The announcement has been made ahead of Easter weekend

A record number of carparks across Scotland will be made available for overnight stays in campervans, it has been announced.

Forestry Land and Scotland (FLS) said visitors would have around 50 car parks to choose from to coincide with Easter Weekend.

This comes after three new locations were added to the FLS "Stay the Night" scheme, which allows self-contained motorhomes and campervans to park overnight at designated car parks across Scotland.

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FLS said it has made significant upgrades to the Bridge of Orchy parking site in Argyll and Bute | FLS

FLS said the program was in place to “help meet the growing demand for stopping places, encourage responsible and sustainable camping, and boost rural businesses”.

The three new spots in the scheme are the Otter Pool along the Raiders Road and Glentrool, both in Galloway, Donview in Aberdeenshire and the coastal forest at Culbin, Moray.

Culbin forest and Findhorn Bay on the Moray coast | FLS

The stopovers are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Visitors can pay £10 per stay, payable by the car parking app, Ringo, at most of the locations.

A £13 charge will be for the ones with chemical waste disposal.

Stays are for one night only between the hours of 6pm and 10am, with no return visit for 48 hours.

Alan Chalmers, FLS visitor planning manager, said: “It looks like we will have about 50 participating car parks this season, quite a few more than we have ever offered.

“Stay the Night has proved to be very popular with campervan and motorhome users and we have had support from communities and partners across the country.

“Motorhomes and campervans are a major part of Scotland’s tourism traffic and increasing the number of sites that allow people to stay overnight, will help to meet the growing demand for stopping places.

“It also encourages people to stay a little longer at locations they would otherwise have passed through, which could help provide a boost to many small rural businesses.”

A caravan park manager in the Moray area told The Scotsman he thought the move was “a brilliant idea.”

He said: “Some places up this way and in the Highlands are at full capacity in the summer, so I think it’s a good back up plan.

“There’s more than enough business up here to keep campsites busy, there’s no shortage of customers. But there is a massive shortage of facilities.

“I think it’s a brilliant idea.”

The announcement comes after Highland Council launched a similar initiative last summer. Under the Highland Campervan and Motorhome Scheme, visitors could pay for a £40 seven-day pass to be able to park overnight in some of the local authority's car parks, and get daily access to showering facilities in leisure centres.

The plan, with a target of £500,000, was also designed to generate funding for infrastructure improvements and biodiversity projects.

But officials said only £20,000 was expected to be raised in its first financial year.

Some caravan park owners in the Highlands are strongly opposed to Highland Council's motorhome parking scheme. They claim the scheme is unfair competition, negatively impacting their business by drawing tourists away from established campsites, potentially driving them out of business. The scheme is also seen as potentially illegal by some, as it involves the council competing with private businesses.

Here is the full list of ‘Stay the Night’ parking locations

Achnabreac, Argyll

Àrd-Àirigh, Loch Sunart

Blackstob Woods, Moray

Braeval, Trossachs

Bridge of Orchy, Argyll