RV Camper Van in Scottish Highlands
 

Newbie to camping here! And when I say new, I mean the most we have ever done is a cottage on a lake, it wasn't fancy at all, but this is really the extent of our camping knowledge (which is basically none). My husband and I are leaving for a trip to Scotland (spending 6 days) and spending 3 days in London before leaving. We have this weird fantastic idea of using a camper van (from Big tree or Rockin' Vans), but I go back and forth on if we would enjoy something like this! Does anyone have experience? Would someone with little to no experience enjoy this? I just want to get some input from people with experience, and don't want to go into this with a fantasy in mind if it isn't doable.

I do love serene locations that we can relax and do a little reflecting and relaxing!

What time of year? I have taken an old VW camper on several trips to Scotland (years ago) and they were great fun. BUT with so little time in Scotland (have you been there before? ) I probably would recommend it.

If this is your first time (both in Scotland AND camping) there are likely places you will want to see where a camper makes nonsense at all.

If you actually just want to go to one location and sit and relax and/ or hike, you could rent a cottage on a loch.

Meant to add . . . In vike weather, Hunkering down in a cozy cottage is nicer than shivering in a cramped camper van . . . From experience ;)

Unless you rent a van with a toilet you are limited to staying on campsites. They can get very expensive, very quickly, especially in high season.
We have a camper van - midsize by Rockin'Vans standards - ours is less than 6 metre long, with a bathroom (esential at our age!). Not everywhere allows you to park a camper in a normal car park - there can be height restrictions or size restrictions in place. If you want to mainly visit towns then a van could be a pain.
Too big a camper and you will struggle on the roads in Scotland.
Have you driven on the left before? Can you drive a manual gear box vehicle?
If you are tall the beds may be too small for you, especially if the bed goes across the van rather than along it. We searched a long time to find one with beds long enough for my husband who is 6'1".
I don't want to put you off the idea, I am just giving you some pointers. You could have a fantastic road trip in a camper, but it is very different to staying in a cottage or hotel or even tent or caravan camping, since you have to pack everything up and take with you, every time you go somewhere.

If you decide to go ahead with a camper have a look at www.campercontact.com for campsites and camper stops.

Let's see...you appear to be from Florida, which means you drive on the right. You've never driven a camper van or really even ever been camping. Sounds like you've never been in Scotland. And you want to try out your maiden voyage in the Scottish Highlands???

For all I know it might be wonderful, but I'd consider myself off my rocker in your situation to try something like this.

I admit I've never seen a campground in scotland. But on my walks in England I've seen a number. They tend to be soggy noisy crowded affairs with gangs of kids running rampant, not the idyll you alude to in your serene fantasy. I'd highly recommend the alternative, the cottage fantasy.

Staying in a cottage is not camping. The roads in Scotland are narrow, even those with two lanes. A camper, even if an adapted van will seem large. I would rent a small car and stay in B&Bs. We rented a compact car and got a Skoda which could hold this much luggage in the trunk:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca...7623094971409/

Oh geeze - BIG typo in my post. I definitely WOULDN'T recommend it.

And what's "vike weather"?

Mme Perdu, you clearly haven't seen many campsites in England.

Only the ones I've seen, h. Maybe the good ones are invisible, seen only by a select few. In any case, I wouldn't bet my holiday that the one I choose from afar is better.

Ignore the purveyors of doom and gloom, they lost their sense of adventure when they started drawing thier pensions!

First some rules, in Scotland we don't have many. After entries of being treated like medieval surfs, Land Acts were passed to ensure free access to any land in Scotland as long as it isn't deemed garden or inhibited by locally defines bye laws.

This includes the use of the land for camping but excludes motor vehicle access. Which is were the problem lies with Campervans. Technically you have access to camp on any land, the usual timescale before you outlive your welcome is two nights. You don't have the right to pull a campervan onto the land.

However, in most areas land has been set aside, through initiatives by local authority, as areas where caravan and Campervan camping is permitted for free. The best source of information is each areas tourist information office.

You can without question park on any public road overnight and many roads have designated parking areas.

I would absolutely, consider a van with a toilet, it's just so much more convenient in less populated areas.

The beauty of a camper is that you tend drive slowly, take in the scenery and are not forced to return to a "static" holiday cottage each evening which can save hours in a day.

It is essential that you show common courtesy to other road users. Many of our roads are narrow but have a 60mph speed limit. Some of exceed that limit but all of us get really annoyed with campers driving at 20mph and offering no opportunity to overtake for 20 miles. It is common practice for the camper driver to indicate and pull over at the next safest point.

Put simply if the weather is good, you'll have the trip of a lifetime.

Book me into that window of good weather.

>>Put simply if the weather is good, you'll have the trip of a lifetime<<

100% agree . . . And if the weather is 'vike' (vile) - not so much.

That will teach me not to post from my phone.

The website I linked to has a whole host of camp sites and official (many free!) camper stops. I recommend finding a campsite every three days to have a decent shower if nothing else - I didn't look to see how many of the camper stops have places to dump grey water, empty the loo and take on fresh water. Please do not be tempted to empty the grey water just anywhere, or to drive along with the outlet slightly open. Gives all camper owners a bad name.
If my sons can enjoy Scotland in truly Scottish weather sleeping under canvas no reason not to enjoy it in a campervan, regardless of the weather. Two years ago my son and grandsons endured atrocious weather, including many tents being blown away in a gale (not theirs!). When asked last year where they wanted to go on holiday the answer from the grandkids was Scotland, because it was so much fun. Last year another son went camping and again had really wet weather, though not for his whole holiday.
If it gets too grim book a night in a B&B!

If it wasn't so blinking expensive to cross the North Sea we would probably head to Scotland this year.

Let me put this as simply as possible. Forget it.

You don't have enough time to see much of anything, no matter what you do. I'd just spend the 6 days in Edinburgh with maybe an organized day tour included in the time.

https://www.rabbies.com/en/scotland-...urgh/day-tours

Wow! Thank you all for your valuable input! I appreciate the honesty, we are just so torn. We would be going 4/1-4/5 with the van, so 4 nights. I really do teeter back and forth and many of your posts are reflections of that!

We wanted to do Oban -> Skye-> Inverness-> St. Andrews (ending here, husband wants to golf the next day), but the last day we can slowly make our way to St. Andrews, we don't need to be there in any timeframe.

Perhaps I will be told this it too much! I appreciate any feedback. I personally love history, so a lot of the historical sites (ex. culloden, 3 sisters, etc) I am very excited to see. My husband doesn't want to depend on cooking dinner in the van, just maybe lunch and breakfast, so I think his biggest concern is parking at places to eat for dinner.

My biggest plus to doing the camper van (which FYI would be midsize camper from rockin' vans with toilet), is that we could have one home base, but I am not very familiar with weather in scotland in early April. My husband and I are very comfortable traveling in foreign places and have done it many times, obviously not in the highlands, and nothing like this, so if you say we are crazy to do it I will take your word for it! Thanks again for the input!

@edinburgh I appreciate the input, but every trip we have done people say we do too much and we always have loved it. I would absolutely be bored out of my mind in one city for that long, our max is normally 3 days for the larger cities, you can say we can't see the whole city in that time, but that is what second trips are for! Thanks for the input though!

One home base?

Weather in early April: Yes

mmeperdu, wasn't sure what you mean by that? Yes for home base? Yes for april?

Mme Perdu, Andrea means they will use the camper as a home base, moving on every day, but without the need to check-in, unpack, repack check-out daily.
Weather in Scotland is never predictable, you could be really lucky and have warm dry (or at least dry) weather then, you could have snow. No way we can tell. You could end up with warm and sun and snow all in one day in Scotland!

I can't comment on you wish list. I do know if we make it to Scotland it will be for more than our days in the 'van, because we have the luxury of time. We have only had two holidays in Scotland, once in a cottage on Loch Fyne, once in hotels further south. Driving in Scotland takes longer than you would expect, so be prpared to be flexible - that is the great advantage of a camper over booking hotels/B&Bs!

Moving every day doesn't seem to me to be quite the same as a "home base" except for the packing/unpacking part.

I doubt the weather will be what I'd consider camping weather in early April but according to hetismij2, any weather is camping weather. What I meant by "yes" is there will be weather. What that might be is anyone's guess.

Yes, h., I understood.

Thank you all for your input! We decided to rent a car and stay at B&B's, I appreciate all the advice!

Smart people, good move.

"doubt the weather will be what I'd consider camping weather in early April "

Over the last four Easter's, we have had
1. 22oC sun
2. Snow
3. 12oC rain
4. 24oC sun

Buy a lottery ticket by coming to Scotland.

REALITY CHECK: Four days is not NEARLY long enough for from wherever you collect the campervan to Oban to Skye to Inverness to St. Andrews in . . . In a car . . . In July when it is light til after 10PM, let alone in a campervan in April.

You would actually need 10 days or more to accomplish that and even that would be rushed. You will average about 30 or 35 mph in a motorhome.

If he is playing golf in St. Andrews - just head to Fife in a car and forget the idea of an impossible dash around the whole country. You could also visit Stirling and maybe Glamis and/or Dunnottar. . . .

Scotland is an amazing place to tour in a campervan and is incredibly popular. The companies you were looking at both supply modern vans which are not too big for the empty country roads. You certainly won't be stuck driving at 30 to 35 miles per hour.

Campsites are not all the same. There are adult only sites, basic sites, holiday camps. The choice is endless.

The weather in Scotland is unpredictable, but with your camper close at hand you are never far from shelter.

New campers have amazing heating so you don't need to worry about being cold. Ask the company about sizes of the beds, but most have good length, if a bit narrow.

The only thing to watch is that you usually can't pick one up until the afternoon and need to return it mid morning so your itinerary is a bit ambitious.

It is a shame you have been put off.

Thank you for the reply SKCStu! I think we won't be able to really pull off our full itinerary regardless, so I see another trip in our future regardless, perhaps once we have our first experience we will feel prepared to take on the campervan!

For those mentioning the weather, while there are no guarantees at all, it might interest you all to know that April is actually the driest month of the year in Scotland, statistically.

https://weather-and-climate.com/aver...gh-uk,Scotland