A popular Scottish beauty spot known as the “hidden valley” of Glencoe is at risk of being “destroyed” by irresponsible campers and hikers, it has been warned.
Glencoe National Nature Reserve said Coire Gabhail is “suffering” due to visitors “who don’t realise the impact of their actions”.
The nature reserve, managed by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS), highlighted a number of issues in the glen including abandoned rubbish, camping gear and human waste.
In a Facebook post, the Scottish Highlands nature reserve said: “We won’t labour the point as everyone knows why this is wrong.
“We can only imagine that after the challenging walk up, people want to lighten their load on the way down.
“If that sounds like you, probably best to stay low level.”
The nature reserve also warned against lighting campfires as they “leave a long-lasting scar on Coire Gabhail’s shallow, fragile mountain soils”.
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Campers were also criticised for cutting and burning the trees and deadwood in the area.
The nature reserve said: “Making a fire from damp or green (living) wood is a waste of time – it does not burn well.
“It’s also vandalism, causing irreparable damage to the ancient woodland habitats.”
It has also been noted that visitors have been collecting rocks and repositioning them into artistic formations.
The nature reserve said: “Though we hate to stifle creativity, dislodging rocks to position them into pretty designs has a lasting negative impact on nature, which we are sure the artists don’t realise.
“These rocks offer shelter to wee creatures and protect shallow, high-altitude soils from erosion.
“The concentrated trampling around these artworks also damages tiny fragile wildflowers and plants too.”
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And during a litter pick last month, a group of rangers and volunteers made several trips up and down the glen and removed a tent full of gear, they said.
The nature reserve said Coire Gabhail is one of its team’s favourite spots, adding: “But sadly it’s specialness is at risk of being destroyed by campers and walkers who don’t realise the impact of their actions.”
Coire Gabhail, also known as the “lost valley” of Glencoe, is a narrow gorge that climbs up to 1,500ft and welcomes around 150,000 people each year.
It is surrounded by the rock walls of two of the Three Sisters, Gearr Aonach and Beinn Fhada, with the Munro peak of Stob Coire Sgreamhach towering above at the head of the glen.
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Members of clan Macdonald were said to have used the valley to hide stolen cattle. It’s also where clansfolk fled to during the infamous 1692 massacre of Glencoe.
Today, it is still home to the remnants of ancient Scottish rainforest.
Coire Gabhail’s damp, sheltered conditions make it one of the richest sites in Europe for rainforest wildlife, including rare mosses and liverworts, lichens, fungi, insects and small mammals.
The nature reserve urged visitors to treat the beauty spot with the “care and respect it deserves”.
