The Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland provides car parking and related trailhead services at three of the most popular countryside sites in Scotland. These are at Beinn a’ Ghlo near Blair Atholl; Dinnet, between Aboyne and Ballater; and the Fairy Pools on the Isle of Skye.
Providing suitable car parking at busy countryside sites is no small undertaking. It needs space; agreement with land managers and public bodies; maintenance; and major capital investment. For instance, the toilets built at the Fairy Pools car park needed to have a processing tank – a mini sewage works – capable of coping with 200,000 users a year!
Income from car-park charges is spent building and maintaining the facilities, employing local people, and renting sites from community groups, with any surplus used to maintain paths and provide “seed corn” funding for access and conservation projects. In 2018/19 OATS raised £125k from car parking and spent £1.58m on access and conservation projects.
SITE: Beinn a’ Ghlo, Loch Moraig at the start of the Carn Liath path, near Blair Atholl, Perthshire
Prices: Car £5 | Minibus £8 | Motorbikes £3
Payment is accepted using a contactless card, Apple Pay or cash.
Number of spaces: 60
This car park is patrolled daily by an attendant
Please note: There are no toilets at the Beinn a’ Ghlo car park
Annual Parking Permits
Annual parking permits for Beinn a’ Ghlo – £20 for each vehicle. Please note Annual Permits are for one vehicle and are not transferable.
Apply online – go to https://park.outdooraccesstrustforscotland.org.uk/ – process online, print it out at home and display it on your vehicle windscreen.
If you have any issues with your application, please e-mail [email protected]
SITE: Dinnet – At the junction of the A97 and A93, Dinnet, Aberdeenshire
Prices: Car £4 Coach £15
Payment is cash only at Dinnet car park.
Number of spaces: 40
This is an unmanned car park without toilets
SITE: Fairy Pools, Glen Brittle, Isle of Skye
This is a manned car park operating on a one-way system, with toilets
Prices: Car £6 | Motorhome/Other £8 | Tour operator minibus / mini coach £15
Payment is accepted using a contactless card, Apple Pay or cash.
Number of spaces: 177
There is a designated parking area for large vehicles such as motorhomes. The maximum length of vehicle permitted at the Fairy Pools car park is 8 metres.
Not suitable for towed caravans
Annual and Seasonal Parking Permits for Fairy Pools
Annual permit for permanent residents: Skye postcode £15 | Minginish Community postcode Free
Season pass for tour operators £200 | Annual pass for tour operators £250
To apply online, go to https://park.outdooraccesstrustforscotland.org.uk/ – process online, print it out at home and display it on the vehicle windscreen.
Please note: Season and annual parking permits are for one vehicle, and are not transferable.
If you have any issues with your application, please e-mail [email protected]
For information on walks at The Fairy Pools:
If you didn’t manage to pay for your parking at any one of our car parks you may settle the parking fee by clicking on the paypal link below. This helps to support OATS in our work: