Campfires to be banned for part of year in Cairngorms National Park in wildfire crackdown

Recreational fires and barbecues will be banned in the Cairngorms between April and September every year to curb the growing risk of wildfires.

Scottish ministers have approved the ban for 2026 following an extensive consultation process in the National Park, which showed that the “overwhelming majority” of residents and visitors were in favour of a fire management byelaw.

The measure makes the Cairngorms the first place in the UK to introduce a seasonal fire ban backed by an integrated wildfire management plan.

The approval from the Scottish Government comes a few months after Scotland’s largest wildfire on record near the northern boundary of the Cairngorms National Park in June.

In June and July, blazes raged across more than 11,800 hectares of moorland in Carrbridge and Dava, causing “catastrophic damage” to local wildlife.

Firefighters worked for days on end to tackle wildfires across the Highlands and Moray STV News

Sandy Bremner, convener of the Cairngorms National Park Authority, said: “The Cairngorms National Park is loved and cherished by so many of us, and we all want to protect and safeguard this incredible place. This byelaw will help us to do just that.

“Now that it has been approved by Scottish ministers, we’re committed to taking forward a range of practical measures to reduce wildfire risk in the National Park – from signage and communications to training and enforcement.

“Of course, it’s up to all of us to play our part so that the National Park can be enjoyed by generations to come, and the new fire byelaw is just one piece of the jigsaw.”

The risk of wildfires is increasing in Scotland, with climate modelling showing longer drought periods in future years.

In the Cairngorms, the stakes are particularly high, with the National Park home to around 18,000 residents, as well as 25% of the UK’s rare and endangered species and around half of Scotland’s ancient pinewoods. It also welcomes around two million visitors annually.

Recreational fires and barbecues will be banned in the Cairngorms National Park between April 1 and September 30 every year. Duncan Macdonald

Mairi Gougeon, cabinet secretary for rural affairs, land reform and islands, said: “In introducing a fire byelaw of this kind, the Cairngorms National Park Authority is leading the way in safeguarding Scotland’s natural and cultural heritage from climate crisis threats.

“The wildfires we saw around Scotland earlier this year only remind us of how urgent this issue is, and I commend the Park Authority and partners on the huge amount of work they are doing to take forward this byelaw and a range of other mitigation measures.”

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service extreme wildfire warning is in place across Scotland this week – the first to be issued in September for five years.

It follows another 12 wildfire risk alerts between March and August this year.