A WARNING has been issued to West Highland Way walkers about counterfeit souvenir stamp passports being sold at the route’s southern starting point.
The West Highland Way Trust (WHWT) has said that fake versions of the passports, which allow walkers to collect stamps along the 96-mile journey, are being sold in Milngavie.
The charity said that those who have purchased the counterfeit stamp books have been left “very disappointed,” claiming ink from the stamps does not dry properly, turning the keepsake into a “mess”.
The knock-offs are apparently like-for-like the same as the official product, but are a poorer quality in comparison, the WHWT has claimed.
The charity, which maintains the trail with the help of sales of the official passport, said it has already taken action to stop more walkers falling victim to the fake keepsake, claiming that the money from the counterfeits does not go towards the iconic trail.
“It has come to our attention that fake/counterfeit versions of the West Highland Way (WHW) passports have been being sold over the last few weeks by the SPAR in Milngavie,” the trust claimed on Friday.
“This came to light because we started to receive complaints from several sources about the quality of the passports, although nothing had been changed in the production of the official product.”
The WHWT’s statement went on to say: “We are very sorry to hear that some walkers have purchased a fake version of the passport believing that they are supporting the WHW when, in fact, this is not the case.
“The poor quality of the fake product has also left people very disappointed as the ink from the stamps does not dry properly.
“We would like to reassure all WHW supporters that action has been taken to stop this. If you have bought one of the fake products, you can find advice on what to do from Citizens Advice Scotland.”
The charity added that the official West Highland Way passports can be bought online from the WHWT’s website or official online shop.
SPAR has been approached for comment.
