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Traveling to Scotland in a motorhome has been a wonderful gift that has refreshed us and filled us with peace . A dream come true, years in the making.

As lovers of Celtic culture, Esco, Scotland was one of those essential destinations in our minds. The pandemic delayed our trip, but finally, today, we can say that we have enjoyed Scotland, although this time in a rental motorhome, without our Kucavana motorhome. As always we travel as a family, with our children of 6 and 9 years old. The only ones who did not come with us on this trip were our dogs Max and Bloom, who, going by plane and renting a motorhome, this time stayed with the grandparents.

In this post, we tell you all about our trip through Scotland in a rented campervan . This post is part of our comprehensive guide to traveling to Scotland, where you'll find all the information and articles to help you plan your trip.

Enjoy our experience, research and discoveries in this post where we tell you everything you need for your next motorhome trip through Scotland.

We hope it will be useful to you and that, in comments below, you will expose us your doubts, experiences, experiences and advice.

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Let's get started, get behind the wheel as we start preparing the trip to Scotland in a camper, caravan or motorhome!

Summary video with what you need to know about Scotland by motorhome to get started

How to get to Scotland by motorhome or camper from Spain?

The first thing we consider on a trip to Scotland with our own vehicle is how to get there, how much it will cost us and how long it will take to get there.

That's why our first step was to compare mileage, costs of the different options available, and travel times to Scotland with our motorhome.

To get to Scotland and the United Kingdom there are 5 main options which we detail in this post on how to get to Scotland: 5 alternatives to consider , where we explain our comparative analysis.

Our decision to get to Scotland and travel by motorhome on this trip

After calculating costs, our decision was to fly to Glasgow and there rent a motorhome through Yescapa, with an individual, with whom we could save 600 euros.

TIP: If you don't have a motorhome or campervan but want to rent one and try this type of travel, remember that the cheapest option with the best experiences is to rent from private individuals through a platform like Airbnb, but for motorhomes and campers.

Our decision was based on the fact that we only had 10 days of vacation to go to Scotland. For this reason, in time to go up with our motorhome it was not viable, we would have only had 5 days left at our destination to travel through Scotland. Besides, the beating of driving and for children would be too hard. Regarding the costs, we would have saved 500 euros by going up with ours, but in this case we compensated the extra expense with the peace of mind of going by plane and on top of that without wearing out our motorhome, which also has a cost.

On the other hand, the good thing about Yescapa is that we rent at a good price with a private individual and that you can rent your motorhome for as long as you can and offset the costs of renting one there.

I'm leaving you this link here so you can calculate what you can earn on Yescapa with your motorhome and evaluate it yourself.

In conclusion, your choice should be personal, it will depend on the days you go, your intermediate plans and the increasing price of fuel or Eurotunnel among others at the time you go.

By the way, if you decide to go by ferry, another option we consider very good, especially if you live near Santander, we leave you this article that will be perfect for you: 10 things you should never do when boarding a ferry in a motorhome.

Circulate and drive through Scotland in a motorhome

Upon arriving in Scotland, the first thing we will do is drive on its roads in our motorhome, so before driving we must know its traffic code and driving culture.

General regulations

The British traffic code is based on European directives and is therefore practically the same as the Spanish one, although with many particularities such as driving on the left or that kilometers are counted in miles there.

It is forbidden to drive talking on the phone or ride a motorcycle without a helmet, the speed limits are in miles, but they are almost identical to ours.

7 Curiosities on Scottish roads

One thing is what the highway code says and the other is the reality on Scottish roads. Hence, here we collect some curiosities that you should know before driving through Scotland with your motorhome.

Drive to the left

Throughout Great Britain you must drive on the left. This at first is of great concern to many travelers. In fact, it was our great fear upon arrival.

The reality is that the first day costs a bit and there must be 4 eyes and two mouths repeating left left at all times while driving.

This would be our basic recommendation: repeat yourself left-left continuously, mainly at roundabouts, in double lanes and at junctions.

Remember:

• Take the roundabouts to the left and take the leftmost lane to exit at the first exit but inside. There they do the roundabouts very well.
• On dual carriageway lanes, remember to drive on the one furthest to the left, go ahead on the right.
• At crossroads, be careful, always look right to left, the other way around here, and take the correct lane. There the one on your left has preference, the opposite of here.

Validity of driving license and insurance in Great Britain: the Green Card

The Spanish driving license, which is the European one, is valid in Great Britain, so it is not necessary to get the international driving license.

Your vehicle insurance is also valid in the United Kingdom, but as a country outside the EU you must carry the green card, which is the one that recognizes this insurance.

education ahead

If there is something that stands out about the British, it is their education behind the wheel. In general, in Scotland you will see that they drive with patience, calmness and a lot of education, giving way and being prudent.

Secondary roads of only 1 lane with passing places

Something that someone who has been to Scotland usually tells you is “be careful with the roads, they are very narrow”. And it is true that many rural back roads are so narrow that they are only one lane to drive both ways. But it is also true that they are quite flat roads and above all full of "passing places", sidings that facilitate circulation at all times.

On the other hand, it must be said that if we are responsible and follow the main roads without leaving them with our motorhomes, everything is easier and for everyone.

The main roads are very good, they are wide and they do not have any difficulty.

Therefore, a piece of advice: we must plan our routes well before going, so that the GPS does not take you to rural tourism more than you want.

Roundabouts do well there

Something associated with the good education behind the wheel of the British, is that the roundabouts are perfectly made there. So be careful, if you do it to the Spanish of many. Outermost lane only to leave imminently, the rest on the inside lane. And remember, left, always left.

Sheep, goats, deer and wildlife on the road

On many roads, especially outside the main ones, you will come across animals. We have seen goats, deer and sheep on many roads. Respect speed limits and don't run to avoid accidents.

no tolls

As a rule of thumb, on your journey through Scotland all you'll see are toll-free roads and two-lane dual carriageways with no tolls.

Documents to carry as requirements to access Scotland

Next, I make a summary list of the documents to take, although below in the 30 tips, you will see more things to know before going in this style.

• Valid passport
• Spanish or European driver's license, but international
• Green card for your vehicle insurance
• European health card or travel insurance for more security, as we carry. I'll give you a discount. The best with a motorhome is the Iati Escapadas insurance, which is the one we take out because in addition to everything normal for the rest of the travel insurance, it includes theft inside the motorhome, accidents involving your pets and other specific things for those of us who travel with our motorhome or camper.

Camping in Scotland in a motorhome or van

Wild camping is legal in Scotland in unfenced public areas, although each municipality has its own regulations and you'll find many areas with "No Camping" signs . Therefore, you can only camp in public areas (and be aware that most land there is privately owned) and where there are no "No Camping" signs.

There are many natural parks that prohibit camping and the law also prohibits camping on the side of the road. In addition, you will see the signs in most car parks.

In Scotland, as in almost every other place, camping is considered to extend beyond the perimeter of the vehicle , that is, putting out tables, chairs, awnings, cooking outside, etc… interpreted by most authorities and local councils in the most restrictive way, which is as overnight stays.

Overnight in Scotland in a motorhome

Free overnight stays are a sensitive issue in Scotland . While there is no general legislation prohibiting them in the UK or Scotland, the reality is that each municipality has the authority to regulate them. Since the boom in campervans during the Covid pandemic in Scotland, these regulations have become quite stringent. So much so, in fact, that few parking areas are without a "NO OVERNIGHT" sign, meaning overnight stays are prohibited.

That's why in many places you'll see signs prohibiting camping and overnight stays, along with warnings of hefty fines.

We honestly hoped it would be easier to spend the night in Scotland, but reality surprised us. Between the fact that there is little public parking, less free public parking (everything is paid there) and that in most of them there is a sign forbidding overnight, it was often difficult for us to spend the night freely, having to go to a private campsite or parking/motorhome area .

The owner of the motorhomes we rented explained to us that due to Covid there was a very big boom and that since 2021, above all, everything has been regulated a lot, prohibiting overnight stays in most municipal parking lots or places of interest.

Places to spend the night in a motorhome in Scotland

scotland campsites

Scotland has many campsites, almost as many as Spain; camping is very popular. Campsites are undoubtedly the best option for overnight stays and peaceful camping in Scotland , although we all know they can be expensive for the services we ultimately need.

The camping experience in Scotland is quite different from the "glamping" model Spain is developing. There are no campsites with water slides and large swimming pools, nor campsites offering activities and parties. All the campsites are family-friendly, very peaceful, and affordably priced (the average price we paid in high season for 2 adults, 2 children, and a campervan was €35-38 per night).

Scotland motorhome areas

In Scotland, there are only 5-6 fully serviced campervan sites, including full water and waste disposal. All sites are private and require payment ; most are owned by farms, riding stables, or other agricultural properties. The price was around €11 per night, including services.

The truth is that it is the option that we liked the most, the pity is that there are very few.

Scottish municipal car parks

In some municipalities, there are car parks where there are no signs prohibiting overnight stays. The truth is that we expected more of these and it was not like that, but if you plan the trip well you will find some that are good for the night.

These car parks are 80% paid. And extra payment for the night, 50% of them. The good thing is that the payments are usually 4-5 euros all day and night.

When we say that 80% are paid, we mean that you even have to pay to park in the parking lots of some supermarkets, which also give you the option of staying overnight, paying a little more.

In the United Kingdom, if something is surprising, it is that you pay to park practically everywhere, even in a small parking lot in the middle of the forest. Prepare to pay for parking.

To pay for parking, most can be done by card or by an app, which in the end is what was most practical for us as a method of payment.

Pubs and Birstops

The France Passion model, but mainly focused on pubs, exists in Scotland with Birstops. It's a book that costs money and gives you the addresses of pubs and some farms that let you stay overnight in exchange for food and drinks.

In our case, for 10 days with a well-planned route, we did not see any use for it, and even more so to have to go for a drink in a pub that often prohibits entry with children.

Motorhome services in Scotland

As mentioned above, water filling and emptying services in Scotland are very limited to campsites and the few fully equipped motorhome areas I mentioned earlier . Campsites are the only places where you can access these services. All campsites offer water filling and emptying facilities, as well as electricity.

Apart from them, we only have the 5-6 private motorhome areas with all services and 2 free public waste disposal points with donation that we are aware of.

Our experience and trip to Scotland by motorhome: tips + costs + destinations

Summary of our trip

Our trip and experience has taken place in the month of October during 10 days of travel. A visit in a magical time where the landscapes are dressed in autumn and that make the forests even more magical.

Our trip began with a flight from Barcelona to Glasgow, where we picked up the rental campervan we booked through Yescapa from a private owner. This saved us €600 compared to what a local rental company was asking. Yescapa is a platform similar to Airbnb but for campervans, and we were very happy with everything. The campervan was fantastic, the owner was incredibly helpful, and the platform was user-friendly and easy to use.

In case you're interested, I've written a post about how to rent a cheap motorhome through Yescapa : Tips and tricks that might interest you.

Map of our trip

Our choice of places to visit on our route was the result of planning work to maximize our time in the place, from the preparation of this map that we made with those places of interest in Scotland that also satisfied our children and that could like to visit

Here's a link to an article we wrote about cool places to visit with children in Scotland and tips for traveling to Scotland with kids.

You can get this map if you choose to hire our personalized route planning service . You'll receive a complete, customized route map, created after a personalized consultation via video call, along with all the coordinates for the best and safest overnight stays. It's a document where you simply click to easily access it on your GPS device.

Expenses of our trip to Scotland by motorhome

Our 10-day trip to Scotland in a rented motorhome cost us a total of 2763 euros for the four of us traveling.

The costs are broken down as follows:

• En Services: rental of the motorhome, airplanes and gasoline a total of 1900 € (400 plane, 1300 motorhome rental by Yescapa and the rest gasoline of the 1000 kilometer route that we did)
• Restaurants and coffee shops: €150 eating every day in a restaurant.
• Tickets and leisure activities, plus some souvenirs:  350 €
• Campsites, areas and paid car parks to spend the night: €183
• Supermarkets: €180

The best and the bad things of Scotland from our trip to Scotland

The high prices, the narrow roads or having to go camping many times to do services were some of the bad things about our trip to Scotland. But there are also many other things and many other positive ones that we believe will help you get a better idea of ​​your next trip and can help you plan it.

 That is why I recommend you read this post that we have written about the good and bad things of Scotland, you will find a lot of information that will surely be useful to you.

30 Tips for a trip to Scotland by motorhome

Read the 30 tips for traveling to Scotland that we have prepared to help you organize your trip to Scotland.

I leave you here 4 examples of these tips that you should know before traveling to Scotland:

• Remember that to enter the United Kingdom you will need passports for all current, the DNI is no longer valid.
• Although Great Britain has left the European Union, it has maintained as before certain aspects such as the use of the European health insurance card, roaming as if it were a country of the European Union or the use of the driving license of the European countries. as valid and their vehicle insurance with the green card what you should take
• You should know that the public health in Great Britain is minimal. If you plan to take out travel insurance in this link you will get a 5% discount at the end

• Take raincoats that fold into bags and forget about umbrellas. In Scotland it rains fine and airy, umbrellas are useless. Oh and take some goretex boots and so you forget about shoe replacements.
• Get a card with 0 commissions for currency exchange. A card that is easily activated in minutes from the Internet and that admits unlimited top-ups so you can pay at the currency exchange with 0 commissions and the best currency exchange is the  Revolut. The only bad thing that we see is that you can only withdraw 200 euros a month at maximum without commission, otherwise one of the best cards without commissions to travel around the world. There is also the Evo Banco smart account card with 0 commissions.

Destinations and essential plans of our route and trip through Scotland by motorhome

In the following posts, we'll show you our favorite destinations and plans in Scotland through photos, along with an explanation of each one, including all our experience and tips.

scotland what to see

20 essential plans to see in Scotland with children

Route through Scotland by car, motorhome or camper

Next, discover different route proposals to travel to Scotland with a motorhome, camper or car here

Highlands route Scotland in 15 days or more in 9 stages

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