Advice please Scotland Sept/Oct

[WiltshirePete]

Never been to Scotland before so looking at some maps etc. We will have overnight near Carlisle and then to Caravan Club site at Ledaig for 4 nights 20-24 Sept (booked). After that we can stay up to about 3 weeks, we are happy to move on after 2-3 nights and would like to go further up the west coast, maybe as far north as Dunnet Bay, then back down via Inverness, Cairngorms, and finish with a couple of days in Edinburgh.

Questions - is it worth going all the way north, what are roads like in Highland, does it get dark early end Sept/early Oct, etc?

Any suggestions or comments gratefully received.

Thanks in advance,

Pete

 

[Jennifer_374461363]

It is a lovely trip, we have done it 3 times now, although starting from Inverness and going anti-clockwise.

Weather could be lovely....or not! Who knows?

Nights will be drawing in, but then they will be everywhere. On 10th October at Scourie (NW corner of Scotland) sunrise is at 06.45 and sunset at 17.29. In London the figures for that date are sunrise 06.16, sunset 17.17 (London being about 5 degrees further east than Scourie)

Roads are fine, just take your time. Some are narrow, but plenty passing places. Traffic is very light compared to what you will be used to.

Fuel stations are further apart, so don't let the tank go too low, and fuel is expensive.

Food is expensive in the wee places, so best to stock up on essentials in places such as Oban, Fort William, Ullapool, Wick and Inverness.

 

[WiltshirePete]

Many thanks for quick reply, any suggestions as to campsites. We were thinking of using mostly Caravan Club sites as we have been a member for 2 years and only used 2 sites!

Pete

 

[Dustydog]

Pete

I like to save the best till last so tend to do your trip in reverse order.Anyway, from North Ledaig stop at Ardmair Point near Ullapool and then Scourie where the sunsets are awesome.

Dunnet Bay and its beach is beautiful.Plenty to see here including the rip off John O Groats photographer. Castle of Mey well worth a visit.

Grantown On Spey is worth the stay a CC affiliated site ticks all the boxes.From hear you can do the Cairngorms etc.

Inverness is just a big city and whilst it has all the shops probably isn't top of you holiday list.

Edinburgh is always a good stay and you can enjoy the bus guided tours, excellent.

Just remember Scotland is a massive place and it is easy to try and do too much too quickly.

Cheers

Dustydog

 

[James_374408700]

Pete,

Try 'Sands' caravan site at Gairloch. Private site but next to the beach and dunes. As Dustydog says sunsets are awesome. Dolphins as well.

Go real extreme and spend some time at Altnahara caravan club site!

Dont forget the midges though!

Enjoy

Jim

 

[Jennifer_374461363]

Sites.....we use mainly CC.....Bunree, Kinlochewe, Grummore, Dunnet Bay, Culloden Moor, Granton-on-Spey, Edinburgh, also the independent one at Scourie (mainly only 6A electricity).

Going south we have used Gibson Park at Melrose, Old Hartley at Whitley Bay, Whitewater Park at Stockton, and Englethwaite Hall at Carlisle

 

[Gumbo]

Hi pete

As people have already posted Scotland is a good place to visit,but you need to know what you want !!!!!!

Sunsets West Coast, Remote North Sutherland, Scenic Trossachs, Wild is Cairngorm. With out going to the top a Great Beach is to be found at Dornoch, and Great Golf as well. Brora has decent Golf and a good beach. If you want to go up the East Coast, Huntly is a very Good Site. At Stirling Blair Drummond is very nice to. Silverbank at Banchory is handy for Royal Deeside, but the Aberdeenshire Council site at Ballater is both cheap and good. We have no shortage of things to do so you won't get bored !!!!

 

[Dustydog]

 

[Dustydog]

Whoops

Meant to say that was a Scourie Sunset.

Cheers

Dustydog

 

[WiltshirePete]

Many thanks to all of you for the info. Will now get down to planning in earnes

Petet, can't wait to get away now!

 

[coopsbridgecottage.plus.com]

This is the route we are taking, starting at Linwater site, near Edinburgh on 8th Sept, we then plan to move on to Glenmore Forest Site, Brora CC, Elphin CL, Loch Carron, Morvich CC, Bunree CC & somewhere in the Callendar area, then down on to the borders.

Like you we plan to stop 3 to 4 nights at most sites, we have done similar before & found that the scenery is so spectacular that transferring from site to site is classed as a day out & when on a site we hardly use the car, just enjoy the surrounding area.

I hope you have a great holiday & have enjoyed the planning as much as I have.