North Coast 500 carpark at foot of dramatic Scottish mountain to quadruple in size
A car park at the base of a popular mountain for hikers on the North Coast 500 route is to quadruple in size.
Construction works are underway to increase spaces from 20 to 78 at the Stac Pollaidh Car Park, in Coigach - a peninsula in Wester Ross just north of Ullapool.
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Hide AdIt comes after a consultation on the development between the local community, landowners, the Highland Council and NatureScot.
The two-phase project, designed to give the estimated 50,000 annual visitors to the mountain an improved experience, is being managed by the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland (OATS), a charity promoting sustainable public access throughout Scotland.


Work will also begin on off-grid toilet facilities at the car park early next year.
The development comes in response to a growing number of complaints about over-capacity at the car park. The limited number of spaces resulted in vehicle users parking on roadside verges and in passing places which hindered traffic flow on the single track road, and caused damage to the local habitat in some places. Complaints were also raised about a rise in litter and fouling.
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Hide AdThe car park, which is accessed from the single-track road to Achiltibuie, off the A835 to Ullapool, is expected to be fully operational again by the end of December, although parking spaces will be limited during construction.
A statement from OATS read: “Stac Pollaidh is widely recognised as one of the most popular hills to climb in Scotland with spectacular views down Loch Lurgainn and over to the Coigach peaks, the Assynt hills, and Beinn Dearg, a very special place for many hillwalkers and the local community.
“This is why the full consultation process with the local community, landowners, the Highland Council and NatureScot undertaken by OATS has been so significant.
“Following planning permission, lease and funding agreements and ecological assessment processes that were longer than expected, it was agreed to delay construction until September 2024 to avoid further disruption on the access road during the busiest months for outdoor tourism in the Highlands.
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Hide Ad“OATS apologises for any potential disruption to the local community, businesses and emergency services caused on the access road to the car park as a direct result of construction.”
OATS was also behind developing the car park at the Fairy Pools on Skye, which attracts some 200,000 visitors a year.
In response to the community being overwhelmed by tourists, the charity partnered with the Minginish Community Hall Association (MCHA) and raised more than £800,000 to create the 140-space car park and off-grid toilets.
The single track road leading to the Glenbrittle site, however, has fallen into disrepair, and led to traffic jams of up to four hours this summer due to overcrowding and multiple tyre puncture incidents, according to reports.
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Hide AdOATS said Highland Council had neglected road maintenance, creating problems for visitors.
Meanwhile, Councillor John Finlayson, Highland Independent member for Skye, said the car park, which opened in 2021, had led to more visitors heading to the beauty spot, which was causing problems.
Cllr Finlayson said there should be an option to close the road “at times of chaos”, such as overcrowding or flooding.
Highland Council said it was looking at funding streams to tackle visitor managements in Skye, and that surfacing works between Merkadale and Glenbrittle were planned this year.
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