Camping in Isle of Skye

Camping on Skye means accepting that the weather does much of the deciding. The island sits full in the path of Atlantic depressions, so rain arrives sideways, gusts funnel down the glens, and a still afternoon can become a pegged-down evening within the hour. Bring a tent rated for genuine wind rather than a festival dome, use every guy line, and choose pitches with some shelter from the west. Machair and coastal fields drain reasonably well; peaty ground holds water for days.

Formal campsites cluster where the walking is. Glen Brittle sits at the foot of the Black Cuillin with the Fairy Pools a short drive away, Sligachan occupies the junction between the Red and Black Cuillin, Staffin puts you between the Old Man of Storr and the Quiraing, and Dunvegan covers the north-west. Most are seasonal, opening in late March and closing between late September and mid-October, and several still work first come, first served, so arrive before mid-afternoon in summer. Facilities are simple but well kept: hot showers, laundry, a drying room or bothy, often a cafe.

Scotland's access legislation allows responsible wild camping on most unenclosed land, and Skye has no local byelaw restricting it as Loch Lomond does. That freedom comes with real obligations under the Scottish Outdoor Access Code: small groups, no more than two or three nights in one spot, camp well away from roads, buildings and croft land, use no open fires on peat, and carry out everything including human waste in the honeypot glens. Pressure at the Fairy Pools, Glen Brittle and Neist Point has made local feeling raw, so a paid pitch is often the better choice.

Timing matters. May and early June are the sweet spot — long days, the driest weeks of the year and the midges barely started. From late May to early September the midges are relentless on damp, windless evenings, so pack repellent and a head net. September brings cooler, clearer air and thinning crowds. Note that many Skye car parks now ban overnight stays, and low-slung motorhomes struggle on some single-track approaches.