A DANISH influencer has faced fierce criticism after he allegedly damaged a protected area in Skye.
August Vallat, who goes by the username outdoorgingerchannel and has more than a million followers on Instagram alone, has been told to “show some respect” after he allegedly damaged a protected beauty spot in the Outer Hebrides.
Locals reportedly discovered scorched trees, felled birch wood, and discarded bottles at the Cuillin Hills, near Glenbrittle, which prompted widespread outrage on social media.
Vallat, who regularly promotes the ethics of leaving no trace while camping outdoors in his videos, has been accused of hypocrisy after allegedly leaving the area where he stayed “like a festival site”.
Walkers visiting the site after Vallat had stayed allegedly found burnt grass, food wrappers, and trees damaged, the International Business Times reported.
Vallat has reportedly deleted several posts from social media relating to his time at Glenbrittle and has blocked people from commenting on certain videos on his Instagram account.
In one video posted on Wednesday, which is still on his Instagram, Vallat states he’s going to “survive” in Scotland for three days.
In the short clip, he can be seen using an open fire on top of what appears to be a grass verge.
Later in the same video, he can be seen, along with two other men he said were Scots, adding what appears to be tree branches to the open fire.
Vallat says at the end of the video: “It’s more beautiful than most of the nature I have seen in my life.”
However, some people have been quick to criticise the Dane, saying that he is not practicing what he preaches about responsible camping.
One person commenting under the video said: “What a shame that you think it's ok to come to the Isle of Skye and cut down trees.
“Spread rubbish everywhere. Damage the ground with your fires.
“You then complained when a well known mountaineer 'hurt your feelings' for telling you to clear up your rubbish as you camped on the Cuillin, one of the most spectacular places in the world.
“Unbelievable. Go and educate yourself.”
Meanwhile, a second person said: “Scotland is ‘the most beautiful nature’ you've seen, yet you choose to come here and cut down trees, leave scars on the landscape from your fire and basically leave it less beautiful than when you arrived.
“How dare you treat our country like this.
“If you actually give a shit about the outdoors, I hope that you take a good hard look at how you have been behaving and think about what you are encouraging your followers to do.
They added: “Show some respect for these beautiful places that you are lucky enough to travel through and the people who live here.”
In another video, Vallat and the two other men are then seen drinking bottles of beer while standing in a waterfall.
One person commented: “Leave no trace means exactly that — leave no trace.
“You should be ashamed of the way you vandalised the natural environment.”
However, Vallat has denied the claims that he left any of the areas in poor states after he visited them, as he said the reports were “fake news”.
He said: “The article is fake news. We did not leave any trash behind us at the campsite.
“I don't even know how this got in a journal.
“I have been camping for three years, and I have never had a problem like this so don't believe in everything you see on the Internet.”
