Camping in Scotland

[DavShill]

Hi All thought some may have experience and offer advice. I'm planning a trip up the NW coast of Scotland - Highlands & Islands. We'll take in a couple of B&Bs but I want to camp too. Now in The Lake District rough camping is only allowed above a certain height above sea level but I am told in Scotland it's less strict.
So my question is ...... is camping on the fells by the roadside allowed. Obviously we need to get the bikes well off the roadside but some tell me it generally acceptable. Anyone done it?

Suppose we can use campsites but I quite fancied the idea of just rocking up and pitching the tent in the wilderness.

[Samray]

I shouldn't bother with the tent .... just build an igloo.

[D-Rider]

Entirely unhelpful response as it doesn't answer your question at all .... but ...

Many years ago some friends and I were camping in the Brecons - just camping where we could find places to pitch.
First night we were delayed (due to another member of our party starting us off on the wrong side of a river - he was relieved of map-reading duties after that). It being late and not being able to locate the farm house to have a word with the farmer, just pitched up at the edge of a field.
Time went by and then a great light started shining on the tent. "oh crikey" (or words to that effect) - the farmer must have spotted us and was coming to do the "Get off my land, boyo" thing. Time went by and the light didn't go away ... but neither did the farmer come along to remonstrate with us. So, I stuck my head out of the tent to see this rather bright full-moon that had popped above the hedgerow ....... oh how we laughed ......

Later on nearing the end of that trip we arrived one night on the edge of a small settlement and unable to find anywhere else, set up camp on a nice, flat piece of ground - the rugby pitch. We then went to sink a few pints of the local brew at a pub not to far away.
We spent the next day hiking in the same area and decided we might as well pitch our tents on the rugby pitch once more. However, as we turned up we saw a glow on the pitch. They had turned up for training and had the floodlights out.
We retreated to the pub to discuss our strategy. Following a lengthy strategic discussion (lasting until closing time) we headed back to find that they had finished playing games on our campsite. Tents up, off to sleep, up early the next day.
Decided not to push our luck and moved on for the following night.

[DavShill]

Nice one Andy.
Samray - I was kind of hoping the snow might have gone by June. I'll get some practice in here just in case .

[back_marker]

Did some reading about this before touring the Highlands last year. As i understand it you can camp pretty much anywhere that's not obviously fenced off. It was a while ago so do a bit of searching on the internet and all of the information is easy to find.

However, what we did find is that many places are just not that suitable for camping - the best ones we found were on the last day of the higland part of the trip after travelling down through the cairngorm mountains.

A bit vague i know but hopefully that should give you a few pointers.

[BikerGran]

Knowing from my daughter and partner that this is known as 'wild camping' (they've done it in Spain and France with a campervan) I googled it and got this - some useful info and also some links....

http://www.thehappycampers.co.uk/campsites/wildcamping/

[DavShill]

Thanks all - that's a good start.

[rick]

interesting info here... i was planning a trip north of border last yr but it fell through... maybe ill try again this yr!

[joecrx]

at some point you might need a shower try here its well equiped
http://www.beinglascampsite.co.uk/

[Nooj]

We went to a big Fazer meet up in Scotland some years ago and afterwards six of us set off on a Highlands/Skye tour. We stayed in THESE, which were fun. The big cabins were nice and warm (mind you, it was in June).

[DavShill]

Thanks again - some good leads here. I'm getting quite excited already

[Kwackerz]

If you're camping on a mountainside watch out for the Haggis. nasty little fekkers. Make sure you've had your Tetanus booster before going camping up there.














(and I have actually seen a minibus full of squaddies searching the mountainsides as we drove past, looking for Haggis... silly cnuts. I only said "oh look, haggis!" for a laugh..)

[Nooj]

Only the clockwise ones carry tetanus.

[Kwackerz]

..which makes it a very real threat seeing as we're in the Northern Hemisphere where Haggis rotate hillsides clockwise.. http://www.wilsonjo.demon.co.uk/haggis.htm


Unlike the New Zealand Haggis which go anticlockwise and dont carry Tetanus.. http://www.nzs.com/site-profile/haggis.co.nz/

[DavShill]

Yes I've heard about the haggis. I really want to live off the land too so was hoping to gather some squirrel's eggs for the morning fry-up.