provide up to three pitches each, so that the camper vans can park overnight for a modest fee.  This scheme could potentially provide 30 more pitches in time for next summer, on top of those already available at the campsite.

The need to limit the number of vans on the island to the number of pitches available for them will, as a key part of TAF’s plan, involve Caledonian MacBrayne, the ferry operator, to require the owners of camper vans and caravans to demonstrate that they have already booked a pitch on the island before they can purchase a ferry ticket.

TAF is currently working to develop a suitable booking system.

In an obvious answer to the accompanying problem, the Forum also hopes to establish a facility on the island for emptying chemical toilets. TAF will be asking visiting camper vans to use one of the green alternatives to the traditional toilet chemicals – making the waste compatible with the island’s septic tanks.

Then there is the issue of access to the sunshine isles legendary beaches. TAF is working to establish car parks in the most appropriate locations with better visitor facilities and improved pedestrian and cycle access to the beaches.

This year it trialled a voluntary parking permit for everyone using the beaches.

Len scoullar summed up the situation: ‘This is not about trying to discourage people from experiencing what this beautiful island has to offer. It’s about making sure that its increasing popularity as a tourist destination does not have a detrimental impact on its unique and fragile habitat.

‘TAF is determined to work with the camping and caravanning community to ensure that everyone can enjoy Tiree in a manageable and sustainable way’.

It’s a balancing act and one that the Tiree Access Forum is working hard to get right in the combined interests of residents and visitors.

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