Remote Camping in Scotland?

Q. I am planning a camping trip in Scotland this summer.

Can anyone recommend areas where I am least likely to encounter other walkers/campers?

I am going for about a week and am looking for as remote a place as possible....

Rob Western, Darlington

A. Try Knoydart region around Loch Morrar.

Take good weather and its out of this world.

Neville Oldroyd, Wakefield

A. It depends what type of landscape you want to be in.

Do you want to be close to the shore, mainland/islands, the mountains etc..

How far from civilisation do you want to be and how far do you want to walk in?

MOST IMPORTANTLY the little critter - the Midge - in the height of summer can/will spoil any pleasure you may otherwise get from camping so please take note of this in your choice of destination.

Tim Johnston, Inverness

A. Take West Highland line to Currour Halt, do a day or two to the East (watch out for stalking restrictions, ask at the lodge) then cross the line and go West across the Mamores to Glen Nevis and Fort William.

You'll bag more Munros in those few days than many do in a lifetime - 13 on Mamores alone.

David Williams, Oxon

(Don't forget to take Bagging Maps for Glen Coe and The Mamores! Ed)

A. Wild Camping and The Law in England, Scotland and Wales.

Tents cannot be pitched just anywhere because every piece of Britain is owned by some individual or some organisation and according to the strict letter of the law permission must be obtained prior to pitching tent and camping.

In practice however, this is often impractical and wild camping is usually tolerated in the more remote areas - typically, more than half a day's walk from an official campsite or other accommodation providing you:

Keep groups small
Camp as unobtrusively as possible
Leave camp as you found it
Remove all litter (even other people's)
Carry out everything you carried in
Carry out tampons and sanitary towels (burying them doesn't work as animals dig them up again)
Choose a dry pitch rather than digging drainage ditches around a tent or moving boulders
Toilet duties should be performed 30m (100ft) from water and the results buried using a trowel
At all time, help preserve the environment
And if you are in any doubt about what you're doing, find out more

In Scotland, the current access legislation (which came into effect in early 2005) is explicit about your right to wild camp on hill land. However, there are exceptions. Since March 2011 you are not permitted to wild camp between Dryman and Rowardennan on the shore of Loch Lomond. See Loch Lomond Wild Camping Ban for more information.

There appears to be an exception to this with respect to camping in Dartmoor National Park where the right to wild camping is actually enshrined in the National Parks & Access to the Countryside Act, 1949 amendment Dartmoor Commons Act, 1985 - see Wild Camping in the UK for more details.

For the definitive answer with respect to wild camping in Scotland see the answer supplied by the Scottish Natural Heritage

For a few (tongue in cheek) tips on wild camping see Some Wild Camping Tips.

NB. go4awalk.com cannot offer any advice on suitable locations for wild camping - but click here for walks from exisiting campsites.

Hope this helps

Mike (Editor)

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