Camping in Scottish Highlands

Camping in the Highlands is superb and occasionally punishing, sometimes in the same night. The terrain is mostly rough grass, heather and peat over rock, which means genuinely level, well-drained pitches are worth paying for. Peat holds water, so a pitch that looks fine in the evening can be soft by morning. Bring pegs that will hold in soft ground and a set of rock pegs for stony sites near the coast.

Weather is the main variable. Rainfall on the west coast is high year-round and wind off the Atlantic can be fierce even in July, so a tent with a decent flysheet and proper guy lines is more useful than one rated for warmth. Temperatures drop quickly at altitude and after dark, and clear nights in spring and autumn can bring frost. Midges are the other reality: they bite from late May to early September, peak in July and August, and are worst on still, damp evenings near fresh water. Carry repellent, a head net and a tent with a fine mesh inner.

Scotland's access legislation allows responsible wild camping on most unenclosed land, which is a genuine freedom and not one to abuse. Camp small, stay one or two nights, pitch away from roads and houses, take everything out with you, and use a stove rather than lighting fires. Note that seasonal byelaws restrict wild camping in parts of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, and that the freedom applies to tents, not campervans parked in laybys.

May, June and September are the best months overall — long days, firmer ground and fewer insects than high summer. Serviced campsites in Glen Nevis, Aviemore and along the west coast fill quickly for July and August and increasingly require booking. Glamping pods and static caravans have spread across the region and are worth considering for a first Highland trip or a shoulder-season stay, since they remove the two things most likely to spoil it: wet bedding and a cold, dark evening with nowhere to sit.