Hebrides with Caravan in September, St. Kilda?

[Turnstone]

My husband and I have just decided to go to Scotland this year, mainly the Inner and Outer Hebrides. Travel time will be in September, we have 2-3 weeks. We are planning to buy a small caravan (max. 6 m long) to have our home with us.
We'd like to see wildlife of all kind (birds, seals, whales, otters) and enjoy the landscape.
Can you give some recommendations of what places we shouldn't miss? Places to stay? We don't need any fancy camping site, just somewhere to stay for a night or two.
We're thinking about a day trip to St. Kilda too, but it's quite expensive (about 200 ppp) and we're not sure if a visit in September will be worth the money. Best time will probably around May and June, when the birds are nesting, but we have a large vegetable garden which doesn't allow a longer trip during spring and early summer...

Any recommendations and tipps would be wonderful, thanks!

 

[Toddy]

Hello, and though I hope you have a lovely holiday, please be aware that many of our roads are not suitable for caravans.
Single track roads are normal through much of the area you are discussing and the locals do not drive at a sedate 20mph. The national speed limit applies on those roads and 50 to 60 is quite normal.
There are suitable roads though; just plan very carefully and make sure any satnav knows the difference.

The Hebrides are widespread and diverse. You need to get hold of ferry timetables, and you may need to book ahead.
https://www.calmac.co.uk
That said, there are some excellent deals available for island hopping.
https://www.calmac.co.uk/article/2642/Hopscotch-8-Barra-Uist-Harris-Lewis
Tourist season is busy and some of the ferries aren't big. Many just will not take caravans, and some islands, like Muck, Rum, etc., only allow residents vehicles, and there aren't many of those.

Skye's easy to get to, you can just drive across, and it needs to be truly bad weather to close the bridge, while ferry sailings can be hindered by a good going gale. Glenbrittle camp site is a very good base on the island.

Oban's a good base for ferry hopping; Mull's a lovely place to visit too and it's nearby.

Sites?
http://www.visitouterhebrides.co.uk/accommodation/camping-and-caravan-sites


Midgies are a right royal pain. Before you come across best advice would be to get hold of Beaton's midge jackets.
http://www.midgejacket.co.uk
They are a blessing, they really are, because at the time of year you're mentioning, the midgies are generally a force to be reckoned with

No, I wouldn't visit St. Kilda either. It's remote, the landing isn't easy and it's expensive when often all visitors get is a sail around and past. It's a site that's under three fold management, from the military to the underwater national park/sssi's, and unless you're involved in any of that, apart from some interesting archaeology, St Kilda's just another bird watcher's paradise.

You haven't said what other kind of things interest you ? what kind of things/places/people/events would you like to see.

I hope the weather's good for you, and that the midgies have a devastating population crash

M

 

[peaks]

If you can go for a campervan it would be much easier than a caravan - see Toddys comments.
Having said that............ you can have a brilliant time / experience with a caravan too............... Spring or Summer are definitely the times to go.

It is often said that you can experience Scotland in miniature by going to Mull or Aran.

Skye is amazing - if you get the weather (like the rest of Scotland).

The Ardnamurchan peninsula is also breathtaking and doesn't involve any ferry crossings.

Island hopping is wonderful - but can be expensive and disappointing depending on what you want to experience.

Thats just my opinion...............

 

[Turnstone]

Thanks, peaks and Toddy!

A Campervan would be perfect, but is way too expensive for us. Even renting one for 3 weeks costs almost as much as a used caravan in good conditions! On the other hand, we can leave the caravan on a campsite and just drive any road we like with our car. There will be much more to explore than is possible in 2-3 weeks, so we can't see everything anyway. Husband is checking the ferry timetables and connections and is aware of the limitations.

Midgies are terrible, I know. I visited Scotland once in summer 20 years ago, hiking the West Highland Way, and they really were a bad experience! I was hoping that September would be better, but reading your comment it isn't. I'll check those jackets out, thanks for the recommendation!

Interests... as I mentioned, we would love to see otters and eagles. Our main interest is enjoying (and photographing) the nature out there, wildlife and landscapes (mountain views, beaches, rocky shores, anything). Historic sites like the Callinish Standing Stones are welcome, too, and if there's a garden we can visit we won't say no to that either. September should be a good time for stags, but not so much for birds (or is there a good spot for migrating birds?). But there might be some everyday birds we don't have where we live! We bring binoculars, a spotting scope and our telephoto lenses.

We usually don't travel with a full schedule and every day planned out. Stop where we like it and no stressing out about seeing every sight out there, with only a couple of things we really want to see. We rarely eat out, but when we do we prefer local food. We're not so much into cultural events, especially when set up for tourists.

 

[peaks]

Lots of advantages with a caravan as you say.

Have you come across this site when looking for campsites - I find it very helpful - http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/

I have friends who live on Skye and Sea Eagles are resident there, and otters are frequent visitors - they live at Ardvasar , close to the ferry port from Mallaig.
These sites might be of interest too -
http://skyewildlife.com/

http://www.wildaboutskye.co.uk/

 

[baggins]

We head up there several times a year, and it truly is Gods Own country. but with a caravan, it could limit you. We camp (with a large tipi), and it means we can go all over, especially the outer hebs, where the roads can be scarily narrow.
But Skye is amazing, Mull, Harris and Lewis are stunning. Ardnamurchan is gorgeous and the area heading up to Ullapool is stunning.
Head Toddys advice, midges are a real kill joy and plenty of Smidge is advised. Make sure ou have some good binos, as the wildlife is brilliant. We've seen otters, dolphins, golden and sea eagles, hen harriers, and all manner of smaller critters.
And, finally, 3 weeks won't be nearly enough, it really is such an amazing area, and there is so much to see (inc the distilleries )
Hope you have a good time.

 

[Turnstone]

Thanks, peaks, I will have a look at these links!

baggins, yes, 3 weeks are way too short, but it's all we can get right now. Gives us a reason to return! And as we can't go everywhere anyway the caravan hopefully isn't that of a problem. We're looking into a small, narrow one, and are planning to leave it on a campsite. Harris and Lewis aren't that big so it should be possible to go on day trips with just our car!

Just today my new Kowa Prominar binoculars arrived. I bought them back in November but mine wasn't working right. Send it back twice and today got a new one which seems to be fine, better than my trusty Zeiss Conquest! I will bring my cheap Nikon spotting scope too!

 

[Davengf]

Hi. Turnstone.

Isle of Mull is spectacular but towing a caravan on some of the side roads could be a bit too exciting, so my advice is stick to the main A849 which runs from Craignure to Tobermory or Fionnphort and find a site as a base to start with then explore/investigate by car before taking your caravan to some of the more out of the way places.
I took a Mitsubishi Delica (think 4x4/basic camper but uglier) and reversing back on blind corners/single track roads/steep hills became a bit of a ritual on some roads.

There is an excellent 'proper' campsite at Fidden, Fionnphort (Follow the A849 Westish!) Worth going there for the views and easy access to Iona which is a little gem.
I also use a very basic campsite at Killiechronan at the head of Loch Na Keal - Turn off A849 at Salen. - great location/view - with a very good chance to see Otters, Sea eagles & seals.

Outer Hebrides - When I've been there I've mostly wild camped but if you are going to North Uist, head to Berneray which is a little island across a causeway. There is a wild camping site/hostel which is run by the Gatliff Trust - basically follow the only road Northeast through the village. While you are on Berneray, head through Borgh and go to the beach that runs along the west side of the island.

The Outer Hebrides are stunningly beautiful and walking along the machair/beaches virtually anywhere on the western side on a clear day will make you smile.

D

 

[peaks]

If you could get hold of a used Eriba caravan it might be ideal. Over here they really hold their price - even older ones. They are small but very comfortable and easy to tow + manoeuvre.

This sort of thing :

http://koolclassics.com/category/eribaforsale

 

[Turnstone]

Davengf thanks for the campsite recommendations, they sound perfect! We don't need anything fancy, just a basic campsite with power supply somewhere around (digital photography...), and after a couple of days a shower somewhere around and a chance to get fresh water and get rid of used water! Great view and wildlife nearby are more important for us than a fully equipped service house, restaurant and pool.

We're going to practice driving with the caravan before we head up to Scotland. A friend is a driving instructor and he can give us some tips and instructions. And I just discovered that street view has all the roads up there (Germany is a blank spot on street view so I don't use it often), so we can have a good look at what to expect!

peaks we were thinking about one of those! But they are really expensive over here, and most of them don't have room for a toilet. We want something where we can sleep, cook and eat inside, and I hate to go out in the middle of the night, especially in the rain, when I have to use the toilet (and a bottle isn't easy to use as a woman...)! We slept in the car last year when we went to Gotland. Sleeping was comfortable, but no way to cook inside, or hide from the midgies or rain, and getting in and out that bed was a real struggle. We were lucky with the weather and had a great time but I guess we don't have 2 weeks of sunshine only in Scotland! We now decided on a Sterckemann Starlett 390 CP which is not too big (4 m inside, as wide as our car) and has room enough to enjoy even the worst weather!

This was our setup last year...
Stockholm_014 by Sabrina M, auf Flickr

 

[crosslandkelly]

Hi Turnstone. Just a thought, but have you considered using a small trailer tent? Much easier to tow, and a bit bigger than a small caravan. (Room for a loo).

Link is just an example of what is available. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/trailer-t...331236?hash=item4d5360bfa4:g:aCoAAOSwTglYkmWy

Hope this is of use.

 

[Turnstone]

Planning continues. We have bought a small caravan (under 6 m long, inside it's 3.9 m, and it's 2.10 m wide), and the ferry to / from Newcastle is booked. With 19 days in between we decided to go up to Oban on the first day, then take the ferry to Barra, take our time while going up to Uist and Harris/Lewis, then take the ferry to Skye and from Skye directly back to Newcastle (Hopscotch 23 Ticket), with a stop near Crianlarich where a really old Geocache waits at the slopes of Ben More, if the weather allows I want to find it. Now we need to decide how long we want to stay on each island so that we can make the reservations for the ferry.
We will probably stick to the main roads with the caravan, and leave it at a nice camping spot for a couple of days as a base camp for our explorations.

I bought some books ("Uists & Barra" and "Lewis & Harris" by Francis Thompson and a small Footprint Guide "Skye and Outer Hebrides") and found a useful phone app about the Outer Hebrides, with information about camping spots, shopping, wildlife etc.

I do have a quite old map of northern Britain (1:300 000), about 20 years old. Will this (together with google maps or open street maps) still serve us or do we need a newer map? I love having a real paper map, for planning and for documenting our trip. Can you recommend any maps? Couldn't find anything online besides the OS maps (and getting all of them to cover our trip would be quite expensive...!) and ones that cover whole Scotland (or even Britain), but I would love to have something for Skye and the Outer Hebrides with 1:100 000 scale.

Over the next months we're going to practice driving with the caravan (we have a friend that is a driving instructor and he's going to help), taking some shorter trips with it to figure out what we need and what we don't need.

Regarding British knife laws, I guess carrying some kitchen knives and a multitool in a caravan is OK? Reading about this topic is quite confusing... As we're not planning to do lots bushcrafty things that require a knife I probably just bring a simple folding blade and a SAK with me.

 

[peaks]

Glad to hear that your plan is coming together!

When I'm away in my campervan I use maps like these ( or similar ones from other publishers)
- https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop/maps/road-maps.html
or this https://dash4it.co.uk/navigator-atl...oW2YDbQWzTiJjjEGibDM_DB9Zd1nB-uXaYaAmp68P8HAQ

Tourist information Offices have a great range of local materials/maps/guides etc + the staff are normally very helpful. They can also help with campsites etc etc. Well worth calling in at each of your major destinations.

Don't worry about the knife laws - you have good reason to be carrying a variety of knives in a caravan, and for personal carry what you are suggesting is fine. I've never had an encounter with the Police yet. Being sensible and sensitive to your surroundings is the key.

Don't forget the anti-midge repellents + perhaps anti-bug curtains for windows + door for the 'van.

Enjoy the driving/towing tuition

 

[Turnstone]

Sorry for hiding for so long. We had to cancel our trip to Scotland because I was diagnosed with cancer...

I am recovering well from chemotherapy and surgery and it looks like I have won this time. And we finally are going to the Outer Hebrides in June. The plan is the same, to bring our little caravan, find a nice spot for it as a basecamp and explore the small roads without it. Ferries are all booked and we have a rough plan what to do and see.

So thanks again for all your suggestions and tipps!

 

[SCOMAN]

I genuinely think you’ll struggle on the roads with a caravan. I drive the west of Scotland roads for work including most of the larger islands and have done for the last ten years. I would recommend you park it up as much as possible and avoid the villages and population centres with it. You will cause a roadblock which will infuriate the locals and there are not many places to turn. It’s a beautiful place which is why i’ve Worked there for ten years but it’s a challenging drive. If I can offer any advice please look in your rear view mirrors and ensure you’re not holding up much traffic. As much as you’re enjoying the drive and scenery there’ll be a local who’s just trying to get from A to B as fast as possible.

 

[Turnstone]

I genuinely think you’ll struggle on the roads with a caravan. I drive the west of Scotland roads for work including most of the larger islands and have done for the last ten years. I would recommend you park it up as much as possible and avoid the villages and population centres with it. You will cause a roadblock which will infuriate the locals and there are not many places to turn. It’s a beautiful place which is why i’ve Worked there for ten years but it’s a challenging drive. If I can offer any advice please look in your rear view mirrors and ensure you’re not holding up much traffic. As much as you’re enjoying the drive and scenery there’ll be a local who’s just trying to get from A to B as fast as possible.

Yes, that's the plan. It's a small caravan anyways (same width as our car), but we just bring it from one camping spot to the next and leave it there while exploring. Easier for us, too! And after 2 years my husband is quite comfortable driving with the caravan (if I have to drive for some emergency reasons I probably will annoy the locals, but let's hope that is not necessary!).

 

[SCOMAN]

Listen I sincerely hope you have a good time, in fact I know you will but please be careful and respectful on the roads, they're like no other. If you like whisky or have some spare money you'll be in the vicinity of great distilleries, I don't drink the stuff myself but you could buy a very respectful whisky collection if you have the cash.
Bird watching is more than good, west of Mull is excellent and when your husband is driving keep your eyes on the fence posts or sign posts you'll see a lot of buzzards sitting there even next to the few motorways. Watch the deer on the west side you'll see some big reds. It'll be a draw between them and an average size car if you 'come together'. We are having a boon in the Sea eagle population, and potential issues with them, it's now on record that one killed a golden eagle in Argyll. Beavers are making a comeback and certainly in Perthshire they're very active. Various boat trips can take you out for marine mammals too. Weather well you may be lucky we've had some great Septembers but have clothing suitable for everything. I personally recommend 'Smidge' midge repellent it's the most effective of the ones I've tried. A headset is a must if you are outside they'll not but you but will still crawl over your face or in your ears etc so get a headnet locally, it'll have smaller netting. Remember to wear a brimmed hat with it too to keep it off your face. Open fires in a lot of the west coast will be frowned upon due to the damage but a decent firebox should save you from most criticism, there's not a lot of trees on the Outer Hebrides though.
Enjoy and if you see a grumpy middle aged bloke in a black Mitsubishi passing you, I'm just trying to get from A to B as quickly as possible. ;-)

 

[Turnstone]

Thanks, SCOTMAN. Will watch out for you
We planned to go in September 2017 but had to cancel, now we're going in June. I guess that's a better choice for birds, too! We're used to spend our vacation at the coast, so no matter what season we always bring warm clothes and raingear.
We decided to go to the Outer Hebrides only (with 4 days to get from Ullapool to Hull on our way home, skipping Skye because we heard that it's overrun by tourists and we don't want to be part of the problem). 2 full days exploring Barra, 5 days for the Uists, 5 for Harris and Lewis, and "travel days" between where we change our basecamp (and islands) with the caravan.

 

[SCOMAN]

I think you'll have problems filling your 2 days on Barra. The rest is magical enjoy

 

[Turnstone]

I think you'll have problems filling your 2 days on Barra. The rest is magical enjoy

We might do a day trip from Barra to the puffin colonies on Mingulay. And if it's really too boring we can always try to get an earlier spot on the ferry to Uist.