Guide to wild camping in Scotland

Taking your campervan around Scotland is one of the most enjoyable and elemental camping experiences you can have in the UK.

Scotland has so much to recommend the wild camper – including breathtaking scenery, mile after mile of stunning, rugged coastline, and huge expanses of empty space where you can genuinely get away from it all.

Add to this the huge and diverse range of islands – whether large or small, remote or close to the mainland, visitor-friendly or basic – that are dotted around Scotland’s extensive coastline, and you have a wonderful mix of attractions for the adventurous camper.

Small wonder, then, that wild camping in Scotland has been growing in popularity for some years now. It’s also, as we’re about to see, surprisingly easy to do – more so here than in the rest of the UK.

If you’re in the middle of converting a camper, specialist self build campervan insurance will be an essential companion both now and in the future - wherever your adventures take you.

Here are some suggestions for how to get the best out of your wild camping experiences in this extraordinary country. Just be aware that Scotland can be famously cold and wet, particularly in winter.

Depending when and where you are planning to go, this may be an adventure better suited to experienced campers than first timers. Take some time to read up on local weather conditions before you set off, and make sure to pack enough warm and dry clothes.

Wild camping in Scotland: the essentials

Unlike the other countries of the UK, wild camping is permitted on most open areas throughout Scotland as part of everyone’s ‘right of responsible access’. This permission is detailed more fully in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.

In fact, it’s essential to remember that ‘wild camping’ refers to backpacking or tent camping only, and that motorhomes and campervans will not be allowed in many secluded locations. Instead, you should park in a designated spot before grabbing the essentials and heading off on foot.

In fact, you’ll find that parking overnight is generally tolerated in Scotland, as long as you avoid areas with ‘no parking’ signs, and you take care to park well away from main roads or tourist spots. If it’s obvious who owns the land where you want to spend the night – a pub car park, for example – always ask permission before stopping. Websites and apps like UK Motorhomes, Brit Stops, Camper Contact or Park4Night are useful resources for helping you to find suitable places to spend the night. Remember your self build campervan insurance will help cover both your van and its contents.

The Code defines ‘wild camping’ as lightweight; for small numbers of people at a time; and only for two or three nights in any one place. It goes on to request that campers help to avoid causing problems for land managers and local people alike, by not camping in enclosed fields of crops or farm animals.

You should also keep well away from roads, buildings, and any historic structures. Be careful not to disturb activities crucial to the rural economy, such as deer stalking or grouse shooting. And, if you want to camp close to a house or building, ask the owner for permission before you pitch up.

Other recommendations include:

• Take away all your litter. In particular, don’t leave items such as cans, plastic bags or bottles, as these can damage farm machinery or, if eaten by an animal, can result in serious injury and even death. Don’t leave any food scraps or packaging, as they can be eaten by animals and diseases can spread as a result.
• Remove all traces of your tent area.
• Don’t cause any pollution.
• Use a stove if possible. If you do make an open fire, never cut down or damage trees for firewood. Keep fires small and controlled, and supervise them at all times. Never light fires, barbecues or fire bowls during dry periods – or at any time of the year if you are near forests, farmland, buildings or historic sites.
• Make sure the fire has been properly extinguished and remove all traces of an open fire before you leave the area
• If you can’t find a public toilet, carry a trowel and bury your own waste. Don’t urinate in open water, rivers or streams.
• Although access to most open land is available, this doesn’t include motor vehicles. You must comply with any parking restrictions. You must also avoid causing any damage or obstructions with your vehicle – for instance, by blocking entrances to fields or making it difficult to pass you on a road. Take care not to damage roadside verges – and use a car park if there is one nearby.

Wild camping in Scotland: where to go

Scotland offers a huge range of options when it comes to wild, unspoilt regions. There is simply so much to explore here – from deeply forested regions, via placid lochs and inlets and empty moorland, to the impressive hill and mountain ranges strewn across northern and western Scotland in particular. So, one of your first decisions is likely to be: where to go? Here are some of our handpicked suggestions. There are more ideas on Visit Scotland’s excellent Wild Camping page.

Cairngorms National Park

The Cairngorm Mountains actually form the UK’s largest national park, so if you’re looking for an extensive area of wilderness in which to get away from the rat race for a few days, you could hardly do better. Certainly, there is enough wild and wonderful landscape across the Park’s 4,500 square kilometres to keep any wild campers absorbed for several days or more. Some destinations you may want to make for include Loch Miuck, Glenmore, Glen Fishie, the Muir of Dinnet, and Loch Garten.

You’ll find a huge variety of things to do here. There are dramatic ruins, such as Ruthven Barracks, built for George III’s armies after the Jacobite Rebellions. There are brilliant museums such as the Highland Folk Museum, complete with its own life-size Highland museum that was used in the TV series Outlander. Elsewhere, the Speyside region is famous for its whisky, and you can tour all six of the distilleries including Glenlivet and Dalwhinnie.

Your camping options across this vast region are numerous: there’s a helpful list of the Park’s 23 camping and caravan sites on the Visit Cairngorms website.

Rhins of Galloway

This extraordinary peninsula, shaped like the head of a hammer, juts out from Scotland’s south-western coastline. At its southern tip (Scotland’s most southerly point) is the lighthouse at Mull of Galloway. If you can plan your trip for sometime between Easter and October, you can take a guided tour of the lighthouse – including the 115-step climb to the summit. From here, on a clear day, you’ll be treated to some panoramic views towards Ireland, as well as south towards the Lake District and the Isle of Man.

One of the Rhins’ many charms is the amazing variety of its coastline: on its more exposed western side you will find steep cliffs and a series of tidal inlets, while the more sheltered eastern coastline has sandy beaches and a mellower, greener landscape. The region’s plant life is also interesting. The presence of the North Atlantic Drift weather pattern means that there are very few severe frosts. This, in turn, allows various tropical palms and flowers to prosper here – as seen at their best in the beautiful Logan Botanic Garden.

There are some excellent camping options on the Rhins, including the beautiful and very relaxed North Rhinns Camping.

Isle of Skye

Skye makes a great destination: its scenery, from its perfect sandy beaches to its misty Cuillin mountains, is never less than breathtaking. And, while it might be the Inner Hebrides’ most populated island, there are opportunities aplenty for wild camping.

Some of the choicest spots include the beautiful Waternish peninsula, on the island’s north-western edge between Loch Dunvegan and Loch Snizort. Just look for a spot without a ‘no overnight camping’ sign.

Elsewhere, the Quiraing is a landslip – an area of gently sloping land – in the Totternish peninsula in the island’s far north. As well as being a stunning spot with its views towards Staffin Bay, the Quiraing has plenty of nice flat, grassy areas for wild camping, although the wind can whip around pretty fast in this exposed area. A walk down the Uig-Staffin road to the west should bring you to some more sheltered options.

If you want to do the full beach camping experience (and who doesn’t?), we recommend the secluded Coral Beach, with its white sands and views across Loch Dunvegan towards the port village of Uig. The sunsets on this west-facing beach are phenomenal, too. It’s an easy 20-minute walk from your campervan down to the beach.

Just be vigilant, as the road to the beach from the nearby village of Claigan has a fair few potholes. Drive carefully, and make sure your self build campervan insurance is fully up to date before you set off.

Loch Lomond and the Trossachs

The Trossachs are a large expanse of hills, forests, lochs and glens in central Scotland. Neighbouring this region is Loch Lomond, Great Britain’s largest lake by surface area. Together, they form another large and beautiful National Park. Highlights of this wild and unspoilt region include Doune Castle, a central setting for Scotland’s 17th-Century Wars of the Three Kingdoms.

Active families will also want to look in at Aberfoyle, home to a series of brilliant woodland adventures, including an assault course and canoe escapades at the Forest Hills Water Sports Centre. The nearby Go Ape, meanwhile, features two of Britain’s longest zip-wire rides, offering unparalleled (if rapid) views of these ancient, wildlife-rich forests.

If you and your fellow passengers love a good walk, we’d point you in the direction of the Great Trossachs Path, 30 miles of wonderful walking from Loch Lomond to Callander. The walk takes you past loch shores, verdant woodlands, and centuries of history.

Last but most importantly, there are plenty of options for wild camping right around the park. You can find a useful map and further info on the Camping page of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park website.

Angus

This region, halfway up Scotland’s east coast between Edinburgh and Aberdeen, has plenty of opportunities for both wild camping and adventurous walking. The countryside around Arbroath, for example, is a mecca for hill walkers. There are no fewer than ten ‘Munros’ (Scottish hills higher than 3,000 feet), not to mention the beautiful Five Glens of Angus – dramatic Highland river valleys. Elsewhere, the region is also home to Glamis Castle, childhood home of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

Arbroath itself is home to the Arbroath Smokie – line-caught haddock, smoke-cured over oak chips, and still produced in a series of family-run smokehouses around the harbour.

There are wild camping options right across the region, with its huge unpopulated expanses of glen and hillside. Two fine examples are Glen Mark, and Glen Doll, where the local ranger service has created three short-stay wild camping sites. Remember to have your self build campervan insurance up to date if you’re heading to anywhere remote.

Self build campervan insurance from Lancaster

Here at Lancaster, we are proud to offer insurance for all sorts of campervans – including those where the owner has carried out extensive modifications to the interior, to the extent where the vehicle is classified as a ‘self build’.

You’ll need to make sure that your van conversion meets the definition of a converted campervan, as prescribed by the DVLA.

Remember that you will also need some self build campervan insurance during the conversion phase itself, and not just when your self build is up and running and ready to hit the road. Your provider of self build campervan insurance may even impose a time frame within which the work must be carried out.

When making alterations to your van, always remember to notify your self build campervan insurance provider of any work you’re doing. This is because some modifications – such as the installation of new windows – can change your premium, and even invalidate a policy if your insurer was not warned of the changes.

You can find out more about our policies, and what’s included in them, on the campervan insurance section of our website.

Policy benefits, features and discounts offered may very between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. Information contained within this article is accurate at the time of publishing but may be subject to change.