At this moment you are seeing Scotland in a motorhome or camper in 9 stages by @raulysilviaxelmundo
Scotland by motorhome

Scotland by motorhome or camper in 9 stages by @raulysilviaxelmundo

Discover a great trip through Scotland by motorhome through 9 stages on an incredible route.

About @raulysilviaxelmundo

Without a doubt this couple are one of our favorite instagramers in the world of caravanning and campering. Their posts on Instagram add value to the world of motorhome and camper and help inspire us to plan and decide on future routes. 

They are an endearing couple formed by Sílvia and Raúl, who have lived and traveled in their camper for a few years and whom we have followed for years.

Passionate about nature, heritage and discovering the world, at any time and time of year! 

His phrase: «If life is a journey, traveling is living twice »

Today they tell you all about Scotland by motorhome or camper, a place they have traveled to twice and are all experts, do not miss it!

Scotland by motorhome

Guide to traveling to Scotland by motorhome or camper

Overnight in Scotland in a motorhome 

In Scotland it is overnight stay in van and motorhome is allowed as long as it is not on private land (for which you should ask the owner for permission) and there is no sign indicating otherwise. 

We were very calm and once on the ground we realized that prohibition signs there are quite a few in the most touristic places, but still looking a bit we had no problems.

We still did not know him but there is a web page (https://www.britstops.com/) where they sell a sticker and a guide for 35 pounds that allows you to sleep in many places in the UK (pubs, farms, shops, etc ...). For the next one, we will surely value this option.

Scottish roads by motorhome

The main problem is driving in reverse with a left-hand drive vehicle, because at some points you have no visibility, but that is fixed by a good co-pilot.

Remember that throughout the UK you drive on the left.

Regarding the roads are great as long as you do not enter the Highlands or on the Islands, where they are basically narrow y not two vehicles pass. But calm down, there are a lot of sidings to yield and the drivers are super civic. So with caution and driving slowly there is no problem.

We suffered more on the motorway crossing England, because there was a lot of traffic, which took us forever.

Scotland by motorhome

Gasoline in Scotland

We pull a lot of back roads so we looked Low Cost gas stations in supermarkets (Lidl, Aldi, Tesco ...) where we also took the opportunity to make the purchase at a good price.

Currency and expenses in Scotland in motorhome

The currency is pound sterling but you can pay by card in most places. We have changed approximately 200 euros from Spain and we only withdraw once at an ATM (they charged us commission but not something exaggerated either).

Regarding expenses, it must be taken into account that everything is a little more expensive, restaurants, shops, souvenirs, etc ... We take the opportunity to have lunch or dinner in the van and look for cheap supermarkets.

Plan your route through Scotland by motorhome in 5 clicks

15-day 9-stage route through Scotland by motorhome or camper

We have traveled to Scotland twice (I, Silvia 3 counting one as a family in a motorhome 20 years ago). 

The first time as a couple we went for 3 weeks on a motorcycle and the second time with friends for 2 weeks in vans (3 vehicles).

 Both times we have done a similar route so we will tell you about the experience of 15 days in a van and then we will add the extension that we did on a motorcycle because it is very worth it if you have time.

On our way up we decided not to take the Eurotunel but the ferry from Dieppe to Newhaven, to be able to make a visit to the Normandy area.

We spent a day at Mont Saint-Michel to be able to see the change of tides and have time to walk through its alleys.

To sleep there are several options. The first is the Beauvoir motorhome area for 12 euros (with all services), about 3 kilometers and with public transport to the castle, but we found it full. The second is to sleep in the same parking lot, which costs 24 euros a day and from there the little train that takes you to the castle leaves.

We arrived in the morning and paid for only one day of parking (12 euros) and in the afternoon we did a little more kilometers and slept at a nearby gas station.

The next day, we visited Pont du Hoc and Etretat in the afternoon, which we loved by the way, and we already went to sleep in the ferry parking lot to board soon.

Mont saint michell by motorhome

We made the trip to Edinburgh in a hurry, where we arrived busted after the ferry and the kilometers, so if you go early we recommend making a stop at Stonehenge and / or the Lake District. On our motorcycle trip we did stop at Stonehenge and it was well worth it.

After the pause of kilometers and a few days without a shower we urgently need a campsite, so we head towards Roslyn to the Slatebarns Caravan Park, we already knew him from the motorcycle trip and he is great. From there you can visit the Roslyn Chappel (famous for the book The Da Vinci Code) and it is very close to Edinburgh.

To visit Edinburgh we leave the van in a Park & ​​Ride, they are bus stations where you pay to park during the day and take a bus to the center, we thought it was the best option not to enter the city with the van.

We visit Edinburgh in one day. We got off the bus at the Scott Moument and started the visit at the Edimburg Castle, we went down the entire Royal Mile to Carlton Hill and in the afternoon we do a Ghost Tour in Spanish (totally recommended, with a visit to the cemetery included). There is much more to do but we want nature. We recommend buying the Explorer Pass that includes visits to various castles and monuments.

Nearby we also visit Linlithgow Castle and Sitriling (William Wallace's castle and tower, which offers spectacular views from above).

On the way to Inverness we entered the Cairngorms area, where we began to find a lot of lakes and nature. We slept right at the top of Cairngorm Mountain, surrounded by other motorhomes and some reindeer! In the morning we rode the monorail to the Cairngorm Sky Area, but it was very foggy so we only walked around the area.

Very close we visited the Cardhu whiskey distillery, in a very small village. The visit includes a tour and tasting and is well worth it. For those who are very interested in whiskey there are a lot of distilleries but we only visited one (we also had Tobermory on the Isle of Mull on the list, but we didn't have time).

On the way to Inverness we visited the Elgin Cathedral and Fort George. In that area it is also in Chanony Point, where you can see dolphins.

Also in the area you can visit the culloden battlefield. You can walk for free on the battlefield where the positions of the two sides are indicated with flags. Several monoliths recall the places where some of the clans who lost their lives in battle were buried. In some of them there are fresh flowers.

I recommend at this point that you see the Outlander series (or read the books if you have time). It is a series that is a mixture of fiction and history and it is well worth it to get your mouth around before coming and knowing some details about Scottish history and traditions.

In the area Loch Ness we visited the Urquart Castle, which has wonderful views of the loch and also the Loch Ness visitor center, with a very interesting documentary about Nessie (especially recommended if you go with children). It is worth a complete tour of the lake with many points where you can take photos of spectacular landscapes.

On the way to Isle of Skye, one of Scotland's jewels, make a stop at the Eilean Donan Castle. The visit to the interior is very well set but if you go with little time at least you have to see it from the outside and imagine Sean Conery walking across the bridge in the movie The Immortals.

We crossed to the Isle of Skye over the bridge and spent a couple of days visiting it, starting with a short excursion to the frocky formation of Old Man of Storr, la Kilt Rock waterfall, the landscapes of quiraing, the spectacular Coral Beach and the Neist Point Lighthouse. 

We spent the night on a little roadside siding with spectacular views.

Apart from walking through the pretty town of Fort William we come to visit the Glenfinan Viaduct, famous for the Harry Potter movies.

Here we were near the Ben Nevis, the highest peak in Scotland at 1345 meters. We go up in Glencoe Mountain resort, enjoying incredible views, to take the chairlift and see even better views.

 On the way down we stopped at one of the many lakes in the area, the Loch Etive. The truth is that circulating through the area we stopped at every moment to take a million photos, each point is more impressive than the previous one.

Oban was the last stop on our journey, from where we visited the islands of Mull, Staffa and Iona. We left the van at the port and took the tour "Route of the Three Isles Early Bird ”, which cost us about 60 pounds.

The route includes a ferry to the island of Mull, cross the island by bus to the jetty and boat to the island of Staffa, also called the island of columns because of the curious rock formations it has. We walked there for an hour and then the boat took us to the island of Iona, where you can visit several monuments: the Iona Abbey, the ruins of Saoghal Nam Ban and St. Oran's Chappel.

Despite the number of tourists, the island transmitted us a lot of peace, it is full of White sand beaches and at last we were able to greet the typical hairy cows.

In Oban we visited the port area and took the opportunity to try the famous Fish & Chips in a restaurant on the promenade.

In the two weeks of travel a van did not give us much time, but on our previous motorcycle trip we did visit the area of Ullapool. It's a charming coastal town and where you eat great fish.

From there we took a ferry to Stornoway and we spent a couple of days visiting the isles of Lewis & Harris.  It is a much more remote area, with incredible white sand beaches, traditional houses, cliffs, cows, sheep and a lot of tranquility.

Also there is the Callanish Standing Stones stone circle, more discreet than Stonehenge but with much more area of ​​land, and much more charm in our opinion….

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This entry has 2 comments

  1. Christine

    Darf ich fragen wie die Etappen waren. Wir planen gerade eine ähnliche Tour mit 18 Tagen und sind etwas am Verzweifeln, weil wir die Fahrtzeit und Zeit für Tanken, CP (wir bleiben immer nur eine Nacht) nicht einschätzen können.

    1. Kucavanera family

      Bald werden wir more than one diese Reise mit more Details schreiben. Danke für die Geduld

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