Camping in Pitlochry

The ground around Pitlochry is classic Highland Perthshire terrain: the river flats along the Tummel and Garry are gentle and well suited to touring caravans and family camping, while the hills rising immediately behind the town, including Ben Vrackie, offer a much steeper, more exposed pitch for anyone camping wild. Established sites in and around the town make the most of the river and loch settings, with level pitches, mature tree cover for shelter, and easy access back into Pitlochry itself. A few miles north at Blair Atholl, the glens open out further, with sites set against the backdrop of Blair Castle and its estate parkland.

Scotland's right to roam extends to wild camping under the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, and much of the hill ground around Pitlochry is legally open to a single night or two of low-impact wild camping away from roads and buildings, though the code asks campers to avoid enclosed fields, keep well clear of livestock, and leave no trace. The main exception locally is the shore of Loch Tummel and parts of the Cairngorms National Park boundary further north, where seasonal byelaws restrict camping in the busiest summer weeks, so it is worth checking current restrictions before pitching outside a formal site. Weather through Highland Perthshire is genuinely changeable even in summer, with the surrounding hills generating their own rainfall and mist, and midges can be troublesome on still evenings from late May to September. May, June and September tend to offer the best balance of longer daylight, drier ground and fewer midges, while July and August bring the warmest weather alongside the thickest midge clouds and busiest sites, and it is worth booking ahead for the peak summer weeks around the Festival Theatre's main season.