Planning a motorhome or campervan trip to Scotland with FS Motorhomes? Want to know where you can legally park, the rules on wild camping with a motorhome, where you can go and the best places to visit in Scotland with a FS Motorhome vehicles? Here’s everything you need to know to go motorhoming or campervanning in Scotland with FS Motorhomes.
Scotland is one of the best places in the UK for a motorhoming or campervanning with FS Motorhomes. The scenery, the history and the mix between mountains and beaches just speak to my soul.
You can explore Scotland using public transport, but it’s so much better if you hire a motorhome with FS Motorhomes.
One of the best things about being able to explore Scotland on a hired motorhome holiday is that you can get a feel for the country in a short space of time. It’s not a huge country and you can see an awful lot in just 10-14 days on a Scotland Road trip.
In this guide, we’re going to share with you everything you need to know to go motorhoming or campervanning in Scotland, including how to travel to Scotland with your vehicle, the best places to visit in Scotland with a campervan, planning your itinerary and route, where to stay (motorhome campsites, aires or wild camping with your camper), driving tips and other practical advice to help you have an amazing Scottish road trip.
If this is your first campervanning trip to Scotland , don’t forget to ask for travel checklist which will help you plan and organise everything you need.
Motorhoming in Scotland- Where to go
When planning a motorhome trip with FS Motorhomes, the first thing you need to do is decide where you’re going (and how long you are going for!)
How long to go for?
If you’re driving to Scotland from within the UK (we’ll cover that shortly), it’s pretty easy to find FS Motorhomes depot, just head North-East!
You can easily visit and explore Scotland for just a few days or a week and it’s quite easy to drive around. Of course, if you have two weeks or longer, you can hire our motorhomes for up to 30 days and see a lot more of the country.
How long does it take to drive across Scotland?
Scotland isn’t a huge country and you can drive across it quite quickly if you use the main roads.
As a guide, Gretna Green (right on the southern border between England and Scotland) to John o’Groats (on the northern coast) takes about 7 hours (360miles) (Average speed 51mph)
It’s also not a wide country. Oban (west coast) to Edinburgh (east coast) is only 124 miles and will take about 3 hours. (Average speed 40mph)
Best places to visit in Scotland in a campervan or motorhome with FS Motorhomes
Some of our favourite places to visit in Scotland include:
- Loch Lomond and the Trossachs (be careful of the rules for wild camping with a motorhome in Scotland)
- Isle of Skye- you can see most of it in 2 days (get our FREE Isle of Skye itinerary for motorhomes)
- John O’Groats- touristy, but you have to visit at least once
- Edinburgh- especially the castle and Arthur’s seat
- The Cairngorms- The biggest National Park in the UK
- Drive the NC500– some of the best scenery and beaches in Scotland
- The SW300 and many other most scenic roads in Scotland
- Any of the whisky distilleries
- Orkney- you can do a day trip to Orkney with your camper
When is the best time to visit Scotland?
Scotland is worth visiting at any time of the year, but for different reasons. It never gets crazy warm- top temperatures in August only average 19c and it can (and does!) rain whenever it likes. So always bring appropriate clothing, layers and a coat!
Spring in Scotland
Spring is lovely- as long as it’s after April. The moors and fields are full of Spring flowers and the views are beautiful. Although technically Spring starts on 21 February, the weather doesn’t really warm up until end of April/ May- average temperatures in May are 15c Avoid the Easter holidays if you can- prices get hiked up then and it can get very busy.
Summer road trips in Scotland
Summer is great temperature wise… but there are 2 big downsides to summer- crowds and midges.
Scotland gets VERY crowded in the summer holidays (July and August)- especially around the big cities and attractions, like Edinburgh, Loch Lomond and anything to do with Harry Potter. Also, famous routes like the NC500 become over-crowded with campervans and motorhomes trying to find places to stay.
Having said that, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo (held in August) is well worth the cost and crowds- it’s a wonderful experience and FS Motorhomes hire it’s vehicles for festivals too.
Explore Scotland.
The rules/laws of wild campervanning
In most European countries it is not against the law for you to sleep in a public place in your motorhome. But while there might be no camping ban, many countries, including the UK, have local laws that prohibit camping in particular areas. Signs that say no overnight camping or vehicles should be obeyed.
In Scotland, the wild camping is regulated by Scottish Outdoor Access Code:
- Everyone has the statutory right of access
- Access rights apply to all land and inland waters, unless excluded (as below)
- Access rights are for outdoor recreation, for crossing land and water, and for some educational and commercial purposes
- Exercising access rights, and managing access land, must be done responsibly.
Note, however, that these rights do not apply to motor vehicles and that many non-tarmacked roads, unfenced areas of land and beaches are private property. This means that you do not have a right to vehicle access unless it’s authorised by the landowner, by verbal agreement or signage.
The Road Traffic Act 1988 also states that you can only drive a vehicle off-road – away from a public road – for the purpose of parking and within 15 yards of a public road
surce: wandering-bird.com