There is no doubting that Scotland is home to some of the most magical beauty spots found anywhere on earth.
However, it seems the recent explosion in staycation tourism, people wanting to get out after last year's lockdowns and a rise in popularity due to hit TV programmes has led to some of them suffering.
One magical spot, in particular, the ethereal Fairy Pools on the Isle of Skye, seem to have been hit hardest if some of the recent Trip Advisor reviews are to be believed.
The normally quiet rock pools are an outstanding natural beauty found at the foot of the Cuillin mountains that are famed for their mystical appearance and stunning clear waters reminiscent of something from a fairytale - hence their whimsical name.
Connected to the local legends that one famous Clan MacLeod chief once married a beautiful fairy princess connecting the people and places on the island with the lands of the fey.
However, much like the NC500 before it, the attraction has received some bad reviews of late due to its overcrowding with cars and tourists.
One frustrated visitor, Kelvin M from Ascot, gave it one star. After visiting in the summer, he posted: "The pools are a real honey trap looking at the number of people there.
"We arrived at 10.30 am and the car park, verges, woods everywhere was full of cars. The journey up the Glenbrittle road was really chaotic as a single track with lots of cars and camper vans trying to visit the pools and then having to turn around as nowhere to park."
He added: "If you must go very very early - it's easily the busiest destination we have seen on our holiday in Scotland and I suspect the hype is better than the reality."
Another disappointed visitor, LW56992, described it as "absolute chaos", they wrote:
"This is clearly an extremely busy attraction and it is just not worth the bother of sitting in absolute chaos for an hour to simply turn around when possible and go back. We didn’t even leave the car."
One reviewer wrote: "When we went there the weather was warm and it was so busy that people were swimming in the pools. ALL of them!
"It was terribly packed with people and you could hardly see the waterfalls. It was such a waste of effort going all the way in and hiking all the way to the last pool to just see every single one of them full of just people swimming in it."
A disappointed Richard K added: "I was appalled to see how so many people deviated from the main route we were asked to stick to, destroying vegetation and landscape as they went, just so they could get a selfish snap by a particular feature. And we walked by many dropped items of clothing and masks.
"The landscape is undoubtedly stunning, but overall I came away wishing I hadn't gone, and sad to see what would normally be a more spectacular sight diminished by the effects of global warming and selfish visitors with no regard for preserving the landscape."
L Gooding was also vastly disappointed by the amenities, stating that the toilets were "filthy" and that they "puked upon the smell".
Others described it as "a casualty of its own success" with some stating that rubbish was discarded everywhere when they visited.
Some took to the review site to complain about what they described as the "daylight robbery" car parking fee.
They said: "Can't belive [sic] they (the council) expect people to pay £5 parking (and there is a parking attendant on duty!) Just park in close by passing place or hillwalkers carpark and walk another little bit."
Chris Taylor, VisitScotland Regional Leadership Director, said: “Demand for visiting Scotland remains strong and Skye’s stunning scenery is a major draw for visitors.
“It is important that when visitors do come exploring, that they behave in a responsible manner. By doing so, they can enjoy everything that is on offer, without putting undue pressure on infrastructure, communities and our natural assets.
“Working with industry partners, our successful Responsible Tourism campaign – which was launched last year – has helped to educate people in how to #RespectProtectEnjoy the outdoors responsibly. We want to encourage our visitors to stay longer, visit all year round, explore more widely and, in turn, contribute to the sustainable quality of life of those communities.
“Through the national visitor management group, we liaise with local authorities, the Ranger Service, Nature Scot and Police Scotland and others to provide joined-up solutions.
“Protecting the natural environment and our communities is embedded in the national tourism strategy, Scotland Outlook 2030, and we want to play a leading role in the development of Scotland as a globally recognised responsible destination.”
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