Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hostels
That said, peaceful and
informal sites
do exist,
and are described throughout this guide, though
they are few and far between. Many
hostels
allow
camping, and farmers will usually let folk camp on
their land for free or for a nominal sum. In this
guide, we've listed
the
price for a pitch
(ie one
tent for two people, plus a car) wherever possible.
Where campsites charge per person, we've listed
prices in that format instead.
Scotland's relaxed land access laws allow
wild
camping
in open country. The basic rule is “leave
no trace”, but for a guide to good practice, visit
W
outdooraccess-scotland.com.
The great majority of
caravans
are permanently
moored nose to tail in the vicinity of some of
Scotland's finest scenery; others are positioned singly
in back gardens or amidst farmland. Some can be
booked for self-catering, and with prices starting at
around £100 a week, this can work out as one of the
cheapest options if you're travelling with kids.
If you're planning to do a lot of camping at o
cial
camping and caravanning sites, it might be worth-
while joining the
Camping and Caravanning Club
(
W
campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk). Member-
ship costs £51 (£41 if paying by direct debit) and
entitles you to pay only a per-person fee, not a
pitch fee, at CCC sites. Those coming from abroad
can get the same benefits by buying an interna-
tional camping carnet, available from home
motoring organizations or a CCC equivalent.
There's an ever-increasing number of
hostels
in
Scotland to cater for travellers - youthful or
otherwise - who are unable or unwilling to pay the
rates charged by hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs.
Most hostels are clean and comfortable, sometimes
offering
doubles
and even
singles
as well as
dormitory accommodation
. Others concentrate
more on keeping the price as low as possible,
simply providing a roof over your head and a few
basic facilities. Whatever type of hostel you stay in,
expect to pay £10-22 per night.
The
Scottish Youth Hostels Association
(
W
syha.
org.uk), referred to throughout the Guide as “SYHA
hostels”, run the longest-established hostels in the
Highlands and Islands. While these places
sometimes occupy handsome buildings, many
retain an institutionalized air. Bunk-bed accommo-
dation in single-sex dormitories, lights out before
midnight and no smoking/no alcohol policies are
the norm outside the big cities. Breakfast is not
normally included in the price, though most hostels
have self-catering facilities.
If you're not a
member
of one of the hostelling
organizations a
liated to
Hostelling International
(HI), you can pay your £10 joining fee at most
hostels.
Advance booking
is recommended, and
essential at Easter, Christmas and from May to
August. You can book online, in person or by phone.
There are also loads of
independent hostels
(sometimes known as “bunkhouses”) across
Scotland. These are usually laidback places with no
membership, fewer rules, mixed dorms and no
curfew. You can find most of them in the annually
updated
Independent Hostel Guide
(
W
independ-
enthostelguide.co.uk). Many of them are also a
li-
ated to Scottish Independent Hostels (
W
hostel-
scotland.co.uk), which has a programme of
inspection and lists members in the
SIH Hostel
Guide
, available free online.
Self-catering accommodation
A huge proportion of visitors to Scotland opt for
self-catering
accommodation, booking a cottage
or apartment for a week and often saving
themselves a considerable amount of money by
doing so. In most cases, the minimum rental period
is one week, and therefore this isn't a valid option if
you're aiming to tour round the country. The least
you can expect to pay in the high season is around
£250 per week for a place sleeping four, but
something special, or somewhere in a popular
tourist area, might cost £500 or more. Such is the
Camping
There are hundreds of
caravan and camping parks
around Scotland, most of which are open from April
to October. The majority of sites charge about
£10-15 for two people with a car to pitch a tent, and
are usually well equipped, with shops, a restaurant, a
bar and, occasionally, sports facilities. Most of these,
however, are aimed principally at
caravans
, trailers
and motorhomes, and generally don't offer the
tranquil atmosphere and independence that those
travelling with just a tent are seeking.
5 CAMPSITES NOT TO MISS
Comrie Croft
Near Crieff. See p.328.
Red Squirrel
Glen Coe. See p.406.
Ardnamurchan Campsite
Ormsaigbeg.
See p.442.
Long beach
Knoydart. See p.447.
Camusdarach Campsite
Camusdarach.
See p.444.
