Autumn Tour of Scotland: expert advice needed
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If you do go to Galloway Port Logan CL has some of the best views from a site ever. We loved it.
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Coo, that looks a stunner!😁 We have been as far across as Stranraer, many, many years ago, but in more recent times never gone further West than Whithorn (although we have done Mull of Kintyre a few times). The gardens should be wonderful there. Will bear this in mind, thank you.
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Our holiday this year was to have been
Englethwait Hall CC
The Woods CC
Stonehaven CC
Huntly Castle Affiliated
Invernahavon Newtonmore CCC Listed
Maragowan CC
Lomond Woods Holiday Park
Cressfield at Ecclefachen CCC Listed
Troutbeck Head CCI do like the area around Newtonmore between Spean Bridge and Loch Garten with some nice walks from Aviemore as well.
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If you are "edible midgie food" I'd be careful about heading into the " Stewartry " -- Hills like the Merrick in the Galloway Forest Park are the Authorized Training Ground for Highland Midge SAS !! And Brian ain't given to joking on this subject, believe me !!
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We were there last year and it was grand till it poured it down on the last day. The ground did get very wet and the site catches the wind if from the N West. Fantastic views from the site most of the time we were there. Would visit again if I could be sure of decent weather.
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We have never done West Coast in Summer, I am prone to nasty reaction to bites, so we have enjoyed East Coast more in Summer months. We did a split Coast holiday one year, starting late June on West. Still snow on mountains, it hammered it down all week, and my prize buy was a hot water bottle. Things looked up once we got onto East Coast, I can recall an afternoon sitting on beach reading a book, a paddle, and getting slightly drunk in the tasting tent at the Royal Highland Show. After that, the next 15 Summers were spent in Cornwall. In the sunshine.😂
I think we were unlucky really, my sister lived and worked in Lochinver, and she got some lovely weather. Occasionally.
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Likewise they love me. I have a bite measuring about three inches across on my thigh as I write where I got caught two nights ago in the garden but I never saw a midge in Galloway in August. Just looked at the Smidge website and they are saying no trouble with midges there at the moment.
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We have been put off anywhere on the west coast when there is more daylight than nighttime! This due to meeting a member on the Kendal site that had just returned from a trip in July up to the Highlands and back down that coast. She looked like an extra from one of the Zombie movies and had actually spent a couple of days in hospital as the bites were so bad. The poor woman was still suffering a good week after getting out.
Haven't found the same problem on the East side.
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>This article< might be of interest, reads to me as the NC500 is to be avoided.
peedee
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Yep that’s me as well. I have been to A&E a couple of times in the early bite days. Joints and limbs hugely swollen with fluid, bright red, hard to the touch, and a fever. Prevention is all I can do now. I start on anti histamines early April, smother myself in Avon Skin so soft, bug killers in every room, mozzie net up at bedroom window, and this is just to survive at home😂 And I still get bitten, but it’s liveable with so long as I take such precautions.
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So very sad, PD, it really is.
It's all 'me me me ' these days, sadly. A few years ago it was a beautiful calming place to holiday with so very friendly locals. Alas now you cannot blame the locals for hiding and trying to deter the tourists from stopping in that area.
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Peedee, I know this is a bit off topic but I've been searching for site in Scotland, and I seem to remember that you supplied a link to a site search website other than ukcampsites and pitchup.com. Can you please let me have the link again if you can remember it?
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I don't recall that Nellie but there are these which I have used before:
https://www.searchforsites.co.uk/
https://www.campsites.co.uk/search
There are others if you google for information.
peedee
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There appears to quite a debate about wild camping in Scotland at the moment much of it appears to be occurring due to excessive visitors and lack of official overnight stopping places. Even if there are no official places available it is still no excuse for the behaviour being reported.
It does make one think twice about touring Scotland especially in peak season. Hopefully more official stopping places will be provided.
peedee
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We were planning a tour in May/June and given the uncertainty put it off until the same time next year.🤞Glad we did, as out of the 6 sites we had booked, or planned to use around the NW corner, only one Sango Sands at Durness is open, on a no facilities basis. They are giving a reduction for this. Non EHU can't be booked and are on a first come basis, EHU ones are booked up to the end of August.
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I can't say I've ever found Scotland anything like as busy compared to places like the southwest of England in summer. This year foreign visitors are also reduced in numbers and coach parties are missing. I would say if you intend to visit Scotland especially in the far north things will be less crowded but there'll be less sites available so finding a pitch might be harder just now. Schools go back on August 15th in Scotland so that will leave a few more pitches too.
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Well that sounds hopeful. I checked our dates last year and we spent a few days in Keswick getting to Blair Castle on October 14th and then travelling on north. We had good weather most of the time and the autumn scenery was a bonus. Hope you can take up the holiday!
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Have just read the residents on the n500 route in Scotland are calling for a "congestion"charge on as they say "campervans"to help pay for the repairs needed to roads and clearing up the "residues? "being left in laybys and passing places, by the minority they add, of the big increases in the use of the route
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We have done late October, November holidays in Scotland. The daylight hours are quite short, and wrapping up warm on West Coast was a must, but we still had a very nice time. We have done December and January as well......in the snow😁 Short days, but it’s lovely up there.
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Thanks, peedee, it's the searchforsites one that I was after. I was sure that you were the one who mentioned it first.
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WTG, we've just booked a tour of 7 different,sites in the centre/east of Scotland for the whole of October, 6 CLs and one CC site. There was only one CL we couldn't get on as it wasn't open, and had to shuffle dates,at one site we particularly want to use again. We have a couple more to book on the way up and then a number on the way back into and through England in November, as we head home. Hope you are successful with your bookings.
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