Car parking

We have over 300 car parks. We charge for parking at some of these car parks to help maintain our facilities and look after the forests and wildlife. Blue badge holders park free at all our car parks. You can find out more by reading our Charge Parking terms and conditions (PDF). Terms and conditions for the Glentress car park are available here (PDF).

Car Parking Frequently Asked Questions:

What does parking cost?

You can find out if parking charges apply and what they cost by checking the destination page of the forest you want to visit. Blue badge holders park free at all our car parks.

How can I pay?

Some of our car parks have coin-operated machines and others have card readers. You can also pay using RingGo (except at Tentsmuir and Glentress).

Card payments are not always available due to lack of power or good phone signal. We recommend downloading RingGo before your visit and bringing coins and cards with you, just in case.

If you visit a particular forest or region often, you may want to buy an Annual Parking Pass. Please check the destination page of the forest you want to visit for more details.

Need help using RingGo?

You can find help on the RingGo website or use their live chat help service.

If you don’t have a smartphone, you can call 0131 239 0000* to pay.

At all our charging car parks, you have up to 72 hours to pay after your visit so can take your time and pay when you get better reception. Downloading the RingGo app from your official app store before you visit can help too. Regular visitors can also purchase an annual pass to avoid paying each time.

If you still have a question or concern, you can call or email your local Region.

At some of our larger sites, our reception or café staff can help. Or simply stop one of friendly Rangers in the forest.

*Small additional fees may apply when calling this telephone number.

Why have I been charged an extra 40p for using RingGo?

RingGo sends SMS messages to remind you when your parking session is coming to an end. This service costs 20p per message. You can opt out of all RingGo notifications by logging into RingGo and managing your settings.

What disabled facilities do you have in your car parks?

You can see what facilities are available by checking the destination page of the forest you want to visit.

Blue badge holders park for free at all of our car parks and many of our charging car parks are wheelchair accessible. Some of our destinations also have wheelchair accessible trails.

Our signs meet visual accessibility guidelines and there are marked disabled bays at our most popular car parks. We also regularly review our Charge Parking Equality Impact Assessment.

Can I park overnight in FLS car parks? I’d like to park to go camping.

Our car parks are for day visitors only.

Under the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, you are welcome to wild camp in many areas of Scotland. Please choose a campsite that is well away from roads, buildings and car parks. Camping by your car is not wild camping and can cause issues for local residents and wildlife. If you have a self-contained motorhome, you may be able to Stay the Night.

Why do Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) charge for car parking?

While many of the car parks we manage are free to use, we do charge at some sites. This income helps us to keep facilities in good order, improve the visitor experience, and look after the forests and their wildlife.

Why do you charge at some car parks and not at others?

We regularly review the visitor experience at our car parks and introduce charging where the number of visitors justifies the resources required to install and maintain pay and display machines and/or monitor the car park.

How do you decide what tariffs to charge?

The level of facilities
The visitor experience
Encouraging visitors to use greener forms of transport, including vehicle sharing (to help manage capacity on popular sites)

Isn’t FLS a government agency? Don’t I already pay through my taxes?

Car parks and other facilities take time, resources and funds to maintain. Your taxes do contribute, but they do not fully cover the costs which is why car parking charges are an important additional source of income.

Where does the money generated by car parking go?

We use the money raised by car parking to:

Improve and maintain visitor facilities
Help look after the forests and wildlife
Fund seasonal rangers who welcome visitors and keep our forests clean, tidy and safe

I thought FLS couldn’t charge for access?

Our car parking charges are not an access charge. Motorised transport is excluded from access rights under the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. Access by car - and parking - is by permission of the land manager.

I am concerned about fraudulent QR codes on car park machines. How do I protect myself?

Neither FLS nor RingGo use QR codes to take payment for parking. We have coin or card machines or at most sites you can pay through RingGo’s website, app or via their phone number 0131 239 0000 (some additional fees may apply when calling this telephone number).

If you notice a QR code on any of our car park machines do not scan it, and contact us as soon as possible to advise where you’ve seen it.