Info on SW Scotland needed please

[Tripitaka]

I'm looking for a location in SW Scotland for a weekend trip at the end of the month. Needs to be by a loch with fishing available, preferably trout, have somewhere for small tents and hammocks, be accessible by car to get a canoe in and be away from hoards of people.

I've had a cursory look at loch ken but it seems busy, some info suggests that loch doon is suitable for all but hammocks although google earth shows the east shores are forested. Have they been felled?

Also need to be able to run a small cooking fire over the weekend.

Any help welcome, particularly GPS co-ords or grid numbers for suitable locations. I don't really know the area at all but would very much like to.

Mark.

 

[Shewie]

Clatteringshaws Loch and Doon look favourable to Loch Ken from what I've read.

A bit of blogg reading on SOTP should help with a few ideas.

 

[Tripitaka]

Thanks Rich. I was just coming back to add Clatteringshaws to the list.

I'll pop onto SOTP tomorrow for a poke around. I'm not a paddler but a mate of mine has just built one and wants to take it out. I just want to hang in my hammock, enjoy good company and catch a few trout.

 

[AJB]

I've wild camped at Loch Doon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loch_Doon) about five years ago and it had all that, but you'd need a good rucksack

 

[Shewie]

Thanks Rich. I was just coming back to add Clatteringshaws to the list.

I'll pop onto SOTP tomorrow for a poke around. I'm not a paddler but a mate of mine has just built one and wants to take it out. I just want to hang in my hammock, enjoy good company and catch a few trout.

Sounds good mate, I'd be tempted to put a couple more hours in and get up past Glasgow somewhere though.

 

[Tripitaka]

Sounds good mate, I'd be tempted to put a couple more hours in and get up past Glasgow somewhere though.

Not an option on this occasion as I'm entertaining Grizz from hammockforums.com for the weekend and he is coming up from Coventry on the Saturday morning. It's a long hike north of Glasgow from there.

 

[Barn Owl]

I'm looking for a location in SW Scotland for a weekend trip at the end of the month. Needs to be by a loch with fishing available, preferably trout, have somewhere for small tents and hammocks, be accessible by car to get a canoe in and be away from hoards of people.

I've had a cursory look at loch ken but it seems busy, some info suggests that loch doon is suitable for all but hammocks although google earth shows the east shores are forested. Have they been felled?

Also need to be able to run a small cooking fire over the weekend.

Any help welcome, particularly GPS co-ords or grid numbers for suitable locations. I don't really know the area at all but would very much like to.

Mark.

Hi Mark,

East side of L Doon is by foot i'm afraid.

Did you get my pm?

Tom.

 

[AJB]

Or park on the west and paddle across!

 

[Tripitaka]

Hi Mark,

East side of L Doon is by foot i'm afraid.

Did you get my pm?

Tom.

I did; thanks Tom. I've been googling but it seems there is nothing like a bit of local knowledge. OS maps are little use as even the 25K ones don't show enough detail regarding putting in/pulling out spots and shoreside terrain. Google Earth helps but could quite possibly be out of date.

If I get no joy during this week, the default will be Loch Ken; are you guys good with that so soon after your last trip?

As I said in my earlier post, I've got Grizzly Adams from Hammockforums.com over from the US for the weekend so that should be very interesting. I've also got a mate that builds wooden canoes but hasn't bushcrafted and possibly a mate that has never bushcrafted or paddled but likes fishing. Should be an interesting weekend - I'm looking forward to meeting up with you guys again as it has been too long.

Mark.

 

[Shewie]

Aslan's just put a blogg of Loch Doon up recently Mark, apparently he put in near the dam opposite the round cafe. Is that visible on the maps/google earth ?

http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=17461&highlight=loch+doon

 

[Tripitaka]

Came across this info while looking at Loch Doon.

http://www.wildcamping.co.uk/forums/ayrshire/619-loch-doon-2.html#post53816

It's still an option to park at the cafe I suppose and canoe in somewhere but not for this trip I'm afraid. Just a heads-up to let others know.

 

[Tripitaka]

After reading this blog over on SOTP, Loch Ken it is!

http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=9165

 

[crafter]

Hi I was at loch Doon at the week end and is allmost empty. Have you thought about Loch Bradon near Loch Doon. This is where I fish The only thing is you will need a permit to fish as it belongs to Ayr angling Club. If you park at the big Dam near the water works there are lots of places to pitch a hammock on the other on thr other side of the Dam

 

[Tripitaka]

Thanks Crafter. I didn't know about that one - I'll check it out for a future trip. I think I feel a solo scouting trip coming on.

 

[Yacobian]

I went up to Scotland at the end of last year with a mate, and what we found was a little disheartening... While there is a shedload of stunning vistas to be had, for the bushcrafter we're left a little shafted really

Most of the places we went had a 'no overnight parking' rule, which when accompanied by most of the roads being fenced off left you with very few options. Had we known this before we wouldve sorted something out, but at the time we had our share of issues. Finding a loch in the southwest without the footprint of the masses might be a bit of a pipedream really, we found some nice looking ones up in the northwest but whereever there was a nice piece of woodland, there was a business set up to capitalise on it. Along with that business comes people trying to shoo you away because they dont like the look of shabby bushcrafters

Being able to camp in most places legally in scotland is really amazing, the main issue is though that without a fire many places become unfeasable. While the landscape is quite frankly immense, the people who occupy/profit from these places really dont want you around. I for one am getting a little tired of being lumped in with the rest of the un-learned populace. While there is a lot of people who dont even have the most basic of common sense, the ones that do are doomed to suffer other peoples fear that we're going to burn the world down.

What i would suggest is making the effort to go further up north. While the roads are all fenced off, maybe parking in a town and getting taxi to drop you off somewhere might be a good idea (and of course organising it picking you up again however much later.)

The southwest to me smacked of civilisation, while very pretty its also hard to get anything done.

I've got some pics i took which im trying to link at the mo, i'll get those done shortly. feel free to PM me if you have any questions!

 

[wilekayote]

I went there on a Scout camp in the 80's and the midges were really bad. Best take some precautions.

 

[belzeebob23]

Not sure about sw scotland its been a few years since I camped down that way , but if u have the time to get up past glasgow lochearnhead as good place for camping.
but saying that mid week being better than weekends as u tend to get the numpties up then.
open fires and great views too http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/belzeebob23/RecentlyUpdated#
bob