Visitors

An integral community to the Cairngorms and critical to enabling the National Park's rare and endangered wildlife to thrive.

Background

Each year, Abernethy Forest, Rothiemurchus and Glenmore Forest Park receive over 1 million visits. For many, a visit to these areas is their first and lasting impression of the Cairngorms National Park.

Ensuring they have a "wow" experience and a warm welcome is of paramount importance, particularly as visitors directly support over 5,000 jobs and contribute over £300 million into local communities.

Research shows that capercaillie tend to avoid areas near people, thereby limiting the amount of space they have to live. Abernethy Forest, Rothiemurchus and Glenmore Forest Park are all designated under the Habitats Regulations to protect the threatened habitats and wildlife they contain, including capercaillie. Landowners also have a responsibility under the Scottish Outdoor Access Code to enable visitors to enjoy the area responsibly.

In light of these responsibilities and opportunities, the project is collaborating with the RSPB, Rothiemurchus and Forestry and Land Scotland to help maximise visitor experiences and opportunities for capercaillie to thrive in Abernethy Forest, Rothiemurchus and Glenmore Forest Park.

Plan

Research was undertaken from June to September 2021 by Heritage Pathfinder. Over 1,200 visitors, including local residents, to Rothiemurchus, Abernethy National Nature Reserve and Glenmore Forest Park took part. Now available for all to use below, the research offers deeper insights into visitor types based on motivations and values. These insights will now enable the RSPB, Rothiemurchus and Forestry and Land Scotland to work more closely together to develop and maintain high quality, sustainable visitor experiences and thriving capercaillie areas in Abernethy Forest, Rothiemurchus and Glenmore Forest Park. The results of the research will also be used by the business community