Not all tourists are welcome, Eva Kestner responds to political attacks and standing up for pensioners
YOUR VIEWS: Readers have their say on the issues in Caithness and across the far north in our regular letters page
Ralph doesn’t have to put up with tourists
In response to your “Out and About with Ralph” article (Tourists should be welcomed, not discouraged, Caithness Courier, June 11), maybe Ralph would like to welcome these “tens of thousands” of tourists to his own garden.
He mentions Strathy Point, where these “lovely” tourists have been met with hostility, what he doesn’t mention is how the crofter there has his gateways blocked, has people taking dogs off lead amongst his livestock which are kept in unfenced areas open to the cliffs.
A sheep’s instant reaction when they see a dog is to run, is it just unfortunate that this may be over the cliffs, as long as the tourists enjoy their lovely scenic walk then the locals who live and work here just have to suck it up?
What Ralph also doesn’t mention is how the local crofter has people toileting in his pen area where he works at his sheep, has caught campervanners trying to empty their cassette toilet into this area too and has also most recently had a cassette toilet contents emptied into his ring feeder full of hay for his cows to eat.
People then wonder why locals are becoming less than welcoming! For years tourists have been coming to Strathy lighthouse, 99 per cent of whom were friendly people who appreciated the beauty and tranquility of the area, were talkative and stayed locally, putting some money into the local economy.
Nowadays a lot of the tourists have a very entitled attitude and believe they can do as they please, park where there are clearly no parking signs, block roadways and cause congestion by abandoning their vehicles on verges, threaten locals, leave gates open, traipse across feed crops, leave litter and human faeces, camp wherever they wish, etc etc.
It certainly is a different type of tourists we see in our area these days, unfortunately, so being “generous and welcoming” as Ralph suggests is very difficult!
Strathy lighthouse is no longer a functioning lighthouse and is actually all private property with a no entry sign on the gate, so after a long walk due to no designated parking, many tourists are disappointed to find they cannot actually enter the lighthouse courtyard.
Most tourists are sent here via Google maps or tour guide books or general information on Facebook which is misleading that it is a tourist attraction.
Unless you live in one of the busy “tourist areas” I don’t think you should judge or comment on people’s attitudes towards tourists when you are not having to deal with the mass amount of them on a daily basis.
And it is a small minority of them who are spoiling it for the rest, but the NC500 branding is ruining places all along the route for people who class these places as their home.
Kerry Mackay
Strathy
Working together for the north Highlands
I want to thank Rhoda Grant for her years of service to the Highlands and Islands, and for her generous support as I stand as Scottish Labour’s candidate for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross.
Rhoda has always been a tireless advocate for this region, fighting for fair funding, women’s health, and local services. I’m proud to have worked alongside someone of her calibre.
Like Rhoda, I welcome the long-overdue investment in Wick town centre. It’s a testament to local leadership and the campaigners who refused to give up. But the delay, made worse by years of SNP cuts to Highland Council budgets, shouldn’t have happened.
Local progress is possible when Scotland and the UK work together. With the Scottish Government receiving its largest-ever budget, thanks to increased UK Labour funding, it’s only right that Highland communities now see their fair share.
I won’t be distracted by political attacks. Like many who call Scotland home, my life has taken me away but I don’t apologise for building a career that equips me to fight for this region. I’m standing to deliver what really matters: restoring maternity services, tackling the housing crisis, and putting decency and delivery at the heart of public service.
Eva Kestner
Scottish Labour candidate for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross
Standing up for pensioners
Our charity recently released a new Index into the financial wellbeing of older Scots. Across the country, the results were stark, and closer to home they reveal the tough choices many in later life in the Highlands and Islands region are being forced to make.
Our data has shown that, shockingly, in the region, 28 per cent of older people have skipped meals in the last year. Just 23 per cent say that the state pension is enough to cover basic living expenses.
The Scottish Government recently put forward its Programme for Government, and again, despite rising levels of pensioner poverty, there was no proposed plan to tackle this.
At Independent Age, we know urgent action is needed. A pensioner poverty strategy should include a Pension Credit awareness campaign, which is a vital source of support for older people on a low income that a significant number in the region – 20 per cent – do not even know about.
The results of our Index show the unacceptable financial difficulties many older people in the Highlands and Islands are experiencing. This must change. Both the UK and Scottish Government must act.
Debbie Horne
Scotland policy and public affairs manager
Independent Age
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