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long term parking in the highlands

long term parking in the highlands


Postby al78 » Mon May 17, 2021 1:10 pm

Given the amount I have been messed around trying to get too and from the Fort William area by public transport (engineering works and poor connection times), I was wondering if in future it is possible to drive up and park somewhere for a few days whilst backpacking and wild camping. Are there any places in or near any of the towns/villages where a car can be left for a few days?
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Re: long term parking in the highlands

Postby Sunset tripper » Mon May 17, 2021 1:28 pm

Yes there is free parking almost everywhere, though the greedy parking policies are spreading north slowly, a bit like the grey squirrels. :(
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Re: long term parking in the highlands

Postby al78 » Mon May 17, 2021 3:00 pm

Sunset tripper wrote:Yes there is free parking almost everywhere, though the greedy parking policies are spreading north slowly, a bit like the grey squirrels. :(


Thanks, so if I find a roadside car park and it doesn't explicitly say "no overnight parking", I'm good to leave the car there without being harrassed by any local authorities or disgruntled residents?
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Re: long term parking in the highlands

Postby Sunset tripper » Mon May 17, 2021 3:29 pm

Yes pretty much, but don't worry about the yellow no overnight parking signs, they are illegal and the council has been forced to take them down though there are still some about.

Where exactly or roughly are you looking to park?

ie what walks are you planning?
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Re: long term parking in the highlands

Postby Essan » Mon May 17, 2021 3:33 pm

It's not unusual for cars to be left in laybys for a few days in rural/quieter parts of the Highlands (just make sure you're not blocking any access) - but (you've probably seen me say this before) I would always advise leaving a note giving your mobile phone number and a contact back home, so if anyone is concerned about it (ie worried you may have had an accident because your car's been there several days) they can make contact with either yourself or someone who knows your plans. But don't say in the note where you are going or when you expect to be back.
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Re: long term parking in the highlands

Postby Giant Stoneater » Mon May 17, 2021 3:50 pm

If you were concerned about leaving your car i would contact the local police and give details of where you left your car/ car reg, along with where your going and how long away for.
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Re: long term parking in the highlands

Postby al78 » Mon May 17, 2021 4:33 pm

Sunset tripper wrote:Yes pretty much, but don't worry about the yellow no overnight parking signs, they are illegal and the council has been forced to take them down though there are still some about.

Where exactly or roughly are you looking to park?

ie what walks are you planning?


I haven't planned anything as yet, I was just wondering if you were allowed to leave a car for several days in a car park in the highlands, it adds options if so. An example of where I might like to park for a few days would be to walk from Blair Atholl to Aviemore over the Munros. Driving to Blair Atholl and leaving the car somewhere then getting a train back at the end would be much cheaper than using the sleeper train, although such a trek is perfect for using the sleeper to get there and back. I'm beginning to wish I had done this when arranging my trip across Knoydart, it would have been ideal to leave the car near Fort William or Spean Bridge, bus or train to Glenfinnan next day, walk to Shiel Bridge over a few days, bus back to car, rather than going through umpteen combinations of buses, trains and flights to find a combination which allows me to get a decent meal and doesn't require paying through the nose.
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Re: long term parking in the highlands

Postby davekeiller » Mon May 17, 2021 6:34 pm

It slightly depends where you park and who owns the land, as parking on private land is generally governed by the law of contract.
Generally, if you park somewhere quiet and unobtrusive no one is going to get upset and even if you're not supposed to, no one will enforce the rules.
As an example if you park at the very end of the road in Glen Nevis, you're not in anyone's way, and you can have a few days in the mamores without anyone bothering too much about it. It might be somewhere you're technically not supposed to park overnight, but are they really going to bother sending someone all that way to give you a ticket? On the other hand, if you park at the visitor centre for 4 days, they might not be quite so happy about it.
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Re: long term parking in the highlands

Postby prog99 » Mon May 17, 2021 6:45 pm

Check the local Facebook groups for vigilante posts about strange cars. I’m not making this up by the way!
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Re: long term parking in the highlands

Postby DopeyLoser » Mon May 17, 2021 8:03 pm

Normally, you seem to do quite well getting to and from the hills on public transport. Where are you hitting problems this time around? Is it the journey up from England, or to Fort William, or after that?

I expect you are already familiar with Citylink and Shiel buses.

A potential difficulty with leaving a car in a remote area is that you are forced to walk back to the car instead of walking a linear route. Or you have to get e.g. a bus back to the car, in which case you may as well leave it at a transport hub such as Fort William.
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Re: long term parking in the highlands

Postby al78 » Mon May 17, 2021 9:06 pm

DopeyLoser wrote:Normally, you seem to do quite well getting to and from the hills on public transport. Where are you hitting problems this time around? Is it the journey up from England, or to Fort William, or after that?

I expect you are already familiar with Citylink and Shiel buses.

A potential difficulty with leaving a car in a remote area is that you are forced to walk back to the car instead of walking a linear route. Or you have to get e.g. a bus back to the car, in which case you may as well leave it at a transport hub such as Fort William.


Earlier this year the problem was getting up there from SE England. I initially sussed the day train could get me to Glenfinnan (eventually), and I could walk to Corryhully bothy from there. Then when I checked the train times a bit later, the leg between Glasgow and Glenfinnan had vanished and I couldn't see another way to get there. I ended up booking a flight to Glasgow then a bus to Fort William, getting there in time to get an evening meal, then I was planning to get a taxi to Glenfinnan visitor center (I assume there are taxi services in Fort William). After doing that the early evening rail journey between Glasgow and Glenfinnan has mysteriously reappeared on National Rail Enquiries.

Coming back my plan was originally get a train back home all the way but there lies the problem of where to get meals (more specifically an evening meal). I had a look at flights to Gatwick from Glasgow or Edinburgh but they don't combine conveninently with the bus or train times getting to the airport, so I decided I'll just have to go hungry until I get home. Getting the bus to Glasgow instead of the train does get me there at a reasonable time to get a late lunch before getting the train to London. That was my plan until a few days ago. Since I arranged the trip there have been engineering works scheduled between Glasgow and Carlisle, closing the main line, so it is a replacement bus service to Carlisle. This means not getting home until gone 1am on Sunday. I looked into going across to Edinburgh and down the East Coast main line, but there is also major engineering work at Kings Cross which is reducing the number of services along that line. I then decided to look into alternatives. Can I get a bus to Kyle of Lochalsh, train to Inverness, and fly home? No. How about breaking the journey somewhere? After a bit of investigation I decided to book into a Travelodge in Glasgow for Saturday evening, and to keep the cost down, booked a coach to London on Sunday, which takes 11 hours but does get me there for around 9pm, which means I do at least get home well before midnight.

Here lies one of the issues in the UK at least. The advocacy is to leave the car at home and use public transport, both for environmental reasons and to minimise congestion, yet when you try to do it, it is a Herculean task to get everything coordinated and you pay through the nose. It feels like being in a position where someone in authority is demanding I do something and is then going out of their way to make it as hard as possible.

To summarise, to get to the start of my trek, I have to get to Heathrow (because my original Gatwick flight was cancelled), fly to Glasgow airport, then get a bus or taxi to the city centre. If there are no flight delays I will have enough time to get a camping gas canister before getting the 3pm bus to Fort William. Arriving at 18:15, I hope to find somewhere to get a meal then either get a taxi to Glenfinnan or hang around for the late evening train. Coming home, I get the bus from Shiel Bridge, pick up some cold food in Fort William, get a bus to Glasgow and stay there overnight. Next day, coach to London Victoria, train to Horsham, short bike ride home.

I am thinking that driving there and back over a couple of days each way and leaving the car in Fort William would have been much easier.
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Re: long term parking in the highlands

Postby Sunset tripper » Tue May 18, 2021 12:45 am

There is free parking at Bridge of Tilt (Blair Atholl) where I have left the car overnight though I believe there are no overnight parking signs there now.

The reason given for the new development of no overnight parking signs is that campervans and folk who camp next to their car are polluting car parks and laybys.
These are genuine concerns.
I would still be happy to park overnight at Bridge of Tilt but I wouldn't be camping nearby. There are other options In Blair Atholl if you didn't wish to leave your car there because of the signs.

All the best with your trips. :D
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Re: long term parking in the highlands

Postby Giant Stoneater » Tue May 18, 2021 9:31 am

The 3pm Citylink coach from Glasgow calls in at Glasgow Airport which would save you travelling into Glasgow, you would have to notify Citylink of the change.
Paisley which is 5 mins by taxi from Glasgow Airport has a outdoor shop which you could contact for gas.

https://www.summits.co.uk/contact-us/
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Re: long term parking in the highlands

Postby al78 » Tue May 18, 2021 12:11 pm

Giant Stoneater wrote:The 3pm Citylink coach from Glasgow calls in at Glasgow Airport which would save you travelling into Glasgow, you would have to notify Citylink of the change.
Paisley which is 5 mins by taxi from Glasgow Airport has a outdoor shop which you could contact for gas.

https://www.summits.co.uk/contact-us/


Thanks for that info, I didn't realise the 3pm bus from Glasgow stopped at the airport en-route. It doesn't make much sense to travel to the city only to head back to the airport if I can get gas in Paisley, which is only a mile and a half away from the airport, walking distance. Catching the bus from the airport will also give me a bit more padding against flight delays.
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Re: long term parking in the highlands

Postby DopeyLoser » Tue May 18, 2021 4:52 pm

The bus also has a short stop in Tyndrum, just across the road from The Green Welly, which has camping supplies e.g. gas. But the timetable only has the stop at five minutes so it's probably not a great option for you.

I think there is a local bus between GLA and Paisley, though taxi would not cost a lot either. You are probably already familiar with https://www.travelinescotland.com for journey planning.

I have wondered if there could be anything like an Amazon pickup location in Fort William so that items could be delivered there, then picked up during evening hours.
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