CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK
An amazing place to visit in Scotland
Hire a campervan from Edinburgh and travel up the A9 where you will come to the Cairngorms National Park. It is the largest national park in the UK and is one of the country’s most special and cared for landscapes. For this reason we feel it is a must see. It has a wide variety of traditional and unique villages and communities. However that is not all. There are lots of amazing places to discover. For example – Aviemore, Angus Glens, Atholl and Glenshee, Tomintoul and Glenlivet and the Royal Deeside and Donside areas.
MUNROS
Five of the UK’s six highest mountains lie inside the park, there are 55 Munros – In other words, mountains over 3,000 ft in the Cairngorms National Park. In addition there are huge forests of ancient native trees and cascading waterfalls.
ACTIVITIES
More people come to ski in the Cairngorms than at any other resort in the UK. Hillwalkers and rock-climbers will never run out of routes to try. There are loads of top-class mountain-bike trails, cross-country skiing trails, pony treks and orienteering courses. Should you be into husky racing, well, you can do that here, too.
CAIRNGORM PLATEAU
The Cairngorm plateau is the highest, coldest and snowiest plateau in Britain. You can still see snow patches up here in the heat of summer. In winter it is also a place of astonishing beauty. The creatures that call this home have adapted to the harsh conditions – mountain hares, golden eagles and wildcats all find shelter here amid the winter snows.
THINGS TO DO
In the centre of the Scottish Highlands, it has everything from castles and distilleries to family fun and endless outdoor activities. The UK’s largest National Park offers loads of things to do including for example, watersports, snowsports, wildlife watching and some awesome high and low level walking and cycling routes. There are lots of amazing places to go and things to see and do in the UK. Luckily, the Cairngorms National Park has lots of them all in the one place so it really is an ideal spot.
Dark Skies
With such low light pollution, amazing vantage points and vast horizons, the Cairngorms is recognised as one of the best places in the world to star gaze.
Tomintoul and Glenlivet, in particular, have been awarded the prestigious status of ‘International Dark Sky Park’ making it the most northerly park of its kind in the world. Whether you’re a novice star spotter, or a Northern Light Hunter, there are few pleasures as heart-warming and perspective-gaining as snuggling up on a hillside with a hot chocolate and marvelling at the stars in your campervan!
Camping in the Cairngorms National Park
There is something for every kind of camper in the Park, from the large family-friendly sites such as Glenmore, Blair Atholl, and Dalraddy to Caravan Club sites which take tents and campervans.
To find the right campsite for you and your family check out Visit Cairngorms.
If you are going wild camping tread lightly:
- Consider how your campsite may impact on local people and land managers, its best to keep away from enclosed fields of crops or farm animals and keep away from buildings, roads, and historic structures.
- Camp in a small group and only stay in one spot for one or two nights.
- Bear in mind local wildlife – take care and avoid disturbing wildlife such as deer, capercaillie, and grouse.
- Wildfires are a real danger in the Park at all times of the year, please avoid lighting fires and never leave BBQ’s unattended or on flammable surfaces such as peat. Please use a stove instead.
- Take everything away with you, including all your litter, remove all traces of your tent pitch and cooking areas.
For further guidance on Camping refer to our articles below.
VisitScotland – Campervan Travel Guidance
