It is an undeniably idyllic image: starry skies, the great outdoors and a steaming cup of coffee – or a warming dram – sipped amid the rosy glow of a roaring campfire.

And for the wild campers who recently pitched their spot on Eilean Eachainn, one of the Loch Maree islands in Wester Ross, the readily available branches chopped from downed trees dotted around the site provided ideal fuel to get their fire going.

Indeed, so handy was the wood, that they carefully stashed a supply of ready cut branches close to their campfire spot on a cleared area overlooking the calm water – helpful for whoever came along next to get their own cosy fire going.

That, however, has now triggered deep concern over the apparent lack of awareness among the rising number of wild campers who seem either ignorant of fire regulations on precious and ancient landscapes, or are simply too wrapped up in the idyllic image of campfire life to care.

Signs of the recent Eilean Eachainn campfires shocked those who last year watched in dismay as fire ripped through the pristine nature reserve, home to ancient pine woods and a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Started by a campfire that had not been properly extinguished, it continued to burn in the peat soil long after the campers had packed up and left, eventually re-emerging 10 metres away.

Fanned by strong winds, it took hold, creating a devastating wildfire which left several native pine trees up to four centuries old scorched, soil burnt away, vegetation, heather and scrub destroyed and, eventually, trees toppled.

To his dismay when Ian Sargent, a nature reserve manager with NatureScot, recently returned to the island, he discovered signs of further campfires.

“Many of the trees in the burnt area have now fallen over as the peat soil mostly burnt away,” he said. “But to our surprise, this has led to people cutting away the branches for new campfires.

“Despite the obvious burnt area, there have been two recent campfires in the area of the wildfire from last year.”

One campfire had even been lit in the fire break cut to help prevent flames spreading to the rest of the island, with wood neatly stacked in readiness for another fire.

“The need to have a campfire seems to be growing, perhaps not helped by the media showing camping with campfires… and TV shows that encourage open fires,” he added.

“The Loch Maree islands are special, with some of the most interesting pinewoods in Scotland. The advice for accessing Loch Maree islands responsibly is - no open fires of any kind and limit stays on an island to a max of 30mins. Best to take a stove, or better still a flask.”

With estimates that 90% of all wildfires are caused by human acts, concerns are now rising that the escalating trend for exploring Scotland’s most precious landscapes, rising numbers of novice campers and ‘Instagram’ style images of cosy campfire meals, bushcraft and wilderness adventures will fuel the problem.

Already this spring the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has issued three separate wildfire warnings, including two last month advising of tinderbox conditions across large areas of the country, and attempting to advise members of the public to be aware of the dangers.

And yet wildfires still flared across the country: recent weeks have seen a series of fires at Rhu in Argyll and Bute, a serious moorland fire near Gatehouse of Fleet in Dumfries and Galloway and another nearby on hills near Terregles, fortnight ago.

Firefighters also tackled a serious wildfire near army barracks close to Fort George, Ardersier, a blaze on hills overlooking Oban, a large fire in the Kilpatrick Hills and a string of wildfires in North Uist, Benbecula, Skye, Harris and the Isle of Bernera – to name just a few.

In Cairngorms National Park, where release from lockdown last year saw a spate of campfire and disposable barbecue-related fires – including almost 30 fires on a single July night in the Loch Morlich area - additional park rangers have been employed to help encourage visitors adhere to the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.

As well as the wildfire risk, there are concerns that charred ground caused by campfires leave a ‘calling card’ for other campers to use the spot for fires, causing further damage to soil and turf.

Pete Crane, the CNPA’s Head of Visitor Services said: “The Cairngorms National Park Authority is providing increased support in terms of investment in both visitor facilities and people on the ground this summer.

“We have committed £572,000 for the delivery of a CNPA Ranger Service and we have increased funding to £190,000 for six partner ranger services in the Park.

“This means that over 35 rangers will be deployed in the Park across the different ranger services.

“Our advice to people camping is follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and ‘never light an open fire during prolonged dry periods or in areas such as forests, woods, farmland or on peaty ground’ which covers most of the National Park.”

Along with the obvious risks, wildfires burn valuable carbon stores held in trees and peatland, releasing greenhouse gases back into the atmosphere.

A wildfire which burned for six days in the Flow Country two years ago affected 22 sq miles of blanket bog, releasing an estimated 700,000 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere.

In the case of a massive fire at Culbin Forest last September, the damage will take generations to repair.

The man-made sand dune forest contains a wide variety of habitats and over 500 species of flowering plants including many rare species such as one-flowered wintergreen, twinflower and coralroot orchid.

A designated site of international importance for birds and insects, it has more than 450 species of fungi – including one not found anywhere else in Britain - and at least 150 species of lichens.

The fire, thought to have been started by visitors, raged over three weeks and destroyed an area the size of about 28 football pitches.

John Thomson, FLS’s East Region Manager, said: “Culbin is a “jewel in the crown” site enjoyed by a great many people, both locals and visitors alike.

“If more people who profess to love Scotland’s forests were aware of the true extent of the damage done by fire there might be a greater willingness to avoid lighting campfires and using disposable barbecues.

“Animal and insect species might be able to slowly re-colonise but for plant species the process is much slower. Grasses might begin to re-emerge within a few years and ericaceous shrubs, such as cowberry or blaeberry might be back within a decade or so.

“But the fungi and lichens will not recover for many decades and new trees might not reach maturity for 50 years, or perhaps even a century.

“In the aftermath there are always dramatic images of charred and blackened trees, but the real, long-term impact is often not something that is given any thought.”

Bruce Farquharson, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s Local Senior Office for Aberdeen, said: “As lockdown restrictions ease many will be eager to get outdoors.

“Tents are susceptible to fire which can take hold very quickly. Using stoves or other cooking and heating equipment in tents could endanger lives not only from fire but also as a result of a build-up of carbon monoxide - we’d remind campers not to smoke or cook within tents and use torches instead of candles.

“Overall, we would not recommend that campfires are lit as they have the potential to go out of control and cause significant damage to the environment and wildlife.”