Scotland caravan guide: iconic road trips & travel tips

Exploring Scotland in a touring caravan… perfect. Scotland’s beautiful scenery and wide-open spaces mean it’s an ideal option for # vanlife tours, where you can stop at a different place every night and experience some of the best the country has to offer.

Need some tips? Our Scotland caravan guide tells you everything you need to know about touring this stunning country – we’ve included recommended routes, top destinations and suggested campsites, as well as a few essential tips for touring Scotland in a caravan.

Scotland caravan guide: best routes

There are enough other caravan trips in Scotland to keep you on the road for as long as you like! Try these three for starters:

Edinburgh, Loch Lomond and Glasgow

Drive time and distance: 219 miles

Hire a caravan from: Edinburgh; Glasgow

Three Scottish gems on an easy three-day trip! This lovely route starts off in Scotland’s capital Edinburgh and gives time for a few hours’ sightseeing on the morning of day 1. Going north-west from there, the route passes Pitlochry, staying there on the first night.

Day 2 is for Inveraray and Loch Tay, before a day around Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park, arriving in Glasgow on the evening of Day 3.

See our blog for more3-day road trip in Scotland suggestions.

Top things to do on this route

• Visit Edinburgh Castle

• Shop in Edinburgh’s Princes Street

• Explore Scone Palace, the former crowning place of Scotland’s kings

• Buy souvenirs at Blair Atholl Distillery in Pitlochry

• Spot wildlife around Loch Tay, the biggest lake in Perthshire

• Take a boat trip on Loch Lomond, or visit Loch Lomond Sea Life Centre

• Have a night out in Glasgow

Campsites/caravan parks on this route

• Milton Of Fonab Caravan Park, Pitlochry PH16 5NA

• Loch Lomond Holiday Park, Inveruglas, Argyll G83 7DW

• Red Deer Village Holiday Park, 1 Village Dr, Stepps, Glasgow G33 6FQ

Inverness, Skye and Oban

Drive time and distance: 248 miles

Hire a caravan from: Inverness

Take a few days or preferably a week for this trip – whichever you opt for, spectacular views are a given. Start by hiring a caravan in Inverness, spending a day or half-day there, then driving onto the stunning Isle of Skye. The route meanders east then south to Oban from there, passing Fort William and beautiful Glencoe.

From Oban, take passenger ferry trips to Islay, Mull, Lismore, Colonsay, South Uist, Coll, Tiree or Barra.

Top things to do on this route

• Climb the cliff to sandstone Inverness Castle

• Soak up the vibe at the spa town of Strathpeffer

• Outdoor activities at Fort William

• Take the Jacobite steam train (Hogwarts Express) from Fort William

• Wander around Skye’s main port, Portree

• Hike or picnic around Glencoe

• Take a tour of Oban Distillery

Campsites/caravan parks on this route

• Loch Ness Bay Camping, Borlum Farm, Drumnadrochit IV63 6XN

• Torvaig Campsite, Portree, Isle of Skye IV51 9HU

• Oban Caravan & Camping Park, Gallanachmore Farm, Gallanach Rd, Oban PA34 4QH

Epic Scottish road trip

Drive time and distance: about 600 miles

Hire a caravan from: Edinburgh, or anywhere en route

Got a fortnight or more to spare? Check out this epic Scotland road trip adventure!

Our route starts in Edinburgh, but as it covers a lot of Scotland, you can set off from anywhere in the country. Drive to the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway, then have a day each in Glasgow, Falkirk and Stirling, before rounding off week 1 at Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park and Fort William. Week 2 kicks off with days at Glenfinnan and Loch Ness, then spends a day in the Cairngorms National Park. After that, Aberdeen, Perth, Dundee and Fife round off the trip.

See the full itinerary plus route map at our mainScotland road trips blog. And if you don’t have a fortnight to spare? Try a Scotland itinerary for 7 days.

Top things to do on this route

• Sightsee and shop in Edinburgh and Glasgow

• Go monster spotting at Loch Ness

• Tackle the famous 7Stanes mountain biking routes in Dumfries and Galloway

• Try watersports or snow sports in the Cairngorms National Park

• Visit the galleries and museums of Aberdeen

• Stroll along the two-mile West Sands Beach in St Andrews

Campsites/caravan parks on this route

• Lomond Woods Holiday Park, Old Luss Rd, Alexandria G83 8QP

• Tarland Camping and Caravanning Club Site, Tarland, Aboyne AB34 4UP

• Deeside Holiday Park, South Deeside Road, Maryculter, Aberdeen AB12 5FX

Caravan travel tips

Towing a caravan on Scottish roads

Unless you’re planning to spend every day of your road trip in deepest rural Scotland, towing a caravan on Scottish roads is doable even for beginners. Some parts of some routes, like the North Coast 500, are better suited to campervans or experienced caravanners, but there’s still heaps to see all over the country even for first-time van trips. As with everywhere, drive carefully, don’t speed, and allow for changing weather conditions. Give yourself plenty of time to arrive at each destination – you’ll need extra time to soak up the beautiful scenery along the way!

Caravan park prices, facilities and bookings

Although Scotland is peacefully remote in many places, it’s still a popular destination for trips of all types. We recommend booking at least a few nights’ campsites in advance at the start and end of your trip, as well as for a few days in the middle if you’re going for a longer break – expect to pay from about £20 in high season. All touring caravans should have toilets and showers on board, but check the facilities of each campsite if you want to use the shower or chemical disposal there, or do laundry. Check campfires are allowed too if you’ve your heart set on a nightly blaze.

When to visit Scotland in a caravan

A holiday in Scotland is beautiful in all seasons. Travelling in autumn and winter is a lovely way to see the country in its quieter months, taking in events and activities like skiing, Christmas markets and Hogmanay celebrations, or going rural to see snow-covered mountains or wildlife like rutting deer. Spring and summer are the times for blazing colour over moors and in forests, outdoor activities like watersports or mountain biking, and days at the world-famous Edinburgh festivals.

Hire a caravan in Scotland with Camplify

Have complete peace of mind when renting a van in Scotland with Camplify – all our owners are fully verified and all our vans come with insurance plus 24/7 RAC breakdown cover.

And now that you’re equipped with our Scotland Caravan Guide, it’s time to start planning your trip by browsing all of ourrental caravans in Scotland - available from just £35 per day.

Why Camplify?

We are proud to be the UK's fastest-growing private caravan, campervan and motorhome sharing community. When you hire a van through our platform, it comes with lots of advantages:

• Comprehensive hire insurance

• 24/7 RAC nationwide breakdown cover

• Dedicated customer support

• All members are verified

By hiring with Camplify, you are also helping local families who share their van on our platform and supporting many local companies across the UK in addition to ours. So we are very grateful to you.

Sign up if you want to join our beloved community of van life lovers and receive our most recent news and offers.