In the old fishing and ferry port of Ullapool, Katy Campbell, a mother-of-five, is also worried about prices. Originally from Rhyl in North Wales, she moved to Wester Ross with her husband 24 years ago. “Because everything has just gone up exponentially we’re actually no better off even though our incomes may be treble than what they were 20 years ago,” she says.
Ms Campbell says some of the effects of the cost of living crisis have been positive. She feels eating less meat is healthier and she has spent more time cooking at home with her family. Still, she adds: “It can be really hard having to say to the children, no, we can’t afford that..
For Lisa MacDonald, solutions to the Highlands’ problems depend on adequate funding of high-quality public services through taxation. “We’re beginning to see the fraying and the crumbling of the structure of society itself because of lack of investment and more than a decade of austerity,” she argues, adding: “The erosion of the public realm is a thing that concerns me greatly.”
Back in Applecross, Megan McInnes has an even simpler message for politicians. “All we would ask,” she says, “is that they don’t forget about us.”
