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Home , A832 road, Achanalt, Achgarve, Achnasheen, Ardmair, Dundonnell

Access and Transport Baseline Report 2019 Produced as part of the Destination Development Plan preliminary research Context Upwards of an estimated c.100,000 tourists visit Wester Ross each year, sustaining local communities through their input to the local economy and tourism accounts for 35% of employment[1]. However, in the current climate (Summer 2019) there are concerns that a rise in tourism of up to 27% (estimate[2]) over the past few years may not be sustainable. Although a different perspective is that this has followed a deep recession in the tourism industry and visitor numbers have yet to return to the high levels enjoyed during the 1990s, the current situation is exacerbated by Local Authority and Public Agency budget cuts which have resulted in plans to close public toilets and a deterioration in road quality. In addition, the type of visitor has changed, Wester Ross is welcoming large amounts of campervans which require waste disposal facilities which are not yet in place. Local people are reporting over-flowing carparks and bins, increasing litter pollution and irresponsible behaviour.

It is not unusual for local residents to cite increased litter as a negative aspect of tourism[3] and this together with other perceived negative impacts can become challenging to tourism development as the host community begin to view visitors less than favourably. Therefore, the World Tourism Organisation advises regions to adopt a model for tourism management which considers the social as well as economical and environmental impacts of tourism[4].

Mass tourism is not going away[5]. But currently, there is no hard-empirical evidence on visitor numbers, expectations and behaviour or condition of assets in Wester Ross which would allow communities, businesses, local authorities and public agencies to plan proactively. Tourism management in Wester Ross appears to be reactive whereas successful sustainable tourism must involve proactive planning and joint working. Without a strategic approach which considers all aspects of the visitor experience (Figure 1), the impact on the environment, publicly owned assets and cultural heritage could eventually damage economic development and quality of life and so careful attention must be paid to understand these issues more thoroughly.

Through the Sustainable Heritage Areas; Partnerships for Ecotourism project, the Wester Ross Biosphere has been awarded funds from the EU Northern Periphery and Arctic Program to help create a more sustainable tourism environment in Wester Ross. Through the development of the project we have identified that there is a case for instigating a Destination Management Plan partnership to create a sustainable tourism culture in Wester Ross.

Background Public sector representatives met in January 2019 to discuss the Wester Ross Biosphere’s proposal to produce a DMP that identifies the roles of the different stakeholders (involved in the visitor experience), sets out clear actions and shows where resources are required or available already either by existing commitments or by moving them around. The proposed DMP approach was enthusiastically received, particularly in terms of its call for pooling resources, sharing responsibilities and genuine collaboration with communities and businesses.

Agreement was made between Visit , Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Council to take an active role:

“Coordinating and supporting the management of the aspects of Wester Ross which contribute to a visitor’s experience, taking account of the needs of visitors, local residents, businesses and the environment to ensure future sustainability”.

The Destination Management Plan should be based on a sound knowledge and assessment of all the features of Wester Ross that relate to the visitor economy. Access and transport to and within Wester Ross is a fundamental part of the visitor experience and so auditing and understanding the current situation and development plans is essential to planning the development of the region.

The purpose of this report is to gather and contribute evidence to the DMP on the current status of Access and Transport (including Road, rail, boat, air links to and within the destination and public and private transport providers) in Wester Ross and the opportunities and challenges it presents. This will help inform the identification of management objectives and priorities to achieve the following outcomes and aims:

Outcomes This report will directly contribute to the two main outcomes identified of the Destination Management Plan for Wester Ross:

#1: Wester Ross is being managed as a Sustainable Tourism Destination by a stakeholder partnership

#2: There is a culture in Wester Ross of welcoming visitors and a positive vibe about future tourism

Aims Five priority areas have been identified during the initial set up phase; 1) Creating an identity and sense of place in Wester Ross 2) Community Ownership/Buy-in/Empowerment 3) A better-defined destination 4) Get a ‘better idea’ of carrying capacity 5) Business Engagement

Methodology Audits of: Roads & Paths, as well as Rail, Bus, Ferry and Air links

Road and path data were gathered through desktop research, referring to catalogued roads under the care of BEAR Scotland and Highland Council. Transport links were determined through scheduling timetables fond widely online and in print.

[1] Wester Ross Biosphere Reserve Application Dossier 2015 and conversations with Visit Wester Ross [2] Economic Baseline Study 2017, University of & Highlands and Island Enterprise [3] E.g. Rathlin Island Sustainable Tourism Strategy (2005) Tourism Development International/Judith A Annett Countryside Consultancy page 54 [4] World Tourism Organisation’s definition of sustainable tourism: www.sdt.unwto.org/content/about-us- 5 (accessed September 2018) [5] Sampson, J & Danelutti, C. (2018) Destimed and MEET (The Mediterranean experience of ecotourism): A regional approach to developing, managing and promoting ecotourism in protected areas. Presented to 8th International Conference on UNESCO Global Geoparks, Madonna di Campiglio, September 2018.

Definitions

Trunk Road: The trunk road and motorway network connects Scotland's major cities, towns, airports and ports enabling the movement of people, goods and services.

A87: Runs west from its junction with the A82 Invergarry, along the north shores of Loch Garry and Loch Cluanie, then down through and along to Kyle of before crossing the . A835: Runs west from Tore to Junction (to A832) where it turns northwest to , passing through Dirrie More, a high and wide mountain pass

Single Track Road: Single Track Access Roads are predominantly constructed within the rural environment, where low traffic flows permit a reduced carriageway width.

Adopted Road: Roads maintained by Highland Council; they do not include private roads or the main roads that connect major cities (trunk roads). The adopted road will extend to boundary fences or walls or in open ground to a distance of 3 metres from the edge of the surfaced carriageway or passing place, or to the top of the slope in cutting or the bottom of slope in embankment, whichever distance is greatest.

A832 (b): Commencing at its junction with the A835 (Tore to Ullapool) Trunk Road west of Garve, extending in a generally westerly direction via , then in a north westerly direction to , in a northerly direction via and , then in a general south easterly direction via to its junction with the A835 (Tore to Ullapool) Trunk Road at Braemore Junction a distance of 86.86 miles or thereby.

A835: Commencing in Ullapool at its junction with the A835T (Tore - Ullapool Road), extending in a north westerly direction to Ardmair, thereafter in a north easterly direction via Strath Canaird, Drumrunie and Knockan to its junction with the A837 (Invershin - Lochinver Road) at Ledmore, a distance of 17.5 miles or thereby.

A890: Commencing at its junction with the A87 (Invergarry - Moriston Bridge - ) Trunk Road east of , extending in a general northerly and north easterly direction to its junction with the A832 ( - Achnasheen - Gairloch) Road at Achnasheen Roundabout, a distance of 32 miles 280 linear yards or thereby.

A896: Commencing at its junction with the A890 (Auchtertyre to Achnasheen) Road at Strathcarron Junction, east of , a double and single track road extending in a general west, thence north thence easterly direction via, Lochcarron, Sheildaig and to its junction with the A832 (Gorstan – Gairloch – Braemore Junction) Road at , a distance of 34 miles 704 yards or thereby.

B8021: Commencing at its junction with the Gorston – Achnasheen – Gairloch – Braemore (A832) road at Achtercairn , extending in a westerly direction through Strath village to Sand farm and in a northwesterly and northerly direction to Melvaig to where it conjoins the unadopted road to the lighthouse a distance of 16.415km (10 miles 352 yards) or thereby.

B8056: Commencing at its junction with the Gorston – Achnasheen – Gairloch – Braemore (A832)road at Kerrysdale Bridge, extending in a south westerly direction to Sheildaig and in a westerly direction via Badachro to ,then in a southerly direction via Opinan and to Red Point a distance of 15.272km (9 miles 862 yards) or thereby.

B8057: Commencing at its junction with Gorston – Achnasheen – Gairloch – Braemore (A832) road at Poolewe, extending in a westerly and north westerly direction via Inverasdale to Cove a distance of 14.144km (8miles 1408 yards) or thereby.

C1003: Commencing at its junction with the A837 Invershin to Lochinver road, a double thence single track road, extending in a generally southerly direction via Inverkirkaig and Inverpolly to its junction with the Drumrunie - Badnagyle - - Polglass Road (C1047), a distance of 11.95 miles.

C1047: Commencing at Drumrunie at its junction with the Ullapool - Knochan Rock road (A835) extending in a north-westerly direction via Badnagyle, thence in a southerly direction to Achiltibuie and thereafter in a south-easterly direction to Polglass at a point where the said road crossed the Badenscallie Burn a distance of 16 miles 1584 linear yards or thereby.

C1055: Commencing at Inverbroom at its junction with the Gorstan - Braemore Junction - Ullapool road (A835), extending in a north- westerly direction via Letters to Logie a distance of 5 miles 12 yards or thereby.

C1067: Commencing at Dundonnell at its junction with the Poolewe - Laide - Braemore Junction road (A832) extending in a northerly direction to Ferry Road junction and thence in a westerly direction to Badralloch at the commencement of the Scoraig footpath a distance of 7 miles 1408 yards or thereby.

C1075: Commencing at its junction with the Gorston – Achnasheen – Gairloch – Braemore (A832) road at Laide, extending in a northwesterly direction to , then in a notherly direction to a distance of 5552 metres (3 miles 792 yards) or thereby.

C1079: Commencing at its junction with the Gairloch – Poolewe – Braemore road (A832) at , extending in a northwesterly direction via Aultbea and to a distance of 5954 metres (3 miles 1232 yards )or thereby.

C1083: Commencing at Torridon with its junction with Kinlochewe – Torridon – Shieldaig road (A896) and extending in a northwesterly direction via Fasaig and Inveralligin to Diabeg Pier a distance of 15430 metres (8 miles 1350 yards) or thereby.

C1087: Commencing at Tornapress at its junction with the Shieldaig – Kishorn – Lochcarron road (A896) and extending in a westerly direction through Bealach na Ba thence in a northwesterly and westerly direction to and thereafter in a southerly direction to the pier at a distance of 25750 metres (16 miles) or thereby.

C1091: Commencing at Applecross at its junction with the Tornapress – Applecross – Toscaig road (C1087) at a point 32 metres (35 yards) east of where the latter road crosses the Allt Breugaireachd a single lane road with passing places with widening on curves and short lengths of double lane widths and parking areas extending in a northerly, westerly, northerly and southeasterly direction to its junction south of Shieldaig with the Kinlochewe – Torridon – Shieldaig – Kishorn – Lochcarron road (A896) at a point 887 metres (970 yards) south of the southern junction of the Shieldaig Loop road (C1099) with the latter road a distance of 38350 metres (23 miles 1460 yards) or thereby.

C1096: Commencing in Lochcarron at its junction with the Shieldaig – Kishorn – Lochcarron road (A896) extending via Slumbay in a southwesterly direction to the pier at North Strome a distance of 5504 metres (3 miles 739 yards) or thereby.

C1099: Commencing at its junction with the Torridon – Shieldaig – Kishorn – road (A896) extending in a northwesterly, northerly and southeasterly direction a distance of 1372 metres (1500 yards) or thereby.

C1221: Commencing at its junction with the Balmacarra - - Kyle of Lochalsh road (C1232), extending in a north easterly direction via Duirinish to a distance of 4 linear miles or thereby.

C1222: Commencing at its junction with the Erbusaig - Plockton Road (C1221) extending in an easterly, north easterly, south easterly and north easterly directions to its jucntion with the Auchtertyre - Strathcarron - Achnashellach - Achnasheen road (A890) immediately north west of Achmore, a distance of 6 miles 1728 linear yards or thereby.

C1223: Commencing at its junction with the Moriston Bridge - Kyle of Lochalsh Trunk Road (A87T) extending in a westerly direction via Mam to Glenelg and in north westerly, southerly and easterly directions via Arnisdale to Corran a distance of 20 miles 282 linear yards or thereby.

C1224: Commencing at its junction with the - Mam Ratagan - Glenelg - Arnisdale - Corran Road (C1223) extending in a north westerly direction a distance of 2 miles 246 linear yards or thereby.

C1232: Commencing at its junction with the Moriston Bridge - Kyle of Lochalsh road (A87T) extending in a north westerly direction to Erbusaig, thence in a southerly direction to Kyle of Lochalsh at its junction with the latter road a distance of 5 miles 110 linear yards or thereby.

Core Paths: There is no strict definition of what a core path should be from the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 (LR(S)A 2003), the act does however describe a core path plan as a system of paths sufficient for the purpose of giving the public reasonable access throughout their area. , as the Access Authority, has a statutory duty to produce a core path plan to cover its area.

Results Wester Ross can is primarily accessed by road and rail and, to a less degree by boat, with serving as the closest major travel hub.

Air Links

The nearest airport is in Inverness, 30 miles east of Garve.

Roads

Although a few roads have greatly helped access, much of the area remains relatively inaccessible, with the high relief and mass of the mountains forcing roads to follow the flatter coastal and valley areas. The main trunk road routes are the majority of the A835 in the north and the A87 in the south linking to the , both managed by Bear Scotland on behalf of Transport Scotland. The other main routes - A832, A835 (partial), A890 and A896) are adopted roads (including single track) maintained by The Highland Council.

Self-drive is the most popular method of travel to and within Wester Ross. In the past three years, the area would appear to have seen a significant increase in visitor numbers. Local tourism operators attribute much of this to the high profile of the North Coast 500 touring route initiative, which was launched in 2015. Over one-third of its 516-mile length passes through Wester Ross. The North Coast 500 Economic Baseline Study of June 2017 analysed traffic count data from the UK Department of Transport and Highland Council which indicated that traffic volumes on the route as a whole increased by 10% between 2015 and 2016. Data from traffic count sites in Wester Ross suggests a similar or slightly larger increase in traffic volumes in the local area.

A recent study1 has shown that 59% of visitors travel by car while 23% travel by motorhome / campervan, and while just over 60% felt the roads were acceptable to brilliant in condition, 35% felt the road conditions ranged from decent to terrible.

Adopted roads are inspected on a monthly, quarterly (every 3 months) or annual basis, and they rely on others to inform them of potentially hazardous defects at other times. Locally there is widespread anecdotal evidence that a large number of potholes on adopted roads are burdening road transport. Potholes occur for several reasons. The main factor is due to water ingress of the bituminous layers in the road surface. During the winter period, water is subject to a freeze/ thaw action which can cause rapid deterioration of the road surface and eventually, in severe cases, complete failure. A road subject to high traffic flows will often see potholes develop over a short period of time. Where appropriate, surface dressing is a preventative maintenance measure used to try to stop water ingress to road layers. Where a permanent fix has been applied, the pothole can still redevelop over time due to the type of traffic travelling on it and their movements.

The total number of potholes in the Area and those fixed by The Highland Council is unknown. Potholes are recorded as ‘works instructions’ which can be for a single or multiple number of potholes. They also occasionally use a ‘find and fix’ strategy where potholes are repaired as they are found and therefore they may not be raised as a works instruction. Therefore, the number of potholes and those repaired are higher than shown in the tables below.

1 SHAPE T2.4 Marketing Report: Centre for Recreation and Tourism Research, West Highland College, UHI 2019 Data in the following table was provided at 30/06/19.

The size of the pothole before it is deemed necessary to fix depends on several factors and there is no ‘one size’ fits all for classifying and repairing a pothole. For instance, they would consider repairing a relatively small pothole in a footway outside a hospital or school where it presents a trip hazard to a vulnerable group of users before a similar sized one in the carriageway where it has no or little effect on vehicles passing over it. The give primary consideration to defects that present a significant hazard to users of the road network (this includes adopted footways/ paths and cycle routes).

Rail

There are regular trains into Inverness every day from , Glasgow, Aberdeen, etc. with connections to Wester Ross via Garve. Four trains per day (Monday-Saturday) and two trains on Sundays Rail link Inverness with Kyle of Lochalsh. After calling at Garve, stations are located at: Lochluichart, , Achnasheen, Achnashellach, Strathcarron, Attadale, , Duncraig, Plockton and Duirinish before the end of the line at Kyle of Lochalsh. Known as the ‘Kyle Line’, this route was featured as one of Michael Palin’s “Great Railway Journeys of the World”.

Bus

Several bus services operate to Inverness from other main towns and cities. Onward travel to Ullapool (connecting with the ferry timetable) is available via Stagecoach and Citylink year-round, and by D&E Coaches during the summer months. Citylink also provide a service to Kyle of Lochalsh, though this route does not travel through Wester Ross and instead travels along Loch Ness before heading west on the A87.

Within Wester Ross, bus travel is more limited. The Westerbus operates from Inverness to Gairloch connecting with an Ullapool service at Braemore Junction on a Monday, Wednesday & Saturday. There are also smaller minibus services, but their advertisement is limited by locality.

Guided day trips via coach or minibus from Inverness are also widely available during summer to visit places of interest such as Inverewe Gardens, Applecross, Torridon and Castle. They often combine places which are not convenient to reach by public transport in a single day. Popular tour operators include Rabbie’s, WOW Scotland, Highland Experience, along with a number of smaller private hire companies.

Taxis

There are local and long-distance taxi services available. Most of the larger settlements offer at least one provider. Additionally there are private, fixed price sight-seeing tours that can be arranged departing from Inverness.

Ferry

Ullapool provides a year-round ferry service to Stornoway, seven days per week. Bus transport to/from Inverness is linked to sailing times. There is also a seasonal service between Glenelg and Skye, which is notable for being the last manually operated turntable ferry in Scotland.

In addition, there 76 Jetties (2 of which are marked disused), 50 Slipways & 46 Piers (1 of which is disused) across the region for small crafts to access the sea, which historically served as the ‘motorway’ in the area.

Paths

There are over 315 kms (195 miles) of core paths in Wester Ross. Core paths aim to satisfy the basic needs of local people and visitors for general access and recreation and will provide links to the wider path network throughout the Highland region. These core paths comprise a mixture of existing paths with some new paths close to where people live or visit and can range from routes worn into natural ground to high specification constructed paths.

The adoption of a path or route as a core path places no duty on The Highland Council to carry out new path construction, upgrading works or maintenance of the route. The Highland Council does have powers to carry out works on a core path but these are discretionary and are aimed as ensuring routes remain free from obstruction and are not intended to be used for new path construction. In 2015 a review of the West Highlands and Islands Core Paths was started, with comments open until October 2019. Consequentially new paths have been introduced, widespread in the area, though it is essential to note that the majority of new paths are existing tracks and paths on the ground; thereby no new construction is required. A full list from the review can be found here. https://consult.highland.gov.uk/portal/environment/cpp/whi/whi_cpp?pointId=5405619

Discussion

Many stakeholders emphasise that, while North Coast 500 has had a major impact, it is by no means the only reason for growth in visitor numbers. External factors such as consumer concern about the safety of overseas destinations, favourable currency exchange rates, and media coverage of the Highlands in general through their use as locations for a number of TV drama series are all cited as having stimulated visitor interest in the area.

Data compiled by the UK Department for Transport and Transport Scotland indicates that traffic in Wester Ross has increased from 6% - 10% on either side of Lochcarron and near 30% on the A835 trunk road between 2014 and 2017. Counters and estimates also demonstrated a rise in numbers between Shieldaig and Kinlochewe in recent years.

Highland Council is responsible for the largest road network in Scotland and its leaders have said the region should be treated as a “special case” and awarded extra capital funding to start addressing the £1.7 billion of work required on the roads over the next decade. However it should be noted that it is up to their discretion to allocate resources based on local priorities.

Challenges

In rural areas of the Highlands private transport is still heavily relied upon despite high fuel costs, and car ownership levels therefore remain relatively high. Since an effective transport system is one of the key factors to sustaining rural populations, the private car will continue to be the transport mode of choice in these areas due to the lack of a comprehensive public transport network.

Many of the rural bus routes are financially supported by the Council and funding cut backs have meant that some seasonal tourism related services have been withdrawn in recent years. Because of the limitations of public transport there is heavy reliance on the car for commuting to work and day to day activities.

The UHI survey previously cited reports that only 9% of visitors used public transport with the most popular options by: bus (37%), ferry (37%) and train (26%).

Overall, the main concerns about increased visitor numbers relate to two main areas: Growing pressures on public realm infrastructure at a time when local authority spending is being reduced; and the adverse impacts visitor numbers may have on local communities and loyal repeat visitors who may perceive the area to have changed.

The following challenges have been identified in the Visit Wester Ross Tourism Strategy (2018). Many stakeholders perceive increased visitor numbers to have created a number of pressures, which include the following.

• Increased traffic flows on local roads, which is causing damage to both surfaces and verges. • Increased demand for public toilets, litter bins and caravan/campervan waste disposal facilities. This demand is currently not being fully met. • Growing visitor traffic numbers are causing damage to road surfaces and verges. There are also issues relating to driving etiquette, particularly on single track roads.

• Greater demands on public realm infrastructure such as roads and toilet facilities is coming at a time when local authority budgets in such areas are being reduced.

• The North Coast 500 has brought a growing number of motorhomes into the area, which has generated a number of management issues relating to wild camping, waste water disposal and littering.

• North Coast 500 has changed the destination profile of Wester Ross, making it more of a through destination rather than an end destination.

• Lack of public transport is a barrier to people coming to Wester Ross. Visitors really need their own transportation. Opportunities

Improvements in the quality of local roads are making Wester Ross easier and quicker to access from other parts of Scotland. This offers potential to attract more day and short break visits into the area, some parts of which have already seen an increase in the number of regular, small niche group tours from Inverness and elsewhere.

The John Muir Trust recently published a report on travelling the NC500 solely via public transport. One of the greatest challenges was disjointed timetables between bus and rail. However there may be scope for NC500 to promote ways in which to explore the route via public transport, as well as a combined ticketing scheme between bus and train.

It is estimated that the global market for bike products will be worth $65billion by 2025. The market for e- bikes alone could be worth $25 billion by that time.2 Our extensive paths network provides great opportunity to capitalise on this growth market.

There is opportunity to better maximise the way in which people use the sea for recreation and for travel. 2020’s Year of Coasts and Waters provides a world-wide marketing platform to promote water-based activities in the region. WRB was a partner on the steering committee on a ground-breaking initiative born in 2017 in which groups across the west coast of Scotland came together to scope out exactly what marine tourism opportunities exist. The plan that emerged is West Coast Waters 2020 and there are 6 projects being progressed. It would be an ideal time to develop new and innovative initiatives, or adapt existing ones. Examples such as the HEB Shuttle specialises in providing all services required to go on The Hebridean Way cycle route. Given the popularity of the cycling market, our existing paths and access to the sea, a new land and sea route could be developed along the coasts of Wester Ross linking to The Hebridean Way via Skye, or as a stand-alone route.

The 2018 Visit Wester Ross Tourism Strategy identifies the following opportunities:

• Improvements in the quality of local roads are making Wester Ross easier and quicker to access from other parts of Scotland. This offers potential to attract more day and short break visits into the area, some parts of which have already seen an increase in the number of regular, small niche group tours from Inverness and elsewhere. • The Wester Ross outdoor activities sector continues to grow in both quantity and quality of products. Marine tourism, cycling, mountain biking and walking in particular appear to offer potential for further growth.

• “Wester Ross is accessible”. By car, it is about an hour from Inverness, the capital of the Highlands, and half an hour from the Isle of Skye. It is on the North Coast 500 touring route and the Kyle of Lochalsh railway line from Inverness. It is not miles from anywhere and difficult to get to. You can leave Edinburgh in the morning and be there by lunchtime.

• Brand device can be an attractive and accurate visual representation of Wester Ross. Various marketing messages or calls to action could encourage a more varied way to travel in and experience the region. Examples could include “Walking/Cycling in the Highlands” or promoting 2020’s Year of Coast and Waters with the #ImmerseYourSenses campaign.

2 The Strategy for Scottish Mountain Biking, 2019-2025: Leading European Mountain Biking (2019), Mountain Biking Consortium page 8 Recommendations

Transport is the only sector of the economy from which emissions have been rising consistently since 1990. Since most developments will generate additional traffic movements and requirements for parking, this is a key issue that must be addressed to help reduce the carbon footprint of new developments. The promotion and enhancement of existing sites (Ullapool, Gairloch and Torridon), along with the construction of new ones, will help Wester Ross continue to be a leader in sustainable living.

Almost half of visitors surveyed3 indicated that they would use more public transport if they could. A more frequent service may reduce traffic issues identified by residents of the area and previously described in this report.

An interface between communities and agencies in terms of roads maintenance/spending plans appears to be lacking at present. An organisation such as the Wester Ross UNESCO Biosphere could help to facilitate planning and consultation, as well as assist in drawing down funding for such projects.

Additionally, the 2018 Visit Wester Ross Tourism Strategy recommend:

1. Self-guided driving and cycling itineraries that take visitors off the main through routes 2. Local destination marketing organisations play a key role in advocacy, particularly in lobbying for and supporting ongoing and enhanced investment in public realm infrastructure, and initiatives to support the recruitment and retention of staff. 3. Many consultees suggest creating new routes and itineraries off the NC500 and other main roads to spread visitors throughout the area and extend their length of stay.

4. Constructive and collaborative partnerships between all sectors (private/public/third) is key sustainable development in the region.

3 SHAPE T2.4 Marketing Report: Centre for Recreation and Tourism Research, West Highland College, UHI 2019