Wild camping in Scotland

[Gathursty]

I have some experience of this.

My top tips:
Fort William station has a toilet and shower
Kyle of Lochalsh main car park has toilets and showers
Invergarry village hall has toilets.

I've slept in my car at various locations including the following with no issue:
Lochwinnoch station
Leuchars station
Garelochhead station
Lochluichart station
Bridge of Orchy station
Gretna Green station
Blair Atholl station

Abington services M74 (pay before you sleep )

Westerdale (the nearest road access to Altnabreac station)
Altnaharra weather station*
A layby near Eilean Donan Castle*

*I used my tent here.

My tent was destroyed by the rain at Eilean Donan Castle so I'll stick with the back of the car from now on haha.

PS: Do get a shower!!

 

[jednick]

Thanks for the recent replies to this topic.

So far my plan is something like this:

I arrive in Aberdeen early on May 3rd.

I'm travelling around Aberdeenshire for two days. I've found a suitable camp site in Inverbervie (south of Stonehaven), in case I can't find a place to wild camp with my tent. But I'm still looking for some suggestions where I can wild camp in the Aberdeen or Stonehaven area - possibly next to the sea.

I'm then moving to Inverness for two nights. There's a cheap camp site where I stayed last year and it's in a good location on the outskirts of the city. But I'd like suggestions where I can wild camp in or around Inverness - but it needs to be within 2 or 3 miles of the city centre.

Then I'm getting going from Inverness to Malliag, via Fort William. My plan is to pitch my tent on Morar beach as suggested by people earlier in this thread. The next morning I'll get the first bus to Fort William and have a shower at the station.

I'm unsure about my final two days but I may have a day in Oban (somewhere I always wanted to return to), and stay there the night. I have found a camp site 3 miles from Oban, but I am open to further suggestions where I could wild camp in or near the town.

Alternatively, If I don't re-visit Oban, I may spend my last night wild camping in Ayrshire, near the coast. Are there any suitable locations in or near Ardrossan or Largs? What about Ayr - can I put my tent up on the beach that's a short walk from Ayr town centre?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[al78]

Yes you can pitch a tent anywhere in Scotland, as long as you are not invading someones privacy, and not causing damage, so pitching right outside someones house would not go down well.

I walked the Minigaig last summer, which involved an overnight wild camp in a remote glen. What it comes down too is you have to be self sufficient and responsible, take nothing but photographs, and leave nothing but footprints. Leave the area so that anyone following would be unable to tell you were ever there, and don't pitch in the same place for more than three nights. I'm doing a bit of backpacking in Scotland later this year, the plan is to traverse a group of hills then stay in a hotel or B&B for a couple of nights, to have a proper wash and restock on food, then traverse another range of hills.

Camping next to a car park is theoretically allowable, but sounds a bit pointless to me, it is hardly wild camping and you might as well use a proper campsite with facilities.

Proper outdoor gear doesn't hold onto sweat and odours like cotton, so you can wear it for several consecutive days without building up a stink. When it comes to washing, you can use baby wipes or gel products like the things you can buy for hand sanitation. An alternative is to bathe in a loch, there are plenty of them in Scotland and the cold water will invigorate you. Failing that, stay in a B&B or official campsite every 2-3 days and use their facilities.

I wouldn't worry about animals. They tend to be more wary of you than you are of them. The biggest bugbears in Scotland are the weather and the midges. The latter is worst from July to September, so camping in spring or autumn will help reduce the torment. One thing to be aware of in summer/autumn (August onward) in the highlands is the stalking season. If parties are shooting on a hill you should avoid that area, and it is your responsibility to find out where the estates are shooting.