To think friend is being daft to think this will work

[lastqueenofscotland]

A very good friend of mine and their partner are planning a holiday in Scotland soon for 10 days. All fine, however it’s a cycling trip where they will need to find somewhere else to stay every night. They do this every year and often book on the day and it’s usually fine. However obviously everything is different this year!
Currently they have only found one campsite as so many are full/closed/at minimal capacity.
My friend is getting increasingly panicked while her partner is very much happy to wing it and hope for the best.
I have tried to gently tell them I think this idea is foolhardy, but I’m actually a bit worried for them. AIBU to maybe stress how daft of an idea this actually is, and suggest they pick one base and explore from there?

I did this a few weeks ago (albeit only for 7 days) and it was fine. I did a mixture of wild camping, campsite and B&B - booked either same day or day before, online. If they're used to camping, I don't see why it would be a problem at all - if you're carrying a tent you can pretty much sleep wherever the fancy takes you, as long as you adhere to the outdoor access code. I wasn't doing a point-to-point, though - I did a vaguely circular route from home, with options to cut it short if I felt like it.

aforementioned friend has been texting/voice noting me solidly for about 24 hours in a panic about it and I’m trying to work out if it’s appropriate to tell them to just book a hotel and explore from one or two points.
What the hell does she expect you to do?! How would they respond if you were to tell them to book a hotel, do you think?
They sound like a pair of clowns and you sound like their mother.

Scotland isn’t a land of savages. They’re not going to be pillaged and plundered if they have to camp out one night. Can’t you just let them crack on with it?

Yes. flora has it - 'wild camping is legal in Scotland' does absolutely not mean you can just rock up where you like, camp wherever.

Worth noting that lots of places are closed - the Forestry Commission has closed many carparks and facilities near us. Many shops, restaurants, etc remain closed or have restricted opening times. The more remote areas have very little in the way of facilities - public toilets are closed, many visitor attractions are closed, etc. (Though Highland Council have now apparently bought 900 trowels for laybys - it's not really a great solution, imo).

Careful visitors are welcome, but please be considerate of the people who live here. I would strongly suggest booking in advance and planning well.

Her texting and panicking about it to you sounds really annoying. She needs to be telling her partner that it's not a good idea. If they won't see sense then she can say that she is going to stay at home and partner can go alone.
Yes they could wild camp and I have done this a lot in Scotland and Scandinavia but it isn't actually as easy as you might think. If they've got road bikes they won't be wanting to go far off-road and so they are left with camping fairly near a road which isn't great. I found this difficult in Norway with driving + wild camping. It's great if you're doing multi-day treks in the wilderness - then you can really wild camp anywhere.
Tell friend to tell partner that it's just not acceptable and she would like to discuss a possible plan B eg. a holiday apartment or holiday and longer day rides. I know it's not the same as a point-to-point ride but needs must.

Is she very touchy? You seem very worried about saying some very uncontroversial things to a friend.

Your friend needs to stop moaning to you and stand up for herself to her partner. If he wants to go wild camping in Scotland he can crack on but she doesn’t have to tag along if she doesn’t want to.