Trust says vandalism at Edinburgh beauty spot giving 'bad impression' to tourists

Portaloos on Calton Hill, which are open to the public, have been vandalised in recent weeks and the Calton Hill Conservation Trust has said the graffiti is sending the wrong message to the approximately 500,000 visitors who visit it each year.

Simon Holledge, chair of Calton Hill Conservation Trust, said: “I think, first of all, we are worried about security, generally on the hill, particularly fires, because we've had a number of bins being set alight and so forth. In 2022, we had a big gorse fire.”

He added: “Originally we asked for the portaloos to be put on the main car park because there's more visibility there, and we thought that probably better security as well.”

The vandalism is giving a 'bad impression' to visitors to the site. | Calton Hill Conservation Trust

The portaloos, which sit in the car park of Calton Hill, were found tipped over with graffiti daubed on them. The trust is concerned that the unsecured toilets are prone to vandalism and should be replaced with a more permanent structure - with security measures in place to ensure that the vandalism doesn’t continue.

Simon said: “We originally were hoping that the council would open their public toilets in the Nelson monument. This has been a long standing issue. There are a total of 10 existing toilets on the hill, and we hope that if they were all used then, then we wouldn't need to have portaloos.”

“But if we do need extra ones, and certainly the portaloos that have been put up there are used quite a lot. If we do need that, then we want a proper permanent facility, and we think the best thing would be to have it underground.”

Calton Hill portaloos. The Calton Hill Conservation Trust is asking for increased security and a permanent relocation for the toilets. | Calton Hill Conservation Trust

The issue is causing concern about the impression being left to the more than half a million visitors that visit Calton Hill.

Simon said: “It creates a really bad impression for visitors. We think there are at least half a million visitors a year coming up to the hill, maybe more.”

Edinburgh council has been contacted for comment.