The Highland Council has published its Access Ranger Annual Report for 2025, highlighting the extensive work carried out by the Ranger team across the area between June and October 2025.
The report provides a detailed overview of patrol activity, visitor behaviour trends and the ongoing challenges facing some of the Highland’s most visited rural areas.
In 2025, a team of 18 Access Rangers completed 1,755 patrols checking countryside sites on more than 21,300 occasions. More than 31,700 recreational vehicles including motorhomes were recorded, a slight decrease from previous years, but Rangers recorded 207 incidents of blackwater waste dumping, a 60% rise from previous years.
Nearly 2,100 bags of litter were collected and almost 6,500 incidents of outdoor toileting were recorded across the Highlands. The full report is available via the Highland Council website.
NFU Mutual, a major rural insurer, has issued a fresh call for more responsible dog ownership to prevent attacks on farm animals.
It states that nearly two thirds of dog owners do not believe their dogs are capable of injuring or killing livestock.
A spokesperson for the insurer said that regardless of breed, size, or temperament, all dogs can chase, injure or kill livestock. Even without physical contact, the stress of being chased can lead to exhaustion and stress, and in some cases separate young lambs from their mothers, which can lead to them being orphaned.
The latest figures estimate that in Scotland last year animals worth £74,000 were severely injured or killed in dog attacks and owners are called on to keep their dogs on a lead when walking in rural areas where livestock are kept.
Lochcarron Food Centre Spar has been shortlisted in what are known as the Rural Oscars after customers nominated it as a Village Shop/Post Office finalist in the Countryside Alliance Awards, alongside five other local stores from across Scotland.
Last Saturday marked 30 years since the shop was taken over by the current owners’ family and a celebration of the anniversary will take place this Saturday with a free raffle, tasters of new products and some goods for sale at 1996 prices.
Voting for the Countryside Alliance Awards will be open until midnight on March 15th with the judging panel also contributing to the final result. The Scottish winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in May and then will go on to represent Scotland at a reception at the House of Lords in July, where the UK winners will be announced.
