UKC

I am heading up to the Cairngorms in my camper soon. Is there anywhere I can park up for a night or two for free near to Aviemore?

Cheers

Charlie

In reply to charliehl:
try getting in by loch morlich. near the boat sheds there are individual spaces you can park in. watch out for cars cruising by though, we had one give our van a look over and i got the impression they were after robbing some stuff. the campsite at the roundabout is ok though but obviously will cost you.

In reply to charliehl:

Loch Morlich should not be used as there is a litter problem and there are charges. I don't like the charges but instead of blatantly ignoring them I use other areas which are better anyway and avoid confrontation.

The Coire na Ciste carpark is good as is Coire Cas although often windy.

In reply to charliehl:

Please don't use the carpark spaces around Loch Morlich, especially the ones next to the campsite. The Forest Enterprises campsite at Glenmore is good, has great facilities and is not too expensive (its also only 10mins walk from bar meals at The Lodge).

Scotland has excellent (but delicate) access laws which many counties across Europe are jealous of. Please respect the fact that inappropriate "wild camping" in campervans does cause serious issues for local communities. It's easy to think "ah, it's only a couple of nights out of season", but trust me, it does cause issues. Please also respect the fact that many local businesses depend on sensible and sustainable actions by owners/hirers of campervans. Some sensible advice on the subject here:http://bigtreecampervans.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/not-on-campsite-no-problem....

In reply to charliehl:

A good bet might be the car park on the right just past the tennis courts on the B970 to Cairngorm. Think it's called the Woodland(s) car park & as far as I know it's free & legit. I stayed there for about a week once without any bother. There were also other folk in campervans/motorhomes staying there for a while without any probs. It's a nice place - the photo of my van on my profile was taken there.

In reply to charliehl:

Cairngorm car park is a good place ( the ski car park). And you can just fall out of your van and walk in

In reply to Simon Yearsley:


But it's not free is it?

In reply to RocKalina:


True, but pretty exposed to wind and cold. Plus in heavy snow you could get trapped up there.

In reply to Simon Yearsley:


It is good but we had a weird experience over new year, rang up to enquire about availability, were told there were no pitches with hookups available, thought ok, no problem we can survive on leisure battery but no fan heater, turned up, were told no hook ups again, mentioned that there were lots of pitches free on the site as we could plainly see it, a bit of whispering went on, they asked to see inside my properly converted T5, Hob, fridge, pop top the lot, nodded and agreed we could have a pitch with a hook up, not quite sure what the issue was but i wasn't very impressed with their attitude, i know its their site and they can have who they want on it but seemed to be a bit selective.........YMMV of course...

In reply to charliehl:

I often stay in the Sugar bowl car park which is on the left up the ski road. Stayed here numerous times over the last 20yrs with no issues. A charge meter has appeared over the last couple of years £2 a day.

You can also stay below the main car park at the top station.

If you want to go a bit further, there are numerous forestry spots down the road towards Glen feshie

In reply to charliehl:

In addition I wouldn't stay at a free spot around Loch Morlich, all the signs around the loch state no camping and in that respect they should be followed, plus the camp site is only 1/2 mile away

In reply to Dark-Cloud:


I haven't stayed in it for years but went in with mates who camped there last year. You can probably get a mortgage supplying less info than those guys asked for! And reet snooty with it.

In reply to charliehl:

Charlie

Don't know if you've ever searched online for sites but wildcampingformotorhomes has hundreds of sites all over Scotland.

In reply to charliehl:

Thank you for all the responses, looks like I have loads of options.

Charlie

In reply to DaveHK:

Have fond memories of that camp site from long ago. I now find it a horrible place with horrible attitudes.

In reply to charliehl:

Carrbridge public carpark. 7mls north of Aviemore 260m altitude.

Toilets in the carpark, excellent pub - the Cairn.

Free

In reply to DaveHK:

TANSTASFL (There ain't no such thing as a free lunch)

In reply to Simon Yearsley:

Like everything else it's only a problem if its done inconsiderately.