Scotland?

[Lucyc]

Hello, sorry for starting yet another thread!
I know fishfish has been asking about locations in Scotland, but my requirements are slightly different..
Basically five of us are planning on taking a trip up to Scotland in the summer - we want to go wild camping, combined with a bit of climbing, sailing and walking (doesn't have to be all three, but something like that!). So we would like somewhere ideally right next to a loch for the happiness factor when we're camping, with a bit of woodland for camping, and that's close (ideally within half an hour's drive) to somewhere to sail and climb. We don't really mind he location in Scotland - we were thinking south at first since it's closer, but then we thought we could get so much more remote and wildernessy further north! We don't really want somewhere really popular where we'll come across loads of people though, hence the reason we were thinking camp somewhere near but not rightnext to sailing/climbing places

Thanks, Lucy

 

[malente]

Sounds like you want to go to Sweden or Finland, really

Mike

 

[Shewie]

Have a look at the Knoydart area Lucy, I`ve not been myself yet but I`m gonna try and get up there this year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knoydart


Rich

 

[Grooveski]

Glen Etive if you're into friction climbing, just round the corner from Oban.

http://www.marmotte.co.uk/etive_slabs.htm
http://www.alba-sailing.co.uk/index_frames.htm

 

[Doc]

Agree. North shore of Loch Etive. Lochside woodland, sea loch, free fishing, foreshore for fire and the Tar-wotsit Slabs (sorry i'm not a climber).

 

[Lucyc]

Wow Glen Etive does sound good then!! Was googling it to find out more though - and I came across this - 'of course theres a lot of wild camping in Glen Etive itself but this is bandit country, wouldn't catch me camping in there without a sawn off shot-gun-tucked underneath my pillow !' I take it they were just joking?

Also, is it quite a popular spot I take it?

 

[andy_e]

Glen Etive is beautiful, depending on where you go there are usually hikers and the odd camper around. When I was there last there were a whole host of kayakers on the river.

Here's a couple of photos of my trip there in the first week of the year, was hammocking next to the loch itself and this was my view ...

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=2701&ppuser=7497

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=2702&ppuser=7497

 

[Doc]

Last trip I parked near the north east end and paddled down (there is also a path along the north shore.

Lots of people doing roadside camping with huge fires on the minor road leading to the loch. Once there I saw 2 groups of climbers near the slabs. After that I saw nobody except a nice chap in a speedboat. This was late July.

 

[Grooveski]

The times I've been there it's been quiet on the rock but some pals traipsed up from Arran one time and couldn't get on any of the easier climbs. There was a university club up in force and all the routes were clogged up. The harder climbs are graded mainly on exposure. Some bits of the slabs have nothing to work with - no holds, nowhere for gear, a bit nerve wracking.
Glencoe isn't far away though, that's where my mates ended up and had a great weekend. Same BMC guidebook as Etive.

If it's popular it's only because it's sooooooo good.

It'll likely be the sailing that limits your choices. Camping and climbing locations are ten-a-penny. Loch Long springs to mind as well, nice wooded lochsides with Ardgarten at the head of the loch for climbing, you can probably hire sailboats over on Loch Lomond...

...or Arran I suppose. Same BMC guide as Ardgarten, great climbing and I believe there's a place in Ardrossan that hires yachts.

...or Skye...

'of course theres a lot of wild camping in Glen Etive itself but this is bandit country, wouldn't catch me camping in there without a sawn off shot-gun-tucked underneath my pillow !' I take it they were just joking?

Pillow?

 

[Beer Monster]

Glen Etive sounds like the right place to go. You can walk from the Inveroran Hotel along Glen Kinglass through some great scenery (lots of small patches of ancient oak/birch woods) to the shores of Loch Etive - you can then head north or south depending on what you want to do. If you take 2 cars you can leave one at the start point (Inveroran) and another at the finish point i.e. you can then either head north up the loch to the Kinlochetive area (where you would leave the other car) for the climbing on the Trilleachan Slabs (or any of the Munros that guard the head of the loch) or south to Taynuilt where you would leave the car and drive toward Oban to the Dunstaffnage Marina where you can hire a boat from Alba Sailing - no connection with this company - its just the only one I know of close to Taynuilt!

 

[andy_e]

Pillow?

I think maybe she means rucksack or perhaps a large flat stone to rest her head on

 

[Lucyc]

I think maybe she means rucksack or perhaps a large flat stone to rest her head on

No no - this was from some random website on the internet when I was googling Glen Etive!

It does sound pretty perfect though! By the way - are there ways of fishing without using a rod?

 

[andy_e]

By road it's just over 20 miles from the north end of the loch, as the crow flies it's maybe 10 - 15 miles.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&h...2621,-5.010452&spn=0.12636,0.283585&z=12&om=0

Don't know if you've seen this or not but here's somewhere worth visiting ...

The Hidden Or Lost Valley, Glencoe
Park on the A82, 5 km from the Visitor Centre 300m west of two white buildings on either side of the road (there are always cars parked here). Follow the clear path down to and across the River Coe, and ascend keeping burn to left; 1.5 km further up, it's best to ford it.
The secret glen where the ill-fated Macdonalds hid the cattle they'd stolen from the Lowlands and which became (with politics and power struggles) their undoing. A narrow wooded cleft takes you between the imposing and gnarled 'Three Sisters' Hills and over the threshold (it's a miracle how the cattle got there) and into the huge bowl of Coire Gabhail. The place envelops you in its tragic history, more redolent perhaps than any of the massacre sites.

FRom: http://www.visitscotland.com/aboutscotland/explorebymap/features/reallyspookyplaces

Edit: This is a better link: http://walking.visitscotland.com/walks/westhighlands/lost-valley-glencoe

 

[Lucyc]

By road it's just over 20 miles from the north end of the loch, as the crow flies it's maybe 10 - 15 miles.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&h...2621,-5.010452&spn=0.12636,0.283585&z=12&om=0

Don't know if you've seen this or not but here's somewhere worth visiting ...



FRom: http://www.visitscotland.com/aboutscotland/explorebymap/features/reallyspookyplaces


Edit: This is a better link: http://walking.visitscotland.com/walks/westhighlands/lost-valley-glencoe

Oh my god that looks so creepy!! Aaah! Might be an interest visit though

 

[ilovemybed]

No no - this was from some random website on the internet when I was googling Glen Etive!

It does sound pretty perfect though! By the way - are there ways of fishing without using a rod?

Another vote for that area- I'd suggess Mull except for the climbing - not sure what's on there for that. Loch Etive and Glencoe are classics. Make sure you go prepared though!

As for fishing without a rod... Lots, if you don't mind getting into trouble. Freshwater loch fishing usually comes with a large ticket price and strict rules on what's allowed that vary from water to water.
I'd say you're better trying a bit of sea fishing, much less of a legal quagmire. You can hand-line in the sea (and sea lochs) and bait is easy to come by on the shoreline... Hand-lining is just when you fish with some normal fishing line wrapped around some convenient wrapping item (beer can will do!) and dangle it off the pier, boat etc. You're also more likely to catch enough to feed 5! You can even spin with that setup.

Hope that helps,
Neil

 

[andy_e]

Etive is a sea loch isn't it?

 

[Doc]

Yep.

Though I tasted the water at the north east end (in a spirit of scientific enquiry) and it wasn't very salty, but only a little further down there is plenty of seaweed to snag your hooks on.

 

[andy_e]

Yep.

Though I tasted the water at the north east end (in a spirit of scientific enquiry) and it wasn't very salty, but only a little further down there is plenty of seaweed to snag your hooks on.

LOL! There's always one

That's a gorgeous spot you found there in your photos, how far down was that?

 

[Beer Monster]

Yep.

Though I tasted the water at the north east end (in a spirit of scientific enquiry) and it wasn't very salty, but only a little further down there is plenty of seaweed to snag your hooks on.

......and at low tide the Seals haul out on these rocks.

 

[Limaed]

Lucy
Have a look at the Loch Maree, Poolewe, Kinlochewe area. There's some classic mountain scenery here with lots of hills, single and multi-pitch crags and Loch Maree itself for the sailing.
Off the top of my head I can't think of an exact place to wild camp but there is I believe a campsite at the south east end of the loch. This area is along way north from where you are but only an hour from Inverness if you fly?
Get hold of a OS sheet 19 for a look. Ta Ed