Isle of Skye

[adestu]

Evening all
The missus and i have some time off early may and would like to get some wild camping wether with hammocks or the lavvu.hoping it to be a bit of a shakedown for a trip to sweden later in the year.testing kit and techniques.any help with locations not far from parking the car and campsites please.the fairy pools are on the agenda.cheers

 

[Limaed]

I would opt for the Lavvu as early May can be quite cool / cold even and there's not many trees on Skye for hammocks. I also think campsites might be the better option as much of the ground is very boggy and rough. Glenbrittle campsite is good but I'm not sure whether you can book ahead as in the past you just turned up.

 

[Dogoak]

There's a campsite at Sligachan, opposite the hotel. They've let us stay on the site even though it was closed, nice food, nice folk.

 

[adestu]

Thanks for suggestions.decided to head abit more south to the Galloway forest

 

[Richard Francis Burton]

Be prepared to be rather disappointed... Galloway is not so much a forest but is a commercial Logging operation. Nothing but hectares of dark, dank, lifeless Conifer plantation of Trees planted so close together in some places you can't walk through it.

No doubt there are some more Mature left alone areas of Forest that's been left to create a semblance of a natural habitat, but you're going to have to spend time searching the area and getting to know the place.
If you're just going to rock up with yer Hammock, be prepared to be disappointed. Be prepared to find areas of forest on the OS map no longer there, cos it's all been Logged.

Go to Galloway by all means, still a great adventure... just don't be expecting swathes of Glorious Forest to roam about in.

A sad fact, really regarding most so-called Forest areas on this Poxy Island. Me and and a Pal of mine have this experience all the time in Wales.... nothing but Logging operations. But still, the need to get out is strong, and we have to adapt.

 

[adestu]

Bugger.was hoping to hammock near the shore of loch trool

 

[Toddy]

There's a fair amount of forestry though that's not hill to hill rigid plantations.

http://scotland.forestry.gov.uk/visit/forest-of-ae

There's a map a bit further down that page.

The Galloway Forest Park site mentions the diseased Larch which has had to be removed (not native anyway even if it does support a lot of wildlife), but that doesn't mean the forest is 'all' gone. Far from it, and in some ways the larch removal means that the opening up of the rigid plantings makes for a better native forest too
http://scotland.forestry.gov.uk/forest-parks/galloway-forest-park

M

 

[adestu]

Thanks toddy
Were just going to camp wherever as its as said a shake down for Sweden

 

[Toddy]

See if you can get hold of Tam/ Barnowl.

He did a fair amount of camping around that area, and he's organised a few meets down there too.

I hope it's a successful trip

M

 

[adestu]

Thank you.
Will do

 

[rorymax]

With a view to spending some camp time there, a few of us revisited Galloway forest park in early autumn last year.

Between us we have been in various locations within the park many times and over many years.

I regret that I somewhat echo what Richard Francis Burton has said, finding a 'nice' spot is analogous to finding a needle in a haystack, the Loch Doon area has been made most unwelcoming and one would almost think deliberately so (but there is a history and another story as to why that might be).

Loch Trool from the map would seem to have great potential, the reality is somewhat otherwise.

Yes, a few sites were 'sort of' promising , but we can find much much better elsewhere and without any real difficulty, so we decided against camping there, and certainly for the foreseeable future.

Pity really, it is such a vast area that some of it could be 'left alone', it's OK for day visitors to the tea-rooms who really only want a stroll down a forest harvesting access road, I'm not knocking that per-se, because I have done that myself.

Scotland has so much more to offer.

rorymax

 

[adestu]

Back to the drawing board perhaps

 

[Toddy]

It's not an area I know well, but I have two friends who camp down their often (one lives in Dumfries) and I went more with what they had said.
Both friends are female and both camp alone; they had no issues.

I don't know how it would be with a biggish group, which is why I suggested Tam.

Shame to hear it though Rorymax, and we can only hope (and encourage) things to improve.

M

 

[adestu]

Ive pmd barnowl

 

[Richard Francis Burton]

Back to the drawing board perhaps

Take a Butchers at the Northern Cairngorms... Aviemore, Nethy Bridge and west to Tomintoul.

 

[rorymax]

Back to the drawing board perhaps

Can I suggest that you phone Galloway Forest Park and ask for suggestions for a camp location (describing your camp style preferences), you probably won't get an immediate answer as they are not really geared up for answering such calls, however, they are helpful and if you ask if someone can call you back with suggestions on say the Loch Trool area then it is very likely that someone will try to contact you.

I say this from personal experience, be prepared to call back if you don't get a response within say 48 hours, it very much depends upon who is on shift that may be able to give you advice.

They are not being unhelpful in not responding quickly, just not geared up for it as I said, you can park pretty close to Loch Trool, there is an area of recently planted oaks near the car park and you are discouraged from entering that area (fair enough).

That particular area did not have what we wanted at that time but it may well be just right for you, we all have different needs at different times, worth a call or two.

rorymax

 

[adestu]

Thanks rorymax.
Ill try that.
Its only for a few nights.