Touring scotland in a camper van

[GraciousPiglet]

Hoping someone has some experience of doing this with young kids.

DH and I usually camp in France, either in a furnished tent type thing or a mobile home. We love it. For us holidays are about being outdoors, not luxury, though I do like a basic degree of comfort. I am happy to do proper camping for a few days but I find it exhausting so we only do short stints. We have two boys, 6 and 3. They just want to be outdoors playing and exploring.

DH has always wanted a proper camper van. I've always said no as they are £££ and I don't like the idea of being stuck in such a tiny space as the boys get older.

However a holiday might be fun. We can't do our usual France trip this summer and I'm truly gutted. I want to do something the kids will really remember so we are considering hiring a large 6 berth modern camper and going to do a tour of Scotland. We would probably combine it with a few days in Edinburgh and maybe a week in a cottage so 2 and a bit weeks in total with a week in the van.

We have found a van but I'm trying to work my head around what a holiday in a van with small kids is like and where on earth we should go! We have before been to the Trossachs and Loch Lomond. I've been to bear Oban which was lovely. What would be a good route to take? The kids are good walkers and love a beach but I guess I'm worried that if it rains all week we will just end up stuck in a tiny van together so perhaps a very very remote route might not be a good idea?

Really keen to hear from anyone who's done this before OR done a camper van trip with two smallish kids.

This summer Scotland is already pretty much booked out - if holiday cottage availability are anything to go by. You will need to book sites asap. It is going to be jammed packed until English schools go back.

Also if you find camping stressful won't a campervan be even worse? Even less space than a tent and you have to pack up everything if you want to go on a day trip.

I'm a Highlander. Last season was horrendous, and we are anticipating a worse one this year if Brits are not allowed abroad. It turns out Brits are very bad tourists. Highlight of my year last year was coming across a man defecating on the footpath next to the Co-op, in the middle of the village. I had become accustomed to seeing tourists urinating on the wall of the Co-op (most days) but this was a new low. The public toilets were open 50 yds away.

Anyway, you asked about campers specifically, sorry! I was just pointing out that the Highlands are likely to be very overcrowded with people doing similar this year (actually having a rant)!

There are some decent campervan drivers about, and they are very welcome. Decent means:

• knows how to drive it, reverse it quickly, and uses mirrors.
• stops regularly to let following traffic pass, on both dual and single track roads
• does not drive on ANY single track roads with a big modern camper. They are too large. The old style sized ones are okay - like a caravan with a cab on.
• uses campsites where possible, and where there are no campsites parks for the night in a location which is not near someone's house/on common grazing (this is almost any grass in the Highlands)/similar inappropriate location.
• does not leave any rubbish behind or light fires above the high water mark.
• does not stock up with petrol and food in a city, then drive all over the Highlands blocking the roads and chewing up verges without spending a single penny.

Sadly most campervanners do not behave like this. Please be a good one! If you are, you'll be very welcome to visit :)

I think part of the problem is that they see 'A' road and think its like an 'A' road down South...spoiler...Its not! I towed a caravan to Scotland a few years ago..after Glasgow the roads got narrower...and narrower..

A colleague did the NC500...really enjoyed it..but as others have said there will be others with the same idea. Forward planning is best.
Have a great time OP

@FeistySheep can I add

Do not park, picnic, sleep, toilet, conduct marital relations or indeed take part in a family meeting in a passing place. This is particularly annoying when you block the gate within the passing place and we need to move 150 sheep over the top of the campervan.

I recall that the A roads in the North West of Scotland were narrow lanes with passing places. Not roads that I would want to be driving a camper van along.

I love Scotland and I hope visitors don't spoil it for the people who live there.

Passing places are not parking places.
I used the think shearing coaches were pain but at least they kept moving.

Family still living in Scotland say it is a bit of a nightmare currently.

@brokengate absolutely! That one is so obvious I hardly thought it necessary to include it, but now you mention it I have seen camper-muppets blocking gates and parking in passing places

We used to have manageable quantities of 'good' tourists - ie, stayed in one area for a week, respected the environment, spent money locally etc. Now for the last five years we have vast quantities of 'bad' tourists - ie, stay for one night, spend no money locally, leave mess everywhere, go to all the same cliched hotspots! Worried that we will end up losing the 'good' tourists and just be jampacked with people who contribute nothing

Really interesting to have so much advice, thank you! We would absolutely be using campsites. We are seasoned campers so know about the importance of being considerate etc. Sounds like the NC500 though fun might be a bit of a nightmare? Am liking the idea of Galloway.

We would definitely plan and organise it all in advance so will have a good google this eve!

We can't only do the summer holiday, not May as we aren't totally convinced lockdown will be lifted by then and we only have a week off school.

My idea of a holiday in Scotland is to maybe stay in one or two places, stay in local B and Bs/hotels, eat in local pubs/restaurants, buy local produce and see the sights.

Actually, this is my idea of a good holiday anywhere - in the UK and abroad.

Did the NC 500 last year and I would not recommend. Was chaos. The roads up in the highlands are horrendous made worse by people who didn’t know how to drive on them. All the resources were completely unsuitable and overused and the locals were fed up and unwelcoming. Beautiful yes, quiet peaceful outdoor holiday it was not and we left early to go home.

Be very careful about what size of campervan you get.I wouldn't advise a large one. The roads up here really are just not made for them at all. As others have said, there are a lot of single track roads often with very few passing places. Small villages can't cope with them either and there are very few parking places. This causes so much extra hassle when people drive huge campervans but aren't actually equipped with the skills to drive them. Even my parents only use their huge campervan in Europe. Here in Scotland it's just too big for the roads. I can't stress this enough. Don't go big! It will ruin your holiday.

Or Moray. Just googled. That looks beautiful. We have to pick up the camper from Aberdeen so perhaps we use that to explore the Moray coast and then get a cottage on the west coast or in Galloway afterwards. I've had a good look, lots of availability still for the sorts of places we go for. We aren't fancy

I remember a few years ago there was a sweet story about a group of about 4 or 5 Belgian camper vans touring Scotland, and people were reporting their progress on the Ken Bruce show!

They were really surprised when people started coming up to them to tell them they were now famous!

Feisty, we have friends who run B&Bs, hotels etc in the Highlands and the NC500 tourists are driving everyone to distraction only staying one night anywhere - the room turnover is horrendous and everyone is exhausted by the end of August!

Yes moray coast is really beautiful. Fishing villages and such lovely scenery.

Don't even think about Nc500 in a big van like that - would be a nightmare as many of the roads are so narrow. I live on it.

Do the nc500 another time in a car with b&b cos it's so lovely you don't want to miss out on it!

East Neuk of FIfe is only a 2 or 3 of hours of drive from Aberdeen and is just beautiful

The NC500 is amazing. We did it last year but PLEASE don't do it in a camper. The roads are tight and tiny. You will annoy other road users and locals.

There are other places with wider roads to go.. Lomond, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Oban, Glen Co. Basically anywhere other than the east / North and West Coast.

Ps: we did the NC500 at the end of September and it was almost quiet !

Never go in August!