Plea to stay away from Cairngorms' hotspots

CNPA Loch MorlichCNPA
The beach at Loch Morlich was busy last Friday

The Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) has appealed to visitors to stay away from "extremely busy" areas of the park this weekend.

It said popular spots near Aviemore and in Deeside had been having "major issues" with traffic, litter, human waste and fires.

Some communities were "angry and concerned" by the behaviour of some of the park's visitors, the CNPA said.

It has issued the plea ahead of fine weather forecast for the weekend.

The park authority has asked visitors to consider less well-known locations in the park to visit.

The Cairngorms National Park - the UK's largest national park - includes parts of Aberdeenshire, the Highlands, Moray and Perthshire.

CNPA Cars parked at Loch MuickCNPA
Vehicles on road verges at Loch Muick last weekend

Recent weeks have seen Loch Morlich, the location of Britain's highest beach near Aviemore, busy and rows of cars, with parking issues also reported near Loch Muick in Aberdeenshire.

Pete Crane, head of visitor services at the CNPA, said: "We love to welcome visitors to the park.

"We really want you to have a safe and enjoyable time so for the best experience you will need to carefully plan ahead and be prepared to change your plans if an area is too busy."