One of the great things about Britain is its sheer diversity. And if you are looking for a touring destination in your motorhome, Scotland has all of those contrasts – in landscape, geography, history, and culture – in spades.
In the unlikely event of you being in any doubt, The Scottish Banner website offers its top ten reasons for visiting Scotland in 2023 while Visit Scotland reminds readers that National Geographic magazine rates the Highlands of Scotland as one of its Best of the World destinations.
But let’s pick our own top five favourite locations for touring in your motorhome.
1. The Western Highlands
There is no other part of the British Isles that offers the rugged majesty of mountains and coastline as the Western Highlands of Scotland.
Start your drive from the lowlands of Glasgow and you’ll soon find yourself skirting iconic Loch Lomond for your first taste of the mountains, deep waters, and gentler landscape of the Trossachs National Park.
As you drive north and west, however, the scenery becomes decidedly more rugged and spectacular as you head along the coast towards Fortwilliam, enveloped in the chilling atmosphere of Glencoe, or relaxing in the quaint coastal towns of Tobermory or the gateway to the Western Isles at Oban.
From Oban, you can spend a leisurely day or three simply island-hopping. Make sure to include the picturesque splendour of the Isle of Mull, dominated by Ben More, before wending your way over to the sacred Isle of Iona, with its Abbey, Benedictine Nunnery, and the Graveyard of the Kinds.
On the uninhabited island of Staffa, you can marvel at the acoustic wonder of Fingal’s Cave.
The well-appointed Oban Holiday Park is probably one of the most attractive large sites at which to overnight in your motorhome.
2. The sunshine coast
For an altogether different perspective on the contrasts Scotland has to offer, you might aim for a longer drive and tour the country’s north-eastern seaboard or “sunshine coast” as it is also known.
The beaches here are sufficiently remote to remain unspoiled, with the town of Moray and the village of Lossiemouth recording some of the driest weather in Scotland.
Right by the sea at Lossiemouth is the Silver Sands Holiday Park where you will find a grassy or hardstanding pitch to spend a night or two before continuing your tour.
The Moray coast is also a spot where you may be able to see one of nature’s great phenomena – the Northern Lights!
3. Edinburgh
No trip to Scotland is likely to be complete without a visit to its capital, Edinburgh – and the centre of all things cultural.
The height of the season, of course, is August, when the city plays host to the world-renowned Edinburgh Festival of established and rising fringe theatre and comedy. Depending on your tastes, therefore, you might want or not want to avoid this time of the year.
The Caravan and Motorhome Club’s Edinburgh campsite is ideally situated for city visits, yet it is located outside the busiest areas, in a more peaceful spot along the Firth of Forth.
4. Ayrshire and Arran
Your tour of Scotland doesn’t need to involve a long drive. Hop just across the border into the tranquil rolling countryside in the southwest of the country and you may enjoy the perfect motorhome tour around Ayrshire and Arran.
You’ll find yourself in the heartland of Robert Burns’ place of birth, with a host of quaint countryside towns, sandy beaches – and golf courses galore, with some 50 from which to choose. Indeed, you might even venture as far as Turnberry – the golf course owned by a certain former President of the United States.
Since you are driving your own home away from home, though, avoid the huge expense of staying at Turnberry’s centrepiece and instead park up for a night or two at Ayr Craigie Gardens Caravan Club Site, which is just a short way up the coast and offers up to 90 pitches for motorhomes and caravans.
5. Scottish borders
For a similarly quick hop across the border, but on the eastern side of the country, you might instead make your base in Jedburgh and tour these equally quiet and picturesque roads of the borderlands.
Jedburgh itself is a pretty market town and the distance by road from Newcastle upon Tyne is only 56 miles (91.58 km), which takes around one hour and 10 minutes to drive.
Just four miles south of Jedburgh itself, situated on the quiet banks of the River Jed, you’ll find Jedwater Caravan Park in the heart of perfect walking and horse riding countryside.
