I’m looking to hire or purchase a cheap 2 person tent, sleeping bags and maybe cooking equipment to do some camping in Scotland in late July and August.
What do you recommend?
Should I go through a gear rental company, or buy off marketplace, or just look for a personal contact?
I would probably only need the gear for 2-4 nights as well (=.
Hi All,
Looking for some info on camping in the Tomintoul area. I’ll be bikepacking the outer Cairngorms loop at the end of July. I’ll be leaving Rothiemurchus and aiming for the Tomintoul area to camp. There don’t look to be many options in the area beyond wild camping. Any tips for spots to put a single tent?
Thanks!!
I booked a tent pitch for this weekend, but only then realised that I hadn't bought anything to protect against insects. Looking at the forecast, it's supposed to be around 12°C with 15 mph winds, so it doesn't seem like ideal weather for midges or other insects. However, has anyone been camping there recently? If the midges are still bad, I'd probably change my booking to a different campsite (any suggestions are welcome)
Hi all!
I was wondering: is it a good idea to hike the John o' Groats trail in Oktober and maybe go up to the Orkneys? Is the weather tolerable up there in that season? I'm okay with some rain and chilly nights, but would like to avoid extremes and slipping off a rock and dying, if possible. Any extra advice? I'm a moderately experienced hiker, but it would definitely be my most serious trip by far.
My husband and I are planning our first overseas trip for our 5th anniversary, but I have never planned a trip before and am nervous about the details. We have nothing solidified yet, so I was hoping to get suggestions and advice from people who have been there before I start making decisions. The threads here seem to get such helpful comments underneath, so I figured I’d ask here!
Since we haven’t decided on any specifics I’ll give the broad strokes of our vacation timeline and the kinds of things that we’d like to see/are important to us, and see what suggestions I get.
The first hurdle is that he and I have heritage in Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, and we haven’t officially chosen which to visit. Scotland is our frontrunner though at this point. We only have about a week, and we’re the kind of people who like to have downtime to take in our surroundings and feel peace rather than rushing one place to the next. Because of this, we’re really expecting to only be able to see one of the three, and that’s ok.
We’d be going in October, which I’ve read is past midge season, past peak tourist season, and is a lovely season to see there (although the weather is unpredictable - but I’ve read that is the case kind of always). Is that the general consensus here as well?
We love wildlife and the outdoors, but we are not mountain-climbers/campers/professional outdoorspeople. Low intensity walks and hikes, biking, and wildlife/scenery viewing are very much our speed. The only exception to this is that I’m an avid horseback rider, and including a horseback ride (or multiple) is very high on my list of importance! It would also be super cool to do one of those owl/falconry experiences, which I’ve seen offered lots of places there.
I’m also witchy and would love seeing anything in that magical/fantastical vein. Old forests, ancient stones, castles, witchy towns and shops - all things we love.
We’re also from the US and not familiar with driving on the opposite side of the road, so train route itinerary incorporation advice would be super helpful.
The one place we’ve found already in Scotland that we’re trying to decide whether to solidify plans for or not is Glen Tanar (I’ll edit if this spelling is wrong - reddit keeps deleting my whole draft every time I close this to check things to include). It looks absolutely gorgeous, we’d be able to rent a cottage, could explore a national park in the highlands at our own pace, horseback ride, etc. My only concern is whether or not Aberdeen is too far north to get to see a representative amount of the country in the time we have. As much as I’d like a slower pace in one country, I don’t want to make the trip and miss seeing all of the must-see representations of the place. I don’t need to see everything obviously, but is there enough to see and do in the Aberdeen area to feel we’ve gotten to experience the spirit and beauty of the country, if that makes sense. Or is it too isolated compared to other places/too far from someplace that shouldn’t be missed - etc.
I know this is a very general inquiry, and truly anything people can share will be helpful to me! I really appreciate everyone’s time in advance :)
Hello I will be visiting Isle of Skye next month and will be staying my entire trip at Portree.
My wife and I do enjoy a good long day hike.
Wondering what are your recommendations for a good solid day hike in Isle of Skye. We are happy to drive out of Portree to other parts of the Isle to do the hike.
We have reviewed the walkhighlands site but sadly it doesn’t offer much recommendations on the best hikes. Would like to seek a pooled opinion here!
Much thanks
I am going to the Isle of Harris this weekend to visit a friend and we were hoping to camp on the saturday night. Does anyone know if we should be alright to drive to Luskentyre Beach and just pitch up a tent on the dunes?
I have been wild camping before and can see some old reports of people doing it, but looking for any insights or first hand experience?
Hi everyone,
We're planning to travel the second half of July in the West highlands and Skye. I have read that many (and maybe far too many) tourists come this time of year. Do we really need to anticipate everything and book campsites as we'll only have a small tent for 2? We usually wild camp most of the time but like to be on campsites with some facilities to rest.
Thank you :)
I am going to the Arrochar alps and i would like to be prepared as good as possible i am already doing my best with the camping stuff but i cant always find affordable options especially for water filters so any tips are welcome
Hello,
Going to be going to corrour bothy in Cairngorms to complete the four munros. I have a water filter and was wondering if the water that flows by the bothy is always there or if it dries up at all? Filter will be useless if there is no water so wondering if I should forget the filter and bring a few extra litres with me.
Thanks guys
Hi everyone! I’m a solo traveller heading to Edinburgh in May next year for ten days and not planning to drive. I’m extremely used to starting really early and travelling for hours just to get to a good hike (I’m also a fit, experienced hiker). An example is with Amsterdam as a base I went to Hoge Veluwe National Park.
I have been looking into Isle of Mull and Isle of Arran and spend one night there or I’ve been looking at Glencoe and Pentland Hills for proper day trips.
Is there anything I’m missing? Anything you would recommend? I’m from the US so ideally I am looking for hikes with scenery that I can’t get here, preferably not flat, off the beaten path.
Thank you!
I do a 4-day backpacking trip every year in Scotland. I like to go around mid-April, because I enjoy the cooler temps, no midges and no crowds. However, this year I could not go in April, so I'm looking to do the trip in the autumn.
When is the closest equivalent to mid-April conditions? In particular I'm eyeing October 9-12 for logistical reasons (I live quite far, so I need to plan this well in advance). Is this too late in the year?
I don't mind the occasional rain, but would not like to spend the whole trip wet.
I only ever been to Scotland in the spring. What are some things that could catch me off-guard in the autumn? Will midges be gone by then? Will there still be plenty of water everywhere to drink (bit worried about the hot summer causing some droughts)?
I think the daytime hours will be shorter than in the spring, but I don't mind that too much, I typically like to pitch early (around 4pm) anyways.
Thanks!
EDIT: planning to go to the Loch Mullardoch area, if it makes any difference
Looking for recommendations for 7 days in Scotland in early October. We have been fortunate enough to have visited Edinburg, Sterling Castle, the Kelpies, and Loch Lomond.
Our current plan is to fly into Edinburg, pick up our rental car, and head north. We will be returning our car in Glasgow to catch a train to London to meet family. This is our 3rd trip driving on the left, and we have an understanding of the narrow roads and the slower pace of traffic. We have a good road map of Scotland. We do not plan to drive after sunset.
Coastal views, the Isle of Skye, and the Highlands are places we would like to visit. We are interested in short hikes (2 - 4 km), waterfalls, botanical gardens, and nature spots.
Ideally, we would spend 2 nights in one location, but we are not opposed to one-night stays. We don't want to jump around so much that we miss the beauty of the location we are visiting. We appreciate a good pub, music, local festivals, and traditions.
We are older but not ready for a tour bus! Thanks for your suggestions as we plan our trip.
Hi,
Am planning on heading out next Sunday-Tuesday for some camping and to climb Ben Nevis. My goal is to do via CMD and the ridge but don't have a car so going to take the bus to torlundy. Was wondering if anyone knew of any campsites either near torlundy or near fort William town itself that would be good to pitch up. I've found the one in glen Nevis but it seems to be in the other direction.
Thanks!!
Hi all!
I'm planning an 11-day road trip in Scotland and trying to keep it balanced (not too rushed).
Main focus: Glencoe + Skye, plus a bit of Highlands and Edinburgh.
I’m wondering whether it’s worth doing 1 vs 2 days in Inverness/Highlands, or if that would make things too packed. Current plan:
Day 0 Edinburgh → pick up car late afternoon → drive to Doune Overnight: Doune
Day 1 Drive to Glencoe (Lost Valley in the morning, Glen Etive, some stops on the road) Overnight: Fort William
Day 2 Fort William → Skye (Glenfinnan Viaduct for Jacobite train view, Drive via A87 (Loch Cluanie / Glen Shiel), Eilean Donan Castle) Overnight: Isle of Skye
Skye (3 days)
Day 3 – North Skye (Old Man of Storr, Quiraing, Kilt Rock, Fairy Glen, Portree) Overnight: Isle of Skye
Day 4 – West Skye (Fairy Pools, Talisker Bay or Glenbrittle, Cuillin views) Overnight: Isle of Skye
Day 5 – Flexible Skye day, Weather dependent (Option A: Elgol + coast, Option B: revisit best spots + Move to INVERNESS along Loch ness) Overnight: Inverness
Day 6 Inverness-> Glasgow (drive through Cairngorms short way, with stop at Queen's view and maybe Pitlorchy) Overnight: Glasgow
Days 7-11 Glasgow
Alternative:
1 day cut from Skye and 2 nights in Inverness, then rides around Loch Ness for Urqhuart castle, Glen Affric, Dog Falls etc.
Main question
Would you recommend:
Option A: 1 day Inverness (simpler, less driving)
Option B: 2 days Inverness (more variety, but more travel)
Hiya!
I work in tourism in Edinburgh and I also have an interest in nature and walking.
I often get asked at work what is the best day trip to see the highlands from Edinburgh. I have to temper their expectations a lot - often people ask to go to Skye for the day which isn't a day trip at all.
I often recommend Pitlochry, Dunkeld and Callander. They are easy to get to on public transport from Edinburgh in under 2 hours.
But is there anywhere I am missing? I would say Aberfeldy but as far as I know there is no direct way and as a result would take about 3 hours to get there.
And I rarely have two days off in a row from work and would like to explore more on a day trip too so not just asking for work - I do get access to free coach tours but I love to walk and they spend a lot of time driving and not much walking!
I’m looking for parks, beaches or outdoor areas in the Scottish Borders that have public BBQ stands/grills (the fixed metal ones), rather than bringing my own disposable BBQ or lighting a fire.
I’d love somewhere we can go for a walk, let the kids play, then cook some lunch afterwards.
Any recommendations would be much appreciated. Thanks!
Hello,
I am creating my Itinerary for Scotland Highlands + Skye and consider two routes:
Glencoe -> Glenfinnan -> "Route to Isles" + Ferry Mallaig Armadale -> Portree (Skye)
Glencoe -> Glenfinnan -> come back to Fort Williams and A82/A87 through Skye Bridge -> Portree
As after few days at the Skye I would go to Inverness/ Loch Ness area, I would skip only A82/A87 between Fort William and Bun Loyne and here is my question:
Is this part particularly scenic or is it better to take the road to the isles + ferry and forget about this part? Considering that Skye Bridge and part of the road I will take during my trip to Inverness?
Hi everyone! I'm going to visit Scotland in September and Glencoe is a must-visit, of course. I'd like to drive through couple of beautiful points, do a little bit of hiking. I would like also to travel along Glen Etive Road (even though, I've read a lot of non-complimentary articles).
As far as I understand, the road to Glen Etive is narrow, only one lane. My questions are:
Thanks for answers.