A story appeared in the national press last week revealing that the Isle of Skye was the most joyful tourism experience in Scotland.
Fittingly, this conclusion was reached through research which used 21st century technology to assess a 21st century phenomenon that has helped drive a major tourism boom on the island.
Facial recognition software was used to analyse thousands of social media pictures taken at popular visitor destinations across the country.
Based on the number of smiles that were detected, it was Skye which came out on top.
Those findings are testament to the island’s enduring appeal as a stunning landscape which people come from all over the world to have a great time in – as well as to share photographs of themselves while doing so.
It is ironic, however, that this study came out at the same time as another row was brewing over the impact that tourism is having on island infrastructure.
Had the recent study analysed the faces of local motorists in the busiest Skye destinations, the outcome might have been different.
One focus of current concern is the road in and out of Glenbrittle.
It’s an issue that has been highlighted in print and, as always, amplified and argued over on social media.
This road serves a community, but it is also the route over which thousands now travel, in cars, motorhomes and tour buses, to visit the fabled Fairy Pools.
In the space of two decades these pools have gone from being a little known feature of an area otherwise dominated by the surrounding Cuillins, to one of Scotland’s most popular tourist hotspots.
The tiny resident community has been overwhelmed by the 200,000 visitors to the site each year.
A few years ago the charity the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland was able to step in and alleviate many of the parking issues which resulted from the influx.
Backed by Highland Council and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and in a successful partnership with the Minginish community, toilets and a 140-space car park opened in 2021.
Since then, however, the road to and from the area has continued to crumble.
This summer there have been numerous reports of gridlock due to the narrow single track route being blocked by vehicles stuck in ditches or damaged by inescapable potholes.
Councillor John Finlayson, who chairs Highland Council’s Skye and Raasay Committee, suggested OATS should help foot the repair bill with the profits it makes from parking charges at the Fairy Pools.
This call sparked an angry response from many locals who feel that the OATS car park had helped a problem that was already there.
The council has been accused of failing to fulfil its side of the bargain by properly maintaining a road over which it has statutory responsibility.
OATS are the wrong target for criticism.
But the council is also in a difficult position due to money and resources
It is faced with the challenge of equipping a road engineered to cope with a handful of car journeys a week, to now being able to handle thousands of them.
Self-evidently, for the good of the people who live there, the road has to be improved, widened and properly surfaced.
Passing places should be extended and signage made more prevalent.
If the council can’t stump up the money, the Scottish Government should step in and support.
Neist Point, Fairy Pools and other beautiful spots in remote locations are now synonymous with ‘brand Scotland’.
These images more than pay their way in terms of what it means for the Scottish economy overall.
But if you have made a strategic choice to promote these places and encourage people to flock to see them, you have to back it up by improving the routes people use to get there.
In the longer term, short of building a motorway between Carbost and Glenbrittle, there is still a case to be made for limits.
The Fairy Pools or Neist Point do not need to be closed off for visitors completely.
A park and ride, as well as a booking system to stagger visits throughout the day, could do much to ease some of the congestion.
It would be better for the environment too.
We should not shy away from gentle restrictions on access if the pressure on local infrastructure is too great and communities have decided that the saturation point has been reached.
These principles apply on city streets all the time.
It’s why, for example, you can’t drive straight up to Edinburgh Castle.
We all want visitors who come to the west Highlands to experience the joy that the recent photographic study showed.
But what local satisfaction can we really take from it, if the tourist rush only succeeds in making it miserable for those who call the area home.