Camping in Aviemore

Camping around Aviemore means pitching in genuine mountain terrain — pine forest, lochside and open hillside within the Cairngorms National Park, with peaks over 1,200 metres visible from most sites. The best-known spot is Glenmore, on the shore of Loch Morlich, where a large campsite sits among Caledonian pines with direct access to the loch's sandy beach and watersports centre; it's popular enough in summer that booking ahead is strongly advised. Rothiemurchus Estate, between Aviemore and Loch Morlich, also has camping and touring pitches set among its forest and farmland, with the added appeal of ranger-led wildlife walks on the doorstep.

One important difference from camping in England and Wales: Scotland operates under the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, which gives a general right to responsible wild camping on most unenclosed land, including much of the Cairngorms National Park. That means backpackers heading into the hills for a night on the Cairngorm plateau or beside a remote lochan are generally within their rights to do so, provided they camp well away from roads and buildings, keep groups small, and follow strict leave-no-trace principles — a genuinely different legal position to south of the border, where wild camping is far more restricted. It's worth noting this is quite separate from the seasonal camping byelaws that apply around East Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, which don't extend to the Cairngorms — camping rights here follow the general Access Code rather than any local restriction.

Midges are the other thing to plan around. The Highlands are notorious for them, and the pine forests and lochside around Glenmore and Rothiemurchus are prime midge territory on still, humid evenings from late May through September, peaking in July and August. A head net and strong repellent are close to essential kit for summer camping here; breezier, more open pitches suffer less than sheltered forest ones. The trade-off is worth it — long daylight hours, warm (if changeable) weather and the best access to the hills fall in the same window.

Spring and autumn bring fewer midges and quieter sites, though nights turn properly cold once you're away from the valley floor, and snow can linger on the tops into May. Winter camping is a serious undertaking reserved for experienced mountaineers, given the genuine Arctic conditions the Cairngorm plateau can produce. For anyone who wants the setting without a tent, glamping options — wooden pods, Nordic-style cabins and yurts — are increasingly common around Aviemore, Glenmore and Boat of Garten, offering wood burners and proper beds as an antidote to a wet Highland forecast.