Bridge of Orchy

The perfect place to begin your adventure in Glen Orchy or just take a breath of fresh air and relax by the riverside

The car park and picnic area at Bridge of Orchy can be easily accessed from the A82 and by public transport. The riverside picnic area here has great views of the surrounding Munros and is a popular spot with walkers on the West Highland Way and kayakers on the River Orchy.

The Forestry tracks that can be accessed from here will take you into the heart of Glen Orchy (which runs for 10 miles). Perfect for exploring by bike or on foot. 

Activities

Explore on bike, foot or horse

The forest roads and tracks are great fun for self-guided exploration on mountain bike, gravel bike, horseback or by foot. Ordnance Survey maps Landranger 50: Glen Orchy & Loch Etive and Explorer 377: Loch Etive & Glen Orchy cover the forest and its surrounding area.

Kayaking

The car park and picnic site at Bridge of Orchy are popular with kayakers as a put-in spot for the River Orchy. The UK Rivers Guidebook has a route description for the extremely challenging middle section.

Beinn Dorain and Beinn an Dothaidh hill walk

It's also the best place to park for the hill path to Beinn Dòrain & Beinn an Dòthaidh - two fine Munros to the east of Bridge of Orchy. This is a challenging walk which should be attempted by experienced hill walkers only.

West Highland Way

The West Highland Way also passes nearby. The car park is popular with those attempting the sections in each direction from Bridge of Orchy.

Facilities and access

Parking (charge)

Picnic area

Stay the Night

The nearest public toilets are in Tyndrum. The hotel in Bridge of Orchy also serves food and drink.

Car parking information

The charges to park at this forest car park are:

• £1 for up to 1 hour – all vehicles
• £3 for all day
• Blue Badge holders park free. Please display your Blue Badge clearly.

Payment can be made using RingGo.

Please park with care and consideration. In particular please park in designated parking areas only and do not block entrances or gates. Nearby car parks with free parking can be found in our Forest Search, marked as a 'P' without the £ symbol.

Annual parking pass available:

Available in advance by downloading the application form and emailing to the Regional Office. Please read our Annual Pass terms and conditions (PDF) before applying.

More about parking

Stay the Night

Stay the Night continues to run now through to 31 December 2024. This means self-contained motorhomes and campervans will be able to park overnight for one night in some of our car parks.

There is a £10 charge to Stay the Night here, this includes use of the chemical waste disposal facility. If you are not Staying the Night and only want to do a drop-off of chemical waste then it’s £5. Payment can be made through RingGo with details of how to do this at the car park.

To help plan your stay, please see the details below:

• Height barrier – None
• Motorhome capacity of car park – 6
• Suitable for large vehicles/caravans – No
• Parking notes – The parking area to your left as you enter the car park is more suitable for Stay the Night parking. 
• Facilities – Chemical waste disposal

Please visit our Stay the Night page for full details, participating locations, best practice, and terms and conditions of use.

Stay the night

Getting here

To find the car park and picnic site at Bridge of Orchy, turn off the A82 at Bridge of Orchy Hotel and head over the bridge.

Using SatNav?

PA36 4AB is the nearest postcode for the Bridge of Orchy car park.

Public transport

Trains and buses between Glasgow and Fort William stop at Bridge of Orchy. Plan your journey at Traveline Scotland.

Get directions