Where to go in scotland?

[Scuba Pete]

Hi,

I live in Glasgow in Scotland. I am going to start camping again after many years break. I have been collecting my gear over the last few months and I am at the stage of scouting out sites. I moved here a few years ago, therefore I have never camped here. BCUK has been a great resource for me, its amazing how much information is here.

I want to have a few days/weekend trips to get me back into the swing of things. I have some friends down in England that want to come up and camp, so I want to find a good place to stay. I would like it to be out of the way where I can cook on an open fire etc. Scotland’s access rights and laws are very good, and I am hoping to take advantage of them.

Although I will probably have access to a car, I don't drive at the moment myself do ideally I would like to be able to get there by public transport & hike to the site.

I have next week of work and I am hoping to jump on the train and check a few places out. Anyone have any suggestions? I have been looking on OS maps and have found a few woodland areas, but the maps cant tell me if I can string up a hammock for instance.

The places that I found are :-

Carron valley forest
Polkemmet Moor
Kingshill plantation
Woodmuir plantation
Loch Ard forest/loch lomond etc.

I would love to hear form anyone.

Thanks

Pete

 

[Grooveski]

Carron Valley forest is quite high and open. Might be pretty chilly at this time of year if you're traveling light.

Loch Ard forest is very easy to lose yourself in. It's mainly forestry commission but you find wee valleys of native woodland where it was either too rocky or too much hassle to plant. Gleann Duhb was my preferred area. I'm going back 15 years though and they're always cutting so if you get there and it's a barren wasteland well... ...sorry, used to be pretty!
FC will have your head on a platter if they catch you with a fire lit . Wild camping fire laws simply don't apply in their land.

It's quite nice up on Dumbarton Muir at Black Loch. I stayed there one night before meeting pals to go bouldering on the whangie and have always meant to pop back up again.

Loch Lomond's so busy.....
.....it's also got campsites, don't know how that works with the bit in the access laws that says you can't wild camp where there are established campsites.

Haven't heard of the other places you mention.

The OS website has 1:25000 online. It usualy gives a better indication of wood types than the landranger data.

 

[MagiKelly]

FC will have your head on a platter if they catch you with a fire lit . Wild camping fire laws simply don't apply in their land.

Not true. The forestry commission are very aware of there obligations under the access laws. You are not allowed a fire in a plantation but other than that you can have a fire on FC land. The Loch Ackray site is FC land as is most of the banks of Loch Lomond.

Pete you already know my preference is for the Loch lomond area but I have the advantage of being able to get away from the shore and onto islands. The area between Rowardennan and Inversnaid will probably still be quite quiet at this time of year. Plus as soon as you are a little away from the path you will most likely find you are not disturbed. North of Inversnaid would probably be the same.

 

[Grooveski]

Sorry about that . That'll be a lifetime's worth of (pre land-reform)brainwashing that FC=no fires. Thanks for for the correction!

 

[Scuba Pete]

Thanks for the info. I will pop to loch lomond if i can this week for the day. I see there is a train to balloch, any ideas how I can get up to the forest?

Pete

 

[oops56]

Hike left right right left be there before dark

 

[Angus Og]

The thing about looking at maps and these tree plantation is they can be out of date. There’s been a lot of felling in the past couple of years.

A lot of Carron valley as been cut down and replanted. Also a new down hill mountain bike track has been built so it’s going to be busy place.

I went up there last year to have a look and it one hell of a wet boggy place; the trees have been planted close together and you can’t fish the reservoir from the shore.

Think I have some pictures I’ll have a look and put them up.

 

[Moff8]

Theres an Oban bus service from Buchanan St Bus Station that leaves on Friday around 4pm that will get you to the north of Loch Lomond - it follows the west side of the loch, then you can get the return bus early Sunday morning.

I can't remember the exact times - sorry, but the staff at the bus station were a good help.

 

[Ryan Woods]

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=9768&page=3&pp=10&highlight=reinhardt

Scroll halfway down the page: it was breathtaking and love to do it again this year! I went down to cant-remember-of-the-top-of-my-head-how-embarrassing.

 

[locum76]

head up to skye on the bus,

get off at broadford and head west to elgol (hike or get the local bus).

then look around for a good beach to camp on - (just watch out for cows).

you'll get superb views of the cuillins.

 

[Scuba Pete]

Great ideas, thanks everyone.

Pete