Glenmore car park completion brings call for responsible access
Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) is calling on all visitors to Glenmore who are making use of the recently upgraded Beach car park to behave responsibly and respectfully.
Recent extension and improvement works - completed well in time for the summer season – mean that a total of 130 parking spaces are now available, including extra parking for disabled visitors.
The car park supplements FLS’ upgraded Loch Morlich, Lochside, Allt Ban, Allt Mor and Hayfield car parks and parking options elsewhere, including at the Glenmore Visitor Centre and Council parking spaces at roadside.
However, while already proving to be highly popular the new facility has also seen an increase in overnight stays by visitors in camper vans.
Laura Nicoll, FLS’ Area Visitor Services Manager, said;
“Careful consideration was given to the planning and layout of the site to get the most out of the limited space we had to work with.
“It was not intended as an overnight stopping area and we will be working with our partners in the area to ensure that visitors observe the ‘no overnight parking’ rule as part of a general push to encourage responsible, respectful access at all times.
“This includes encouraging campers to stay on official sites, reminding people of the new CNPA byelaw prohibiting camp fires, and encouraging visitors to make use of all the local facilities.
“Campervan drivers should go to an official site if they want to stay the night: Glenmore Campsite, Rothiemurchus Campsite or the self-contained motorhome area at Cairngorm Mountain are all great local options.”
The recent spell of hot weather has already seen an increase in beach campers and in the lighting of campfires. SFRS has already attended incidents in Glenmore over the May Day holiday weekend.
Laura added;
“This is part of a planned approach to enable responsible parking in Glenmore to overcome the issues that presented in the past because of unsafe, roadside parking.
“It’s been a partnership effort and a partnership approach that we hope will make it easier for visitors to enjoy their time here and to be more considerate of local residents, businesses and other visitors.”
The extension works - a £200k investment to support recreation and tourism in Glenmore - were one element in the ongoing effort of all partners in the area to better manage the huge numbers of visitors that flock to the area every summer.
The new layout, developed by FLS’ own Landscape Architect, is being supported by the Scottish Government’s Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund (administered by VisitScotland), with additional funding from Cairngorm National Park Authority and from FLS, whose Civil Engineering team managed the contract.
Notes to editors
- Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) manages forests and land owned by Scottish Ministers in a way that supports and enables economically sustainable forestry; conserves and enhances the environment; delivers benefits for people and nature; and supports Scottish Ministers in their stewardship of Scotland's national forests and land.
- Media enquiries to media@forestryandland.gov.scot