# Heading South in Scotland



## Double J (Jul 12, 2022)

Hi All!,

We are just coming to the end of the NC500 - on the west coast - any reccommendations for the South of Scotland as we head home? Thanks!


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## Canalsman (Jul 12, 2022)

LR Ardmore west of Glasgow on the banks of the Clyde.


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## 2cv (Jul 12, 2022)

Caerverlock on the river Nith near Dumfries is a great place to stay, may even see a bore.


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## Canalsman (Jul 13, 2022)

I think you mean Caerlaverock ...

I stopped at the aire recently and I can recommend it. A donation of £10 is requested for up to two nights.


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## Dodgybee (Jul 13, 2022)

Girvan beach car park was £5 a night right last year, on beach dedicated Motorhome/campervan bays with showers.


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## trevskoda (Jul 13, 2022)

Forget home and get the boat to Larne.


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## runnach (Jul 13, 2022)

2cv said:


> may even see a bore.


Gordon’s crossing to France this morning, Bill.


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## Biggarmac (Jul 13, 2022)

Dodgybee said:


> Girvan beach car park was £5 a night right last year, on beach dedicated Motorhome/campervan bays with showers.


It has gone up to £10 a night this year, but you are allowed to stay up to 3 nights when it was only one last year.  There are 5 carparks along the Ayrshire coast in the trial this year.


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## caledonia (Jul 13, 2022)

Biggarmac said:


> It has gone up to £10 a night this year, but you are allowed to stay up to 3 nights when it was only one last year.  There are 5 carparks along the Ayrshire coast in the trial this year.


There seems to be a lot of these wee aire type facilities popping up this year in Bonnie Scotland. Well done CAMPRA and Councils for taking advantage of the tourists and making it easier to open such facilities. I definitely think it’s a good thing and is going to ease the pressure on the wild overnight stops but I fear I could speed up the demise of wild camping in a motorhome.


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## Biggarmac (Jul 13, 2022)

Some of the councils are more far sighted than others.  D & G council keep advertising for landowners to open up overnight parking places.  They are also looking at permitted overnight parking in some of their carparks but the consultations they have to go through seem to be taking forever.


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## Johnsais (Jul 13, 2022)

Try the SWC300 in Dumfries & Galloway. I recently came back from a 5 day taster and it was so incredibly quiet, friendly, lots of wild camping and stunning scenery. I only did the south coast and a bit of the Galloway forest but the peace and quiet and the ability to find wild stops without spending hours searching was wonderful. There is also a free Elsan point and water fill outside the New England Bay campsite, I couldn’t believe it! Head to the Mull of Galloway and go up the lighthouse, incredible, plus the cafe does great cakes!


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## brucews (Jul 13, 2022)

Johnsais said:


> Try the SWC300 in Dumfries & Galloway. I recently came back from a 5 day taster and it was so incredibly quiet, friendly, lots of wild camping and stunning scenery. I only did the south coast and a bit of the Galloway forest but the peace and quiet and the ability to find wild stops without spending hours searching was wonderful. There is also a free Elsan point and water fill outside the New England Bay campsite, I couldn’t believe it! Head to the Mull of Galloway and go up the lighthouse, incredible, plus the cafe does great cakes!


Very surprised at the CAMC club allowing Elsan & water point outside at New England Campsite, I queried why they would not allow this on their sites for a small charge similar to the CCC club, and their archaic response drove me into cancelling my membership with them!!


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## caledonia (Jul 13, 2022)

Biggarmac said:


> Some of the councils are more far sighted than others.  D & G council keep advertising for landowners to open up overnight parking places.  They are also looking at permitted overnight parking in some of their carparks but the consultations they have to go through seem to be taking forever.


You guys do sterling work and don’t get the recognition you deserve.


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## davep10000 (Jul 13, 2022)

brucews said:


> Very surprised at the CAMC club allowing Elsan & water point outside at New England Campsite, I queried why they would not allow this on their sites for a small charge similar to the CCC club, and their archaic response drove me into cancelling my membership with them!!


The area outside the camc site (and toilet /elsan point) is council owned.
They maintain it very well, with toilets cleaned every morning, and grass cut every week, bins emptied regularly. Why anyone would choose to go in the camc site beats me !! (And I am a camc member...)


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## Scotia (Jul 13, 2022)

Motorhome meet @ Kelso this Thursday to Tuesday.


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## Snakecharmer (Jul 13, 2022)

Double J said:


> Hi All!,
> 
> We are just coming to the end of the NC500 - on the west coast - any reccommendations for the South of Scotland as we head home? Thanks!


North Ledaig if you can get, just north of Oban, if you are further down then we recommend Garlieston.


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## Fisherman (Jul 13, 2022)

brucews said:


> Very surprised at the CAMC club allowing Elsan & water point outside at New England Campsite, I queried why they would not allow this on their sites for a small charge similar to the CCC club, and their archaic response drove me into cancelling my membership with them!!


If you turned up at a C&MC site desperate for the loo with a full cassette, flashing your £55 a year membership card they would turn you away saying they don’t encourage wild camping. The elsan point and freshwater tap must have pissed them of.


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## Fisherman (Jul 13, 2022)

davep10000 said:


> The area outside the camc site (and toilet /elsan point) is council owned.
> They maintain it very well, with toilets cleaned every morning, and grass cut every week, bins emptied regularly. Why anyone would choose to go in the camc site beats me !! (And I am a camc member...)


Never been so close to a campsite for free.
But sticking to our no more than three nights rule we will be heading in there for two nights tomorrow.


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## Tonybvi (Jul 13, 2022)

2cv said:


> Caerverlock on the river Nith near Dumfries is a great place to stay, may even see a bore.


That one made me laugh Bill.  Last time we were at Glencaple one of the locals told us the bore was due within the next hour. So we waited, and we waited.  Eventually the local crowd (well all 4 of them) started gesticulating as the bore arrived.  I kid you not, it was no more than a reasonable ripple.  I reckon a ripple no more than 6” high at that.  What an anticlimax but we were assured that sometimes it’s a bit bigger.


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## Tonybvi (Jul 13, 2022)

runnach said:


> Gordon’s crossing to France this morning, Bill.


 A trifle cruel there Terry!!!


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## 2cv (Jul 13, 2022)

Tonybvi said:


> That one made me laugh Bill.  Last time we were at Glencaple one of the locals told us the bore was due within the next hour. So we waited, and we waited.  Eventually the local crowd (well all 4 of them) started gesticulating as the bore arrived.  I kid you not, it was no more than a reasonable ripple.  I reckon a ripple no more than 6” high at that.  What an anticlimax but we were assured that sometimes it’s a bit bigger.


It was pretty impressive along with quite a rumble when we were there one time.


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## Tonybvi (Jul 13, 2022)

Here’s our bore Bill!!


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## barryd (Jul 13, 2022)

If you go to the mull of Galloway area, further east along the coast there is an unofficial Aire on grass at the Isle of Whithorn right at the end of the harbour. Nice spot and free. We spent about ten days in that area heading down from the Scottish isles to the lake District back end of last year.  To be honest it's ok but there are far more interesting and scenic areas of Scotland. Pleasant enough if your passing


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## alcam (Jul 13, 2022)

Fisherman said:


> If you turned up at a C&MC site desperate for the loo with a full cassette, flashing your £55 a year membership card they would turn you away saying they don’t encourage wild camping. The elsan point and freshwater tap must have pissed them of.


Never knew that about C&MC .
There have been a few threads asking which club to opt for .
Don't remember this coming up .
Certainly a good reason to say no


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## Fisherman (Jul 14, 2022)

alcam said:


> Never knew that about C&MC .
> There have been a few threads asking which club to opt for .
> Don't remember this coming up .
> Certainly a good reason to say no


I am only a member because we like some of their sites. But I much prefer the CCC. They have more grass non EHU sites, offer better prices, and more helpful towards us. They have sites where members can get access to their sites for four hours to empty their cassettes, get fresh water, and take a shower for £7.60.


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## number14 (Jul 14, 2022)

Biggarmac said:


> It has gone up to £10 a night this year, but you are allowed to stay up to 3 nights when it was only one last year.  There are 5 carparks along the Ayrshire coast in the trial this year.


We called in to Girvan a few weeks ago. Pleasant enough but also parked, and well settled with equipment spread around, within 10m of the car park were some traveller types spreading litter and feral children everywhere. We were just pretty annoyed that we were expected to pay a tenner whilst they camped for free. I phoned the council but I'm not convinced they were particularly interested.
We moved on to the beach car park just outside town (sorry, can't remember the name) which was great. Busy with mohos but plenty of room for locals too and negligible litter.  We did a little tidying but in the morning the council man came along with his picker anyway. No charge but we would happily pay a tenner.


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## Double J (Jul 18, 2022)

Many thanks for all your suggestions - we stayed West and ended up on the Isle of Skye - beautiful scenery. Sooooo many tourists tho, a bit of a shock after a peaceful week travelling the NC500! Still managed to get a good overnight spot right under the Old Man of Stor, next to a lake.


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## caledonia (Jul 18, 2022)

Double J said:


> Many thanks for all your suggestions - we stayed West and ended up on the Isle of Skye - beautiful scenery. Sooooo many tourists tho, a bit of a shock after a peaceful week travelling the NC500! Still managed to get a good overnight spot right under the Old Man of Stor, next to a lake.


It’s a Loch not a lake. Skye is the only island I would advise not to visit but glad you enjoyed your stay.


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## runnach (Jul 18, 2022)

caledonia said:


> It’s a Loch not a lake. Skye is the only island I would advise not to visit but glad you enjoyed your stay.


Ditto, I have never rated Skye, much better inner Hebrides island to visit. The only lake in Scotland is Lake of Monteith.


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