ATV User Guide

Look­ing after your open hill ground

The Cairngorms Nation­al Park is an out­stand­ing area of inter­na­tion­al import­ance, and land man­agers play a key role in demon­strat­ing the highest stand­ards of man­age­ment. ATVs can be essen­tial for upland man­age­ment but they can also dam­age fra­gile hab­it­ats and lead to expens­ive ground repairs.

This check­list cov­ers the use of powered vehicles such as: quad bike, Argocat and 4WD, on the open hill. It’s not inten­ded to cov­er forest or farm work. It will help you look after your hill ground and pro­tect the spe­cial hab­it­ats of the Cairngorms Nation­al Park.

1 Always plan your route before set­ting off, and remember:

• the best routes may not be the shortest
• where pos­sible, make use of exist­ing con­struc­ted tracks
• always aim for tough­er veget­a­tion sur­faces such as dry heath

2 Avoid fra­gile areas:

• wet, soft ground such as peat moss
• high­er alti­tude del­ic­ate thin soils
• steep slopes vul­ner­able to wash-out
• some des­ig­nated habitats

3 Stop using your route before veget­a­tion starts show­ing signs of damage.

4 Where dam­age is unavoid­able, small scale meas­ures such as tem­por­ary mat­ting can help reduce the impacts.

You are likely to require plan­ning per­mis­sion for any works or struc­tures that are installed for more than 28 days. To avoid a pos­sible breach of plan­ning con­trol, please check with your loc­al author­ity plan­ning depart­ment or the Cairngorms Nation­al Park Author­ity at planning@​cairngorms.​co.​uk before under­tak­ing any work.

5 Use the right vehicle for the job and terrain.

6 Min­im­ise the load.

7 Main­tain your vehicle, includ­ing the right tyre pres­sure, so it runs smoothly and efficiently.

8 Ensure every­one using ATVs on your land is prop­erly trained.

ATV Safety

It is a leg­al require­ment for employ­ers to provide adequate train­ing for employ­ees who use ATVs. This check­list is not a safety guide.

For fur­ther inform­a­tion vis­it: www​.lantra​.co​.uk

This guid­ance has been pro­duced by the Cairngorms Nation­al Park Author­ity, with the assist­ance of the Cairngorms Upland Advis­ory Group.

Con­tact us

Cairngorms Nation­al Park Author­ity 14 The Square, Grant­own-on-Spey PH26 3HG enquiries@​cairngorms.​co.​uk 01479 873535 www​.cairngorms​.co​.uk

© CNPA 2021. All rights reserved.

Pho­tos: Grant Anderson/​Crown Estate Scot­land; Steph­en Corcor­an; RJ Kin­naird; Will Boyd Wallis.