It has caused years of relentless misery for businesses, motorists and holidaymakers.

Almost £100m is said to have been spent on temporary fixes that have failed to prevent the A83 at the Rest and be Thankful becoming blocked by landslips.

But, the owners of a self-catering business in Argyll say that far from being an inconvenience, Scotland’s most notorious road actually saved them from going under.

The Herald:

When bookings ground to a halt during the pandemic, Mansfield House in the village of Arrochar, hosted construction workers who were permanently stationed at the landslip-plagued road.

Ali and Fiona Campbell’s cottage was also booked up by maintenance crews for around two years, providing much needed income at a time when hospitality was facing its harshest ever trading conditions.

The Herald:

Ms Campbell, 48, who is Chief Executive of The Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC) lobbied the government for self-catering to be used to house key workers when Covid struck to help struggling businesses.

“We survived the pandemic because we had workers from the Rest and Be Thankful,” said her husband.

“That was the only reason our business survived.

READ MORE: Ministers 'wasting' £130m fixes for Scotland's most notorious road 

“Fiona fought for self-catering accommodation to be allowed to house key workers without even thinking about our business and then I said, well hang on surely the guys at Rest and Be Thankful count as key workers.

“We had them in for two years,” added the 52-year-old.

The Herald:

“Obviously per week it was a lot less than we would normally earn but actually because it was steady, we were probably better off.

“They only left in October last year because they were finished up at the Rest.”

Gareth Cotten, who runs four hotels in Scotland including The Highland Bridge Hotel in Lochaber, said he made a point of finding out what construction projects were happening to target workers during lean periods for the business..

It comes amid concern Scotland’s tourism season is shrinking due to cost-of-living pressures and energy price rises with many operators cutting their operating hours or closing during the winter.

READ MORE: Historic hotel now a 'carbuncle' damaging Highland tourism 

Arrochar hotel, which is run by the Bespoke Hotels Group, is currently only open at weekends.

Mr Campbell said another of the local hotels was closed in January, which he had, “never seen before”.

He said occupancy rates in January for the five-bedroomed Mansfield House, where rates start at £350 per night, would normally sit at 85% in January but this year had dropped to 22%.

The Herald:

“We are just finding bookings so sporadic and last minute. People seem to be being really cautious,” he said.

“Since the pandemic we have been encouraging people to take out an insurance policy, so that if they or we need to cancel, they would get a full refund without it impacting us.

“So we have had to put these things in place to make sure we are covered.

 

“The cottage is largely empty at the moment. The fact that the house is empty this weekend is a surprise.”

However, he said he was confident that bookins would pick up.

“We’ve got bookings as far ahead as March,” he said.

“People are just being a bit more cautious about how they spend their money. 

“After the pandemic we were full straight away - we were literally turning people away.”

READ MORE: Hotelier would restore Highland 'carbuncle' if price was right 

He said controlling the heating in the house and cottage through a mobile phone app was helping them run the business economically.

“At the moment I have just got the house ticking over, so it’s not got a chance of freezing but I can have that house warm in an hour, no matter where I am,” he said.

“So energy wise we can be really quite efficient. As long as both places are ready to go at the drop of a hat, in terms of energy that’s not a major issue.

“Pandemic aside, it’s the most unpredictable it’s been since I was involved,” said Mr Campbell, who is also a freelance graphic designer. 

The latest survey by the ASSC found that between January and March 2023, average occupancy is at 24% across self-catering businesses that are open.

Between April and June, based on existing bookings to date, average occupancy is 32%.

Professor John Lennon, Director of the Moffat Centre for Travel and Tourism at Glasgow Caledonian University, said: “Recent data from the national tourism accommodation occupancy survey conducted by the Moffat Centre, Glasgow Caledonian University has highlighted the major challenges faced by rural accommodation operators. 

He said: “It is ironic that at a time when the reduction in UK Sterling has made Scotland an attractive destination for European and U.S. visitors the economics of smaller rural accommodation and hospitality operations means that during periods of low seasonal demand limited operation becomes a survival strategy which incidentally is also evident in city hospitality operations. 

“If such critical cost inflation continues without government intervention we are likely to see closures and further insolvencies in accommodation, hospitality and the visitor attractions sectors.”