National park’s plea to visitors

The UK’s largest national park has warned visitors to stay away from parts of the area.

The Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) fears park life may become park strife if the warning is not heeded.

It has appealed to people to avoid “extremely busy” areas of the park this weekend.

It said popular spots near Aviemore and on Deeside had been having “major issues” with traffic, litter, human waste and fires.

Some communities were “angry and concerned” by the behaviour of some of the park’s visitors, the CNPA said.

It has issued the plea ahead of fine weather forecast for the weekend.

The park authority has asked visitors to consider less well-known locations in the park to visit.

The Cairngorms National Park includes parts of Aberdeenshire, the Highlands, Moray and Perthshire.

Recent weeks have seen Loch Morlich, the location of Britain’s highest beach near Aviemore, busy and rows of cars, with parking issues also reported near Loch Muick in Aberdeenshire.

This weekend – the last one before Scottish schools officially return – is set to be warm and dry and park officials are expecting another busy weekend of campers and day-trippers.

Pete Crane, head of visitor services at the CNPA, said: “We really want you to have a safe and enjoyable time, so for the best experience you will need to carefully plan ahead and be prepared to change your plans if an area is too busy.

“A place like the Cairngorms National Park is best enjoyed away from the crowds anyway and luckily – being the UK’s largest national park – the thing we have plenty of is paths!

“We have 666 miles of core paths to be precise, so there is plenty space for everyone.

“Once here, please be the best visitor you can be.”