Camping and Wild Camping

Wild camping information sheet

A Guide to good camping practice:
Camping wild in open country is one of the best ways to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of the hills. When done responsibly it has little impact on the environment but increased numbers of campers means that we must all take more care.

The Crown Estate, permits wild camping on the Glenlivet Estate and asks visitors to behave in a responsible manner and to take care to abide by codes of conduct at all times. Campers are also asked not to have open fires unless by special arrangement with Estate ranger staff, as there can be a potential high fire risk at any time of the year and untidy fire debris can result. Roadside camping and camping near farm or other buildings is also discouraged except in designated camping areas.

Please consider others!
People go onto the hills for solitude.
Try to keep groups as small as possible.
Aim for minimum impact camping. Commit your self to following these guidelines and encourage others to do so.

• Take personal responsibility for the care of our fragile environment.
• Enjoy the freedom of wild camping without leaving a trace of your passage.
• Protect the outstanding scenery and biodiversity as well as the wilderness experience.

Toilet Hygiene

• Make your toilet at least 30 meters from fresh or running water
• Bury excrement in a small hole (not under boulders) and well away from any buildings or public areas.
• When the ground is snow covered, be particular to bury excrement in the underlying soil.
• Animals dig up sanitary towels and tampons, so please carry them out.

Protect Vegetation

• Camping on the same spot harms vegetation, so aim to move frequently.
• Vegetation is more sensitive at higher altitudes. Aim to camp lower down in the glens where vegetation will recover more easily.
• Lighting fires poses a high fire risk in woodlands and on moorlands so please avoid them at all times.

Leave your camping area as you found it

• Remove all litter (even other peoples). Carry out what you carried in. Only carry in tins, bottles and gas cylinders if you are prepared to carry them out.
• Do not bury or hide them under stones as it offends those who visit after you and can harm wildlife.
• Choose a dry site to pitch on rather than digging drains and removing boulders and vegetation. When replacing boulders return them to the same place, the same way up.

Minimise disturbance to wildlife and livestock

• Watercourses and lochsides are important sites for birds and animals. Avoid the temptation to camp immediately beside them if possible. Look around for other sites if available.
• Food scraps (even when buried) attract scavenging birds and animals, which prey on more sensitive nesting birds. They may also cause disease. Carry all scraps of food out with you.
• Avoid farmland areas and try to keep away from livestock
• Be prepared to move if you become aware that you are disturbing nests or animals.

Roadside Camping

• · This is not wild camping
• · If you wish to camp near houses, seek permission before pitching.
• · Remember that vehicles have a great effect on vegetation, so leave the vehicle on hard ground.
• · Avoid sites that are in danger of being overused.
• · Take particular care with toilet hygiene.
• · Pitch late and leave early. Be unobtrusive.

Un-serviced Camping Area
Glenlivet Estate Office and Information Centre, Tomintoul

Camping wild in open country is one of the best ways to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of the hills. When done responsibly it has little impact on the environment but increased numbers of campers means that we must all take more care. The Crown Estate, permits wild camping on the Glenlivet Estate and asks visitors to behave in a responsible manner and to take care to abide by the codes of conduct at all times (see above). Campers are also asked not to have open fires unless by special arrangement with Estate Ranger staff, as there can be a potential high fire risk at any time of the year and untidy fire debris can result. Roadside camping and camping near farm or other buildings is also discouraged except in designated camping areas.

A small un-serviced secluded woodland camping area for backpackers is available (free of charge) close to the Estate Information Centre at the south end of Tomintoul (see map). Please note: this is not an open field and tents should be pitched in small clearances among the trees in the area shown.

Campers wishing to use the site should contact staff at the Estate Office. If no staff are available, the site can still be used under the following conditions:

The site is for TENTS ONLY and is available for a max. of 2 nights (unless by special arrangement).

• All litter MUST be cleared from the site before it is left.
• Open fires are not permitted.
• Public toilets in Tomintoul (as shown on map) or at the Estate Office should be used whenever possible at all times. (The toilets at the Estate Office are only available during normal office hours). If these are unavailable please dig latrines in the woodland areas to the south of the camping area at least 100m away from the campsite and well away from the playground area and access road.
• Please be considerate of other users and local residents. Local children use this area for playing in, so please ensure that no waste or litter is left on the site.

Fresh water can be obtained from outside the Estate Office garage. Please take great care to act responsibly at all times and ensure that the site is left as it is found. Campers use the site at their own risk. The Crown Estate cannot accept liability for any accident, injury or damage, which results from the use of this camping area.

We ask for your co-operation to ensure that this site can continue to be used by back-packers and visitors to Tomintoul. Thank you.

Glenlivet welcomes you to explore its tracks and byways.