CAMPING sites and permit areas in the Loch Lomond area will officially re-open from the end of this week.
The Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority is to monitor the capacity of the camping areas it manages to ensure distancing rules can be observed.
All camping facilities in the park, including those at Luss, Culag, Firkin Point, Coilessan and Inveruglas, have been officially closed throughout the coronavirus lockdown, but will re-open from Friday, July 17 in line with the restart of the country’s tourism industry on Wednesday.
The move comes after more than 20 people were charged with littering or vandalism across the National Park area earlier this month after going camping on the first weekend after travel limits were eased – despite the camping areas being officially closed.
Incidents included a tree being deliberately set on fire at the Coilessan camping site at Ardgartan, south of Arrochar, causing damage so severe that the park authority warned the tree might have to be felled.
Park chief executive Gordon Watson said: "While facilities and local businesses are beginning to reopen, this won’t happen all at once.
"This season, not all campsites are going to take tents or campervans without facilities on-board, and most, including the ones we manage, require advance booking.
“We can still offer a warm welcome, but people will need to think, check and plan in advance to come prepared for their stay.”
The national park's seasonal camping byelaws remain in place throughout the area.
Meanwhile, boating and watersports enthusiasts now have easier post-lockdown access to Loch Lomond after the park authority re-opened the Duncan Mills Memorial Slipway in Balloch.
The slipway, along with all the National Park’s visitor facilities, had been closed to the public throughout the coronavirus lockdown, but re-opened on Saturday morning.
The site can be used daily from 8.30am and the gates close at 9pm. No changing or shower facilities are available, though toilets at the site can be used with Covid-safe controls.
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