Highland Council launches 'Operation Pothole' on Cape Wrath road after tourist minibus operator forced to cancel visitor bookings
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Highland Council is to launch ‘Operation Pothole’ on the remote road to the Cape Wrath Lighthouse.
Council workers are set to blitz the potholes, thought to be some of the deepest in Scotland.
The move comes after Stuart Ross, operator of Cape Wrath Mini Bus was forced to cancel his bookings until the end of June due to the poor condition of the road. The lighthouse is a popular tourist destination.
Mr Ross, whose plight was highlighted in the print and online editions of the Northern Times last week, is seeking compensation from the local authority for failing to repair the 11-mile route.
Durness businessman and Highland councillor Hugh Morrison said he had been assured by the local authority that contractors would be heading to the Cape on Monday to start work.
“It will be Operation Pothole - a two-week blitz to patch up the worst of them,” he said. “That will at least get the minibus running for the rest of the season.
“The situation will then be reassessed for a more permanent solution later in the year. It is very frustrating and it should not have come to this, but at least things are moving now.”
Mr Ross, 54, took over the service two years ago and sank more than £60,000 into the business, which caters for around 5,000 passengers during the season with a return fare of £15.
He has a fleet of four 16-seater buses, two of which are licensed to run on the route at any time.
Mr Ross also pointed out that it was not just his business that was suffering but the ferry across the Kyle of Durness and the cape's only permanent residents John Ure and his daughter Angela, who run a cafe and bunkhouse at the iconic lighthouse.
Mr Ross said: “I am glad they are doing something about it, but it doesn’t make up for the money I’ve lost.”
Durness Community Council has also written to Highland Council urging repairs to be carried out urgently.
