Anger at plans to charge for woods parking

Hundreds of people have signed a petition in protest at the introduction of parking charges at Faskally Woods in Pitlochry.

The woods are best known for hosting the Enchanted Forest for one month each autumn. But they are also popular with locals of the Perthshire town.

Faskally Woods is almost two miles from the town centre, so many users drive and park there.

But land owner Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) has announced parking charges from January 2023 will be £2 an hour, £3 for the day and £10 for a minibus.

A petition protesting against the charges has been signed by almost 500 people in just 24 hours. Some residents say they will no longer visit if they are forced to pay to park. Their dismay has been echoed by local Conservative politicians.

MSP Murdo Fraser and Councillor John Duff have written a joint letter to FLS asking it to rethink the charges.

FLS was unable to respond to our request for a comment due to yesterday’s public holiday.

But its website says: “We regularly review the visitor experience at our charging car parks and introduce charging where it is appropriate.

“This is only where the number of visitors justifies the resources required to install and maintain pay and display machines.”

Faskally Woods.