Strategic Tourism Infrastructure Development Plan 2023-2028
Visitors at Brig O’ Dee by Paul Tomkins
Strategic Tourism Infrastructure Development Plan 2023 – 2028
Cairngorms National Park Pàirc Nàiseanta a’ Mhonaidh Ruaidh
Introduction
Visitor numbers have seen steady growth since National Park designation in 2003. In 2019, the Cairngorms received an estimated 2 million visitors for the first time. Alongside that, visitor satisfaction rates have climbed with an average satisfaction score of over 9⁄10. Visitors are more likely to be attracted to the area by its National Park status, with 55% saying that it was an important factor in their decision to visit. Although most visitors were repeat customers, there was also an increase in both first- time and overseas visitors.
The Covid-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns changed everything, as it did for destinations around the world. Concurrently we attempted to address the twin challenges of the sudden collapse of the visitor economy and an increased post- lockdown footfall at key countryside sites. This led to the emergence of a range of issues including parking congestion, toileting and high levels of informal camping. Measures such as the establishment of a National Park Authority Ranger Team for the first time helped to ameliorate some issues, but the situation has emphasised the need for a strategic approach to investment in tourism infrastructure.
Aim
The Aim of this plan is to develop a more strategic approach to investment in, and maintenance of, tourism infrastructure in the Cairngorms National Park for the period from 2023 to 2028.
Objectives
This plan has been prepared to add value to the new National Park Partnership Plan 2022 – 2027 by assessing the tourism infrastructure within the Park through a process that includes:
- Developing a clear picture of existing tourism infrastructure provision across the Cairngorms National Park
- Identifying pressure points or gaps in provision on either a site specific or issue basis
- Identifying and prioritising tourism infrastructure improvements including those that can be delivered or taken to “shovel ready” stage in the near future
- Developing a strategic approach to facility and path maintenance and upgrades
- Developing appropriate data gathering and asset management systems to support future management of tourism infrastructure.
The plan will serve the function of an internal management tool to prioritise local investment and to assist in directing CNPA resources. It will also be the recognised strategic plan for the Park against which future bids for Rural Tourism Infrastructure funding applications can be assessed. The plan will therefore also include a number of
investment priorities that will be taken forward by partner organisations. The plan will help identify a number of potential projects predominantly at visitor pressure points and give broad cost estimates for delivery. It will provide an agreed list of strategic priorities that can support funding applications by both CNPA and partners as well as facilitating quicker delivery of projects as further funding becomes available.
Background
The Cairngorms National Park
The Cairngorms is the UK’s largest National Park at 4,528 sq km (6% of Scotland’s land mass) and is home to one quarter of the UK’s rare and endangered species. Around 18,000 people live in the National Park across the areas of Aberdeenshire, Angus, Highland, Moray, Perth and Kinross, with two million visitors enjoying this special place every year. Indeed, the visitor economy is more critical to the Cairngorms National Park than anywhere else in rural Scotland, accounting for 30% of the economy (GVA) and 43% of employment in the area.
The National Park has four distinct aims as set out by Parliament:
To conserve and enhance the natural and cultural heritage of the area.
To promote sustainable use of the natural resources of the area.
- To promote understanding and enjoyment (including enjoyment in the form of recreation) of the special qualities of the area by the public.
- To promote sustainable economic and social development of the area’s communities.
These aims are to be pursued collectively. However, if there is conflict between the first aim and any of the others, greater weight is given to the first aim to help ensure conservation of the natural and cultural heritage underpins the economic, social and recreation value of the Cairngorms National Park.
The Cairngorms National Park Authority helps coordinate the activities that help achieve these aims with the vision and overarching strategy for managing the National Park in the strategic “National Park Partnership Plan”.
Cairngorms National Park Partnership Plan
Launched on 23rd August 2022, the Cairngorms National Park Partnership Plan sets out how all those with a responsibility for the National Park will coordinate their work to tackle the most important issues in the period from 2022 – 27. In particular, the Plan:
- Sets out the vision and overarching strategy for managing the National Park.
- Guides the work of all public bodies and other partners to deliver the aims of the National Park.
- Provides the strategic context for the Local Development Plan.
- Is the Strategic Regional Land Use Framework, Regional Spatial Strategy, Climate Action Plan and Capital Investment Strategy for the National Park.
- Is the Economic and the Sustainable Tourism Strategy for the National Park.
The document is arranged in three sections: Nature, People and Place with each section setting out the outcomes that we want to achieve by 2045 (the year Scottish Government has committed to achieving net zero) as well as a series of long-term objectives and a set
of actions and policies for the next five years. The National Park Partnership Plan is supported by a number of action plans that will help to deliver the objectives of the plan and the National Park aims.
This Strategic Tourism Infrastructure Plan provides additional detail on the National Park’s tourism infrastructure needs and the associated priorities that will primarily deliver against the People and Place themes. However, it should be noted that the interrelated nature of the different elements of the National Park Partnership Plan mean many actions will have impacts across all three themes.
| Cairngorms National Park Partnership Plan — Principal Objectives & Actions related to Tourism Infrastructure Development |
|---|
| Objective |
| B5. Increase the number of assets in community ownership or management, the number of social enterprises that generate a profit and the area of land where communities are involved in management decisions. |
| B10. There will be better opportunities for everyone to enjoy the National Park and the visitor profile will be more diverse, especially with regards to people who are disabled, from lower socio-economic backgrounds, LGBTQ+ and from minority and ethnic groups. |
| C5. Work to stabilise visitor numbers in the peak season, focusing growth on quieter months and on those areas that have the infrastructure and capacity to accommodate additional visitors |
| C9. Welcome visitors and provide a high-quality experience while managing their impacts through providing better infrastructure and high-quality ranger services. |
| Actions |
|---|
| * Support communities to acquire and manage assets / land through enhanced funding and training support |
| * Review, update and deliver the Active Cairngorms Action Plan, infrastructure plans and Tourism Action Plan |
| * Develop targeted support programmes to overcome specific barriers to enjoying the National Park, including looking at business and infrastructure capacity |
| * Develop a Strategic Tourism Infrastructure Plan to provide high-quality infrastructure at key visitor hotspots and for key sectors (e.g. camping and motorhomes). |
| * Develop and implement a new Cairngorms Strategic Tourism Infrastructure Plan, Active Cairngorms Action Plan and Tourism Action Plan |
Our Visitors
Around 2 million people visit the Cairngorms National Park every year from all over the world. Evidence form the last Cairngorms Visitor Survey (2019−20) shows that more than half of the visitors come from within Scotland, 25% from elsewhere in the UK and 21% are international visitors from around the world. Over half are motivated to visit by the landscape and scenery. Once here, the most popular activities are as shown in the infographic below:
The visitor survey also identified how visitors get around once in the National Park:
Visitor satisfaction is generally extremely high, however areas consistently highlighted as needing improvement include provision of more public toilets and better public transport.
An Accessible National Park
The National Park Partnership Plan lays out a vision for a National Park that is genuinely welcoming to individuals of all backgrounds and abilities; that supports thriving, diverse communities; and that works for both nature and people. Integral to this is creating visitor infrastructure that removes or minimises barriers to access. Around a fifth of adults living in Scotland have a long-term illness, health problem or disability, which limits their ability to participate in outdoor recreation. By addressing infrastructure issues such as availability of accessible toilets, clutter free pavements, accessible public transport and providing barrier free path networks, the intention is to remove or minimise disadvantage such that more people are more able to enjoy the National Park.
Although the Cairngorms already has one of the best path networks in Scotland, there is still work to be done to make more of them accessible to all. Many otherwise accessible trails have built in barriers such as some styles of gates, boulders or gates across entrances, steps to bridges or soft sections that preclude wheeling.
Availability and accessibility of public toilets continues to be an ongoing issue throughout the Park with dated infrastructure that often does not match today’s expectations. Many public toilets are provided and maintained by Local Authorities, but they are increasingly using third party comfort schemes to fill the gaps in provision. The CNPA will continue to work with partners to develop solutions to improve provision at key locations and support initiatives to develop fully accessible, year-round facilities and changing places toilets.
All proposals for new or upgraded infrastructure through this plan, will be subject to an equalities impact assessment to identify realistic options for improving accessibility for people with protected characteristics. The practical solutions will vary depending on the project and availability of funding, but common options for exploration are likely to include: -
- All abilities path surfacing
- Visual or textural guides on footways and within car parks
- Removal of physical barriers such as steps, slopes, stiles or awkward gates
- Provision of additional benches on paths where less mobile users rest stops are anticipated
Installation of accessible bus stops and platforms
Installation of or upgrading of existing toilets to “changing places” toilet standard
- Installation of e‑bike charging points
- Electric vehicle charging that incorporates suitable disabled parking and includes charging units that are fully accessible.
Our Nature
The Cairngorms National Park contains some of Scotland’s most iconic nature and landscapes. It contains nine National Nature Reserves and four of the five highest mountains in the UK can be found here. Nearly half of the land in the National Park is considered ‘wild land’ and 49% of the Park has been recognised as being of international importance for nature and is protected as shown in red in the map from the Local Development Plan 2021 below.
In total there are nineteen Areas of Conservation, twelve Special Protection Areas and forty six Sites of Special Scientific Interest within the Park. Over a quarter of the UK’s rare and threatened species are found here including 80% of the capercaillie population.
As part of any infrastructure development, due consideration will need to be given to the impact that it may have on nature – both the natural environment in the immediate area and also the wider impacts in relation to the climate emergency and biodiversity crisis. To ensure such impacts are minimised a series of guiding principles will underpin any proposals for tourism infrastructure developments.
Guiding Principles for Tourism Infrastructure Development
In proposing infrastructure solutions to tourism pressures, there are a number of overarching principles that should be applied to any project. The climate and nature crisis is the single biggest challenge that we face and it is critical that the Cairngorms National Park is an exemplar in achieving net zero through projects that deliver solutions to the climate emergency and biodiversity crisis. Firstly, any plans for infrastructure development should follow the Scottish Government’s Infrastructure investment hierarchy which specifies that priority should be given to maintaining and enhancing existing assets over new build.
At a regional scale, the National Park Partnership Plan also identifies five guiding principles for capital investment in the National Park:
Green: Infrastructure will contribute to delivering net zero and strengthen the natural and social capital of the National Park
Cairngorms: Infrastructure will focus on the needs of the National Park and will contribute to the long-term outcomes as set out in the Partnership Plan.
- Employment: Infrastructure will maximise local employment and support the development of a wellbeing economy.
- Long-term: Infrastructure investment will be focused on long-term solutions to key issues around visitor management, transport, flood management etc.
- Equalities, diversity and inclusion: Infrastructure will help to ensure that the Cairngorms is a Park for All.
In delivering any tourism infrastructure developments we will also ensure that: -
- Any development meets the policies set out in the Cairngorms Local Development Plan.
- Any infrastructure development should be of the right scale, as well as being at the right location and with the right design. A facility should not be bigger than it needs to be and should be designed so it fits well with its surroundings.
- Any development prioritises the potential for active travel, thereby reducing car journeys as far as possible.
- Any development should be respectful of the environmental carrying capacity of the site and the immediate area, most notably the disturbance of species or fragmentation of habitats that might be caused.
- Any development is respectful of the physical carrying capacity of the site by considering the number of visitors a site can reasonably welcome at any one time.
- Any development is respectful of the social carrying capacity of the site, which should be developed, as far as possible, in partnership with the local community and should consider opportunities for communities to benefit from the facilities created including, where appropriate, the option of community ownership and / or management.
Investment in Tourism Infrastructure
Recent visitor pressures and the need for investment
Over the last decade or so, a new phenomenon has been the emergence of the Instagram or Trip Advisor effect whereby locations can suddenly become overnight “must visit” destinations through the promotion using attractive images by 3rd parties such as influencers. The Fairy Pools on Skye are the most obvious Scottish example of this but within the National Park, visitors to Lochan Uaine at Glenmore and Prince Albert’s Cairn on the Balmoral Estate (known as the Balmoral Pyramids) have dramatically increased due to promotion using social media. This “instant popularity” is difficult to predict and CNPA and partners will need to remain nimble in responding to emerging infrastructure issues as and where they may emerge.
The summers of 2020 and 2021 were unprecedented in terms of changes to visitor behaviour and distribution across the Park. A combination of circumstances, including lockdown easing and the desire from visitors to experience the outdoors and nature, put significant new pressures on certain locations and highlighted key pressure points or gaps in provision.
These challenges, which can negatively impact on local communities as well as the visitor experience included:
- Congestion, particularly on dead end roads.
- Capacity issues with car parks and campsites.
- Overspill parking such as on verges.
- Safety concerns as people were forced to walk on the public road.
- Limited public transport and active travel options in many areas.
- Availability (or not) of public toilets.
- Concentrations of informal camping at particular locations.
- Environmental damage due to cumulative impacts of large numbers of people as well as direct damage from activities such as campfires.
- Public health and sanitation issues around toileting or motorhome waste disposal.
These issues were often exacerbated in areas that were close to main transport routes i.e. trunk roads and were therefore easily accessible from large population centres.
A return to more normal travel patterns including the resumption of more overseas travel and many domestic events such as music festivals occurred in 2022 which helped reduce many of the pressures. However, the ongoing effects of social media promotion, the “discovery” of new locations such as the Cairngorms by domestic visitors during the pandemic (to which some will return) and a continuing rise in the numbers of new motorhomes being registered and the numbers available for hire suggest ongoing investment will continue to be required.
The Cairngorms National Park visitor surveys can be used to prioritise this investment. Data from the 2019 survey (and comparisons with earlier surveys) give an indication of visitors’ levels of satisfaction with the infrastructure provided for them.
| RATINGS Facilities | What could be improved? | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Condition of paths & tracks | ⭐⭐ ⭐⭐ | 4.30 | up from 4.23 | 9% more public loos 9% weather and snow 5% public transport 3% Roads/Parking 5% Resturants/Signage |
| Signposts & signage | ⭐⭐ ⭐⭐ | 4.20 | up from 4.13 | 47% said nothing could be improved |
| Provision of car parks | ⭐⭐ ⭐⭐ | 4.19 | up from 4.18 | |
| Public toilets | ⭐⭐ ⭐ | 3.7 | down from 4.03 | |
| Mobile phone reception | ⭐⭐ ⭐ | 3.23 | up from 3.09 | |
| Wifi access | ⭐⭐ ⭐ | 3.18 | up from 3.06 | |
| Public transport | ⭐⭐ ⭐ | 3.1 | down from 3.69 |
Management for Visitors
Addressing many of the pressures described above requires a mix of more immediate solutions and longer-term investment. Many of the immediate activities such as ranger patrols, communications activity around appropriate behaviour and temporary parking or toilet facilities can be considered as mechanisms to assist with the “management for visitors” and these activities are documented in an existing Managing for Visitors Plan. The purpose of the Managing for Visitors Plan which is coordinated by the CNPA but delivered by a range of partners is to: -
- Identify particular rural “hot” and “warm” spots that need particular attention and/or support.
- Provide a warm welcome and support exceptional experiences for the public to enjoy the outdoors while mitigating any negative impacts from increased numbers at popular sites.
- Reduce potential conflict between residents and visitors.
- Promote collaboration across estate and organisational boundaries.
- Improve the range of advice and access to this advice to promote good behaviour and reduce the impacts of irresponsible activity such as fires or wild toileting.
- Address small scale maintenance of sites.
The latest Managing for Visitors Plan for the National Park is attached as Appendix 1. It is anticipated that this approach will continue with more immediate activities that are typically addressed through deployment of staff being defined in a new Managing for Visitors Plan for 2023 before being incorporated in the Active Cairngorms Action Plan for future years. The priorities for longer term capital investment in infrastructure are defined in this infrastructure plan.
Defining “Tourism Infrastructure”
As much of the infrastructure used by visitors is also used by residents in their day-to- day activities and because some provision is informal rather than formal, it can be difficult to define exactly what “tourism infrastructure” is. For the purposes of this plan, the following principles have been used to help define tourism infrastructure: -
- The facility should be primarily aimed at or used by visitors — including day visitors. General infrastructure which is more widely used by residents or businesses such as roads or waste & recycling centres are excluded.
- The facility must be publicly available — typically this will mean provision is by local authorities, communities, public sector partners such as Forestry & Land Scotland or NatureScot or NGOs such as National Trust for Scotland or Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
- Private sector provision that isn’t related to being a customer of the business for example a rural car park provided by a privately owned estate for use by the public when accessing the countryside can be considered tourism infrastructure but those such as a hotel or visitor attraction car park provided primarily for their paying customers would not.
- Facilities are also included where a formal arrangement is in place to give access to non-customers such as toilets in the recognised comfort scheme partnerships supported by Highland and Perth & Kinross Councils or electric vehicle charge points at business premises that are publicly available through the ChargePlace Scotland network.
| Facilities included in the plan | Facilities NOT included in the plan |
|---|---|
| Rural car parking including roadside laybys or informal parking areas where these are used by visitors for an extended stop where the occupants park to undertake an activity away from the vehicle such as at the recognised start point for a hill walk | Parking in larger settlements where a combination of formal car parks and on-street parking give adequate provision Car parks provided for the paying customers of a commercial business |
| Small scale overnight parking for motorhomes managed by communities Standalone motorhome waste disposal facilities Motorhome waste disposal facilities on commercial sites actively promoted as being available to non-residents | |
| Public toilets | Toilets in the premises of a commercial business provided only for their customers |
| Electric Vehicle charge points* | Footways and pavements that form part of the public road infrastructure |
| Cycling infrastructure including |
|---|
| * Bike parking / shelters |
| * Bike racks |
| * Public e‑bike charging |
| Ranger bases & visitor information shelters |
| Cairngorms National Park entry point markers on road, path and at Train stations |
| The Snow Road Scenic Route viewpoint installations: |
| * “Still” |
| * “The Watchers” and |
| * “Counting Contours” |
* Although not necessarily dedicated “tourism infrastructure” Electric Vehicle (EV) charge points are included. This is in recognition of the importance that having a good network of charging points will be in giving visitors the confidence to visit and in achieving the net zero ambition that underpins the National Park Partnership Plan.
Previous Investment in Tourism Infrastructure
Over the past 15 years there has been significant investment in tourism infrastructure and facilities across the National Park by the National Park Authority, land managers and partner organisations, often with the support of funding from sources such as the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund. While the CNPA does not actually own or manage any of the land within the National Park, it does have a key role in supporting the provision of facilities that enhance the visitor experience through partnership project development, coordination, financial support or funding acquisition. Charities like the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland have played a key role in developing and delivering substantial path improvement programmes. In recent years investment has included built facilities such as:
- Improved and upgraded ranger bases and visitor centres.
- The extension of the Speyside Way to Newtonmore and upgrading the Speyside Way spur.
- Significant improvements to a number of paths and trails around communities and on high ground.
- Improved toilets at Loch an Eilean outside Aviemore and at Muir of Dinnet National Nature Reserve.
- New parking in Glen Muick near Ballater and at Clarack near Dinnet.
A list of the most significant recent infrastructure improvement works undertaken across the Park, many of which were financially supported by the CNPA, can be found at Appendix 2.
The Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund
The Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund (RTIF) was established in 2018 by the Scottish Government and the Fund is managed by VisitScotland on its behalf. RTIF is designed to support collaborative projects which focus on improving the visitor experience in rural parts of Scotland that are facing pressure on their infrastructure and communities as a result of visitor numbers. There are two core elements in the RTIF criteria that describe the main objectives for tourism infrastructure projects:
- Alleviating existing or anticipated visitor pressures — As a result of previous or anticipated increases in visitor numbers, there is a visitor and/or community pressure point which is likely to continue, and which needs to be addressed.
- Provision of a quality visitor experience – projects should provide high quality visitor facilities and infrastructure that lead to a positive impact on the local landscape and visitor economy while accommodating visitors with a wide variety of access needs.
To enable a more strategic approach to visitor infrastructure development and greater alignment with the objectives of Scotland Outlook 2030 and the new National Strategy for Economic Development, the RTIF criteria also require any actions proposed to meet a strategic need or address a gap. Priority will therefore be given to actions identified in a series of Strategic Tourism Infrastructure Development Plans (of which this plan will be one).
Three of the recent investments in infrastructure referred to above and in Appendix 2 have been funded through the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund:
- Improvements to the car parking and toilet facilities and provision of waste disposal facilities at Muir of Dinnet.
- Active Glenmore, which provided pedestrian links between car parks, visitor attractions and accommodation to improve safety and access.
- Replacement of the toilets at Glenshee with new, fully accessible toilet facilities and showers with 24 hour/365 day access, a grey and wastewater disposal point for motorhomes and new cycle facilities (funding awarded but project not yet completed).
Getting to and around the Cairngorms National Park
How people get to and move around the Cairngorms is going to be one of the biggest changes and challenges in the National Park over the coming years as we seek to achieve our net zero and visitor management objectives. There is a need to ensure that modal shift in the National Park follows the hierarchy set out in the National Transport Strategy which prioritises walking, wheeling, cycling followed by public transport and shared transport options in preference to private car use for the movement of people. Strategic targets include significantly increasing the proportion of visitors that arrive by
public transport, increasing active travel and public transport usage once here and reducing the proportion of short journeys made by car. To achieve less use of private cars in future there is a need to look at improved public transport to cater for visitors getting to and around the National Park, as well as site-specific solutions for key areas such as Glenmore.
Arriving in the National Park
Although walking, wheeling and cycling sit at the top of the transport hierarchy, the distances involved for most visitors coming here will tend to exclude these options for arrival. Therefore, influencing journeys to the National Park will tend to focus on public transport options. While the public transport services as a means of getting to the National Park are beyond the remit of this infrastructure plan, there is a role for this plan to identify infrastructure within the National Park that will support this change, particularly the integration with active travel once here.
Visitors coming into the National Park by public transport are likely to arrive in one of the towns or villages and there is a need for an appropriate sense of welcome at rail stations and bus arrival points in these communities. Some elements of this welcome are currently quite modest such as the National Park signs in railway stations. Other more significant infrastructure may be required to help improve the visitor experience such as improved arrival facilities, local maps, information about onward travel, access to e‑bikes or shelter for those waiting to depart.
Encouraging more visits by public transport may also require additional infrastructure at locations outside these main communities such as rural bus laybys, associated shelters and service or location information. This will be particularly important in encouraging those coming into the National Park on day trips to do so by public transport. This is primarily expected to be along the A9 corridor between Blair Atholl and Carrbridge and in Deeside where existing services allow day visits by public transport.
Despite local and national efforts to encourage more use of public transport or active travel options, it is recognised that for the foreseeable future many people will continue to arrive in the National Park by private car. However, increasing numbers are likely to arrive by electric vehicle (EV) – and there is a consequent need to provide a suitable network of EV charge points. Proposals for these facilities which will also support people getting around the National Park are described in more detail on page 23.
| Project Proposal 1: Rail Entry Point Signage |
|---|
| Locations |
| Current issues / ambition for the location / need for investment |
| Ownership |
| Project summary |
| Output |
| Estimated total cost |
| Project delivery |
| Anticipated project lead |
| Delivery partners |
| Permissions required |
| How does the project help address the climate and nature crises |
| Potential improvements to accessibility |
| Blair Atholl, Dalwhinnie, Newtonmore, Kingussie, Aviemore and Carrbridge. |
|---|
| There are currently no National Park entry/welcome signs at Kingussie rail station while those at other stations are showing signs of age. With the intention that in future more people will come to the National Park by public transport, it is important to provide a quality welcome to those visitors arriving by rail. This project will see new signage provided at all stations using the updated National Park brand. |
| Scotrail |
| This project will deliver improved welcome signage on the platforms at all 6 railway stations in the National Park. |
| Welcome signs and installation |
| Estimated as 4 per station @ £500 each but numbers may vary with station layout |
| CNPA |
| Scotrail |
| Landowner Lease Planning Permission Scottish Water SEPA Other (Scotrail) SEA / HRA |
| No direct impact specifically from this signage but project forms part of the wider ambition to encourage use of public transport and reduce private car usage. |
| Revised National Park brand is more accessible |
| Priority Medium |
| Scale 24 |
| Expenditure (Rough Estimate) £12,000 |
| Estimated total cost £12,000 |
| Project Delivery Potential barriers / constraints | None identified | | : — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — - | : — — — — — — — — — | | Potential funding sources | CNPA | | Future revenue streams | None identified but not required | | Timescale | 2023 — 24 |
Getting around the National Park — Active Travel
One approach designed to reduce use of private cars in future, particularly for shorter journeys in and around communities, is to increase access to active travel. While much of the focus on active travel is commonly based on the needs of local residents, there are many instances where investments would be equally useful to visitors. The size of the towns and villages within the National Park lend themselves particularly well to visitors getting around without a car to access businesses such as accommodation, shops, cafés, restaurants, attractions and activities as well as travelling between communities & nearby attractions.
The CNPA is looking to investigate and develop solutions to increase the levels of active travel through the National Lottery Heritage Fund supported Heritage Horizons: Cairngorms 2030 programme. The development phase incorporating consultation and feasibility studies is under way and due to complete by June 2023. This will be followed by a delivery phase from late 2023 until 2030 which aims to connect communities with safe walking, cycling and wheeling active travel infrastructure and sustainable transport options which will benefit the 2 million annual visitors.
The aspiration is that the Cairngorms National Park will become a rural exemplar for sustainable and active travel.
While the Heritage Horizons work will define more precisely what infrastructure is required and where, the current consultation is seeking to identify the need for facilities including:
- New active travel routes between communities.
- Improvements to existing infrastructure within communities to make them more suitable for walking, cycling and wheeling e.g. dropped kerbs or safe crossing points.
- Bike parking/storage.
E‑bike availability.
E‑bike charging.
- Route signage and related information on active travel routes
- Integration between public transport and active travel.
It is anticipated that most of the active travel priorities that will emerge from the Heritage Horizons consultation activity and subsequent options appraisal process will be focussed on routes within or immediately around communities as this would likely satisfy resident’s most routine needs. In many cases this would also satisfy many visitors’ needs but the nature of two unique visitor destinations suggests some particular active travel improvements from the nearby communities might be warranted – Glenlivet Bike Trails and Laggan Wolftrax. As visitors are going there to mountain bike and many will be doing so on their own bikes this is a market that could easily be encouraged to use bikes to travel to the destination if the right infrastructure was provided.
Although primarily considered as longer, leisure cycling routes, the two routes through the National Park currently recognised by Sustrans as part of the National Cycle Network – NCN7 from Killiecrankie to Carrbridge and NCN195 (Deeside Way) from Aboyne to Ballater can also be considered to form strategic links between a number of communities. Where sections of these routes could be improved to facilitate visitors moving around using active travel options, these upgrades would warrant classification as tourism infrastructure improvements.
| Project Proposal 2: Active Travel Infrastructure | ||
|---|---|---|
| Locations | Various | |
| Current issues/ambition for the location/need for investment | ||
| Ownership | ||
| Project summary | ||
| Output |
| Limited good quality, safe and well signposted & publicised facilities that allow visitors to access key visitor destinations by active travel methods (walking, cycling, wheeling). |
|---|
| Various owners |
| The Cairngorms 2030 project will design an active travel network and improvements to existing facilities within, and in some cases between, communities around the National Park. Current development work under way with contracted consultants will identify priorities and progress designs for these, some of which will be delivered through the programme. There will be insufficient funding to deliver many of the routes aimed at visitor use through this programme so further tourism infrastructure investment would be warranted. |
| Additional Information Cairngorms 2030 development stage work will identify anticipated costs. |
| £ TBC Scale TBC |
| Expenditure (Rough Estimate) £ TBC |
| Priority High |
| Project Delivery Potential improvements to accessibility | | : — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — - | | Potential barriers All designs should adhere to best practise in Cycling by Design Standards. Providing barrier free, well graded, well surfaced routes that can also be used for leisure purposes will also benefit those who are less mobile. | | Potential funding sources To be identified through Cairngorms 2030 work. | | Future revenue streams Local Authorities, Transport Scotland, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Sustrans. |