Car parking

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).

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).

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.

What disabled facilities do you have in your car parks?

You can see what facilites 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.
  • Many of our charging car parks are wheelchair accessible, and all have at least one accessible payment machine. Some of our destinations also have wheelchair accessible trails.
  • Our signs meet visual accessibility guidelines.
  • There are marked disabled bays at our most popular car parks.
  • We 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?

Our tariffs are reviewed regularly and are based on many factors including:

  • 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.