Work begins at St Cyrus Nature Reserve car park to make it campervan friendly

Work has begun at a busy north-east nature reserve car park as part of a £200,000 project which will see it become campervan friendly.

The St Cyrus National Nature Reserve (NNR) car park will be made bigger, with clearly marked bays – which will accommodate vehicles that are currently forced to park along the roadside.

The works, which are due to be completed by spring 2022, will also involve upgrading the toilet facilities and creating an enhanced accessible toilet with a hoist and changing table.

For campervans, chemical waste disposal facilities will also be built.

The works have been made possible through support from the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund in partnership with Aberdeenshire Council.

Related: Overnight motorhome parking to be trialled in Northumberland coastal car parks

It comes after staff at St Cyrus NNR said it “got pretty chaotic” last summer, with visitors struggling to squeeze into the current car park.

Those behind the project say that the upgrades will “give visitors a welcoming safe arrival with clear entrances, exits and bays”.

As work gets underway, staff have warned visitors that there will be a reduced area available for parking and there may be short periods when the car park is closed altogether.

Therese Alampo, St Cyrus NNR manager, said: “It’s going to be so exciting to finally see the carpark improvements taking shape, offering visitors a welcoming safe arrival with clear entrances, exits and bays.

“It will be a much more fitting way to start their stay on this wonderful NNR.

“We’d ask everyone to bear with us while work is underway and to understand that we will have reduced capacity for parking during this time.”

Related: Expand UK campervan stopovers or risk losing income to Europe, campaigners warn councils

Jo Robinson, VisitScotland regional director for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, said: “I am delighted to see work beginning on this important project – I live locally and the beach is one of my favourite places to visit with my family, so I have seen first-hand some of the challenges that have arisen here around visitor management.

“Once complete, the car park and associated new facilities will be a very welcome addition and make a big difference to the visitor experience.”

Have you visited St Cyrus NNR before? Share your comments below.