Scotland area named in list of places to avoid as tourists 'becoming a nuisance'

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A popular Scottish road trip has made a travel guide's list of places to avoid travelling to next year.The 2025 Fodor's Travel 'Go and No Lists' has compiled a "no-go" list of destinations tourists should think twice before visiting, including Scotland's North Coast 500.The famous North Coast 500 is a 516-mile scenic driving route showing off the region’s magnificent castles and coastal scenery through Wester Ross, Sutherland, Caithness, Easter Ross, the Black Isle and Inverness-shire.Featuring locations from around the world, including Tokyo, Bali, Koh Samui, Thailand, Scotland’s most famous road trip is the only destination in the UK to make the list.According to experts, the NC500’s surge in popularity in recent years is said to becoming a “nuisance to the communities” and threatening the environment, with a lack of campsites, toilets and places to put chemical waste along the route.

Roads are also "congested with traffic", according to Fodor's.With Scotland’s right to roam allowing everyone to access most land, wild camping is common on the NC500.

However, wild camping is also being touted as an issue, with people pitching up on beaches, lay-bys and even private property.

Locals have even reported “campfire scorch marks, trash, disposable grills, and even human faeces”.Experts compiled the travel guide based on “highly coveted tourist spots [that] are collapsing under the burden of their own prominence”, with issues such as overtourism one of the main factors.“What happens when a road trip route becomes too popular, threatening the natural environment and becoming a nuisance to the communities living alongside it?” stated Fodor's.“The residents of Scotland's most scenic road trip route, known as the North Coast 500