UKC

I've noticed that the potholed state of the North Face car park access road has got increasingly bad over the last couple of years. Does anyone know who's responsible for its upkeep and whether anyone has tried to get something done about this? I'm not sure my car's ageing suspension can take much more!

Also, it would seem to make sense for there to be a bin and a couple of composting toilets at the car park. This would minimise litter, both human and otherwise. Whose responsibility is the car park itself?

In reply to Tricadam:

I assume it's all owned by the Forestry Commission, seeing as they own the forest beyond the car park. Agree with what you say but another way of looking at it is they don't charge for parking there, which they could do...

In reply to Tricadam:

When I was up there before Christmas, I actually thought they'd filed in a few since last year. (either that or my partner was aiming for them last time).

In reply to Misha:


They do however charge for the upper carpark, which I would think should cover at least basic maintenance of the lower.

Given how tight climbers tend to be when it comes to parking, I suspect charging for the lower carpark would just lead to cars and camper vans scattered through Torlundy, which I doubt would go down well with the residents.

In reply to Tricadam:
With regards bins, if people carry the packaging in then they can carry it out surely? Bins often create litter.

Toilets I imagine will be a complicated matter but can't people just go before they leave? Unless your bursting for a No.2 then 5 minutes back in to Fort William isn't going to be that hard!

From experience when you add a bin and toilets they increase the demands on the landowner and aren't commercially viable (apologies if they do charge for the car park I can't remember, if they do then at the very least potholes should be repaired).

In reply to Tricadam:

If you think the potholes in the car park are bad, have you tried walking on the summit plateau?

In reply to Tricadam:


Maybe it's the responsibility of the users not to behave like animals? I still don't get the impulse to doss there - it's too noisy for a good sleep and smells of poo. Lots of other doss-spots within 10 minutes drive.

In reply to Tricadam:

They actually resurfaced the access road over the summer I think - it never seems to last very long though

In reply to greylag:


Surely that's the point, a toilet at the carpark so you CAN go before you leave. Lets be realistic, people don't generally crap in a car park for a laugh. Typically its early morning, you've just had some breakfast and a coffee, your metabolism is just kicking in and perhaps you've some pre match nerves. Its an ideal recipe to get the urge and when that kicks in after you've just sorted out your sack, put on your mountain boots and your partner is chomping at the bit to get going, the chances are you aren't going to want to waste another 15-20 mins on a round trip to Fort William. On a good weekend that wasted time could actually lose you your place in the car park adding further delays to your day.
Is there even a toilet in Fort William that's open at 7am?

With the best will in the world, people are always going to shit at that carpark and no amount of lecturing from smug people who posses the perfect metabolism which allows them to crap on command is going to change that. A toilet there would be really useful and very sensible. Who pays for it is the issue.

In reply to pec:

Why not just shit in a bag and dispose later? No more revolting than leaving a turd behind a bush.

In reply to Jamie B:


I always doss at the Aonach Mor carpark which is quiet with loads of space. The toilets there are left unlocked (or at least used to be).

But, as Pec says, if you have to go, you have to go (but maybe delay 5 mins and dive into the forest off the path?)

In reply to Robert Durran:

The North Face car park does have 4G reception though...

In reply to Robert Durran:

Don't give away the secrets!

In reply to pec:

I may write to the Forestry Commission and suggest they apply for lottery funding. After all, if Fort William is "Scotland's Outdoor Capital"(!) the North Face of the Ben is the Holy of Holies!

In reply to James Jackson:

But surely you'll have already updated your facebook status at the top of the mountain.

In reply to Robert Durran:

Naturally. I check the 4G and wifi coverage map before going anywhere. If there's not a selfie of it, it didn't happen. Facebook live skiing off a cliff / avalanche burial coming soon...

In reply to pec:




How about we all man up and use a wag bag if necessary?

In reply to timjones:


we all don't own Louis Vuitton bags you know

In reply to James Jackson:


Cool. Guaranteed to go viral. Just ski off the top of Gardyloo buttress next time there's a category 4. make sure your Go-Pro is properly fastened so your followers aren't disappointed.

In reply to Robert Durran:


Or leave a jobbie in the 18th hole. They're golfers. Nobody likes golfers.

In reply to planetmarshall:


But unfortunately the new path avoids the golf course, so the satisfaction is no longer convenient.....

In reply to Jamie B:


Indeed, I've started to carry a sealable bucket and dog poo bags for that very purpose in my car, but my point is that many people don't as evidenced by the minefield of turds around the car park. Until such time as they do, which I don't imagine will be any time soon, a toilet would seem like a sensible solution. Its not like its a radical idea to provide toilet facilities in busy carparks.

In reply to Robert Durran:


So the convenience is no longer satisfaction...

In reply to Robert Durran:


. . . inconvenient more like! I once double bogied the 18th.

In reply to Tricadam:
Soon to be renamed The North Face Crap Park.
Featuring exhibits from the great and good!
Sponsored by Andrex.
Roll up, rollup, folks! Come and see the climbers in their natural habitat!