SCOTLAND 2021 : Days 3 to 6 - Tarbert, Glen Coe & Loch Ness
The ferry from Arran over to Claonaig/Tarbert was much quicker than the ferry on the first day, so we stayed in the van for the journey.
We arrived at Tarbert with the sun still on side and drove to the town so we could stock up on snacks and wood for the evening.
Whilst we were in Tarbert we decided to go for a walk around the castle. The perspective from the top was amazing! Mountains and coast combined makes for an epic view, and the port is so pretty from above too.
We were staying at a campsite in Tarbert so we could recharge the batteries and have a hot shower. The campsite we stayed at was easy to find, and from certain spots you could see the water rolling in from the sea.
The pitches were gravel with a grass spot next to themes the dogs were happy on their tether with plenty of room for sniffs.
It was one of the few campsites we’ve been to that allowed fire pits, so we were able to cook our dinner on the flames whilst simultaneously keeping the midges at bay – win, win! We spent the evening chilling by the fire and planning our route for the next couple of days.
The next morning we had a slow start. The weather was much more ‘Scottish” when we woke up, so we enjoyed breakfast from the comfort of the van before getting a shower and packing up.
We headed up to Glen Coe from here, and the drive took us around 2 hours. We’d seen a spot on another beach up in the highlands which we had planned to stay at, but by this point the rain and wind had well and truly caught up with us, and I don’t think we’d of gotten much sleep staying in such an open spot so we drove further into the highlands and found a more covered spot next to a Loch.
The weather was miserable for the rest of the day and into the evening, so apart from a few toilet breaks for the dogs we spent our time snuggled in the van watching Netflix and eating chocolate – granted it wasn’t what we had in mind, but it was actually nice to have more of a chilled afternoon as we’d been non stop up to this point.
We’ve both always wanted to visit Loch Ness, and we’d booked another campsite for our 5th night in Scotland. The drive from Glen Coe to Loch Ness was probably one of the most beautiful drives I’ve ever witnessed. The trees were changing with the autumn season, and the colours were amazing.
By this point the sun was back (I know, we got so lucky) and when we arrived at the lakeside campsite it was actually pretty warm outside.
We parked up at our designated spot, had a quick mooch about and then changed into our wetsuits with hopes of getting a paddle in – more fool us!
Although warm and sunny, the wind coming through the neck of the mountain over Loch Ness was something else! We both had a quick go at paddle boarding, but just kept getting blow back to shore on the waves. We had a lovely time just wandering down by the Loch though, I’m always just in awe of Scotland and the beauty from every angle.
I’d confidently say that the campsite at the side of Loch Ness is one of the best we’ve ever stayed at.
It had all the facilities you could need, a little shop, a pub nearby (15 min walk) and in the evening you can order food from the kitchen to take back to your pitch, which we of course took full advantage of! We also had a little wander up to the pub in the evening which – yup, you guessed it – had incredible view of Loch Ness from the beer garden… the local gin wasnt half bad either!
The next morning we were sorry to be leaving the campsite, and I think if we didn’t have a route planned for our remaining time we’d of probably spent another night there!
Camping Spots…
Locations of where we parked overnight:
- Night 1 – Tarbert Holiday Park. Great spot near to Tarbert itself, facilities were good but the water pressure for the showers was underwhelming.
- Night 2 : Ballachulish (PH49 4HX) Right next to Loch Achtriochtan, Glen Coe on a small car park. Obviously there are no facilities and campfires aren’t permitted in the area. There was a few other campers there the night we stayed so it seems like a popular spot.
The car park is cared for by the National Trust for Scotland, so please take any rubbish home and leave no trace behind.
- Attempted stay for night 2 : Culi Bay (PA38 4DA) This spot looked so beautiful with the most incredible views over the water. We were gutted the conditions were so bad when we visited.
- Night 3 : Loch Ness Shores (IV2 6YH) One of the best campsites we’ve ever stayed on. Hardcore pitches with grass surrounding and plenty of room between pitches (the option for grass pitches too)
On the side of Loch Ness, a few minutes walk from the campsite. Pub within short walking distance. Amazing facilities and a shop on site.