NC500’s ‘disgusting public health problem exacerbated by tourism’
Letter to the Editor
I have erected a small sign at the southern end of the Aultiphurst road asking people to please bury their poop. As you know, the increased tourism of the NC500 brings many people that use Aultiphurst is a camping spot, and tourists who need the loo seek out what they think is a secret place to do their business.
This results in little toilet paper bonnets over human poop, more often than not, a few metres from the edge of the Aultiphurst Road. There is also trash and other dog mess that I regularly clean up as I don’t want a rubbish tip to develop. Many local people use Aultiphurst to walk their dogs – it’s an ideal place to do as much, and I’ve never ever had an issue with any of that. But the problem has increased with the NC500 that human poop is left in the open, which attracts the dogs and is frankly a disgusting public health problem exacerbated by the increased tourism.
I put up the sign to ask people to please bury their poop; so that people become aware that they are not using an empty-bog, but a common space that affects local people… that they hopefully do the courtesy of properly disposing of their excrement.
Truly, the NC500 promoters should put up porta-loos along the road so that tourists don’t do that…but since that’s not in the cards, I put up a sign to ask politely for poop burial.
I’ve dragged heavy rocks across the campsite nearer my house because it was constantly used and the poop had become a serious hygienic problem at the north end of the Aultiphurst road. Since tourists are not doing this on the point road and Baligill, you might be unaware that the increased tourism is having this impact, and not understand why I put up such a sign, maybe thinking I was being unnecessarily rude.

As tourist traffic increases, this problem just gets worse and worse until its utterly disgusting. The obvious solution is for there to be toilets for the tourists at the stopping place between the salt stance and the Aultiphurst road. But the Highland Council is not a responsible body, and the problem is dumped at my doorstep which I manage as best as I can.
At the moment the best solution I can find is to put up a wee sign to inform tourists that they’re not in the outback, but near people’s homes, and to be reasonable with their droppings.
Davide Khalil
Name and address supplied