Popular ‘Stay the Night’ scheme returns

Forestry and Land Scotland’s (FLS) ‘Stay the Night’ initiative will apply to around 36 car parks across Scotland between April 1 and October 31.

The scheme welcomes self-contained motorhomes and campervans - with all facilities including toilet inside the vehicle - to park overnight, for one night only.

This year, FLS will also be asking visitors who take up the opportunity to pay a modest charge of £7 per stay, payable via the RingGo app

Stuart Chalmers, FLS’s national visitor services manager, said: “Stay the Night has proved to be hugely popular with motorhome and campervan users, many of whom have indicated that they would be more than happy to pay a small charge for their stay.

“It’s really gratifying to know that the motorhome community really respects our sites and the other visitors that will stop for the night. However, there is always the small minority that doesn’t play by the rules and to make sure that they don’t spoil it for everyone else, our seasonal rangers regularly check each of the participating car parks.

“The modest £7 charge per night will help us to cover those additional costs and make sure that our visitors all enjoy a great experience.

“We know that the motorhome and campervan communities are a major part of Scotland’s tourism traffic.

“Stay the Night helps to meet the growing demand for stopping places and by encouraging people to stop at locations they would otherwise have passed through, should also provide a boost to many small rural businesses.”

Full details including a list and location map of all the sites will be available online in the near future. Stays are between the hours of 6pm and 10am, with no return visit for 48 hrs.

Stay the Night does not include tents beside cars, pop-up, pup or toilet tents, or any motorhome or campervan without its own toilet facility. And no generators are permitted.

No booking system is in place and the participating car parks will operate on a first come first served basis.