# Advice please on holiday in Northwest or Northeast Scotland



## tony50 (Oct 16, 2007)

We are planning to go to Scotland for a few weeks, and your advice would be appreciated.
the scenery in the north is supposed to be very nice , do we go for the northwest or Northeast ?
We have heard that midges are a problem, to avoid when is it best time to go ? and are they in the east or west ?
Are there plenty of campsites ?

Thanks 
Tony A


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## tony50 (Oct 16, 2007)

Help please


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## suedew (May 10, 2005)

Hi Tony, I prefer the west coast, as you avoid the cold east winds, midges are a pain near water but they dont like the wind. 
As a child had no problems with midges, but all the family were smokers and my uncles pipe was enough to deter anything.
I like going back in May starting to warm up and fewer of the dreaded midges.
Have had no problem finding campsites, like the club site at Forfar, good for visiting the town, if you are a single malt man, head for the Isle of skye and the site at sligachan (sp) the bar behind has hundreds of whiskies on optics in Alphabetical order, John still has a long way to go to get to the end.
Am heading for Oban later this year, not sure which site i will use, if any, but there are acouple of great fish restaurants and I will need to visit at least one, and the caravan on the front for seared scallops.
There is a campsite at Laide on Gruinard bay the sunsets in that area are spectacular, believe there is a wildcamping spot at Melon Udrigle, the most magnificent sunset i have ever seen.
Hope you have a lovely time. 
Do you like walking, fishing, castles? a bit about what you like to do might raise a few more suggestions.

Sue


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## KITTYKAMPER (Apr 5, 2009)

Midges are much worse in the west, but scenery much better too, more hours of sun in the east .....
Have a look at these places on google earth ....
Achiltibuie ( for boat trips to summer isles )
We wild camped just north of here on a little port ( forgot the name )
Ullapool ..... Camp site ate entrance of sea loch was nice
Gruinard Bay 
Poolewe
Cove ( on Loch Ewe north of Poolewe ) super "common grazing" casual campsite here ..... Few years ago so check still exists .... Amazing beach, ringed plovers nesting and highland cattle crazing all around you.

Gairloch
Shieldaig
Applecross ...... The pass over to Applecross is amazing but so is the drive around from Shieldaig so worth doing both

Fair bit further south ....past Skye and Mallaig etc ....
The Ardanurchan peninsular is great, you might get away with wild camping at Sanna bay as we did .... If out of season ....
Not done much touring in the East but will get back to you with more when we next get wifi as just about to move on.
Basically I think the west has more to offer in way of scenery, May and September will avoid the worst of the midges 

Feel free to PM with specific questions and I'll dig out more info when I have a map in front of me

Kathy


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## Gailey (Jul 23, 2013)

Why not go up the west coast and down the east?
Both have their pros and cons and really it depends what floats your boat.
I think the scenery is more dramatic in the west, but the roads windier and it's more touristy. The East is a lot more accessible ( it's dualled most of the way).
My parents have lived in rural Aberdeenshire on the east coast for many years now, and when we visit for any decent period we go up the west, through Glencoe and towards Inverness then travel East along the main Inverness to Aberdeen road, then coming back down come down the dual carriageway on the east then through Perth/ Kinross , Stirling etc ...best of both worlds.
If you definitely want campsites, Oinch caravan club site is magnificent, and there is also a lovely site near Killin ( I think it might be Maragowan) - but you might alternatively want to buy the Britstops book ( depending when you are going - I think the new book is out March ?) and do stopovers that way...there are lots of lovely ones in Scotland.
Hope that helps


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## Robell (Mar 13, 2013)

Hi Tony,

Scotland is wonderful for touring, you're not hounded out of wildcamping spots like you are in the rest of the country (assuming you intend to do some wildcamping as well as campsites). 

We did the east coast, then across the top and down the west coast (but that was just our choice). Have to agree with what's already been said about scenery and the dreaded midges. Just make sure you have plenty of midge repellent. The worst times of year are June to the end of August apparently.

Stayed on a few good campsites, like Altnaharra and Onich (if you're a CC member).

Lovely wildcamping just down from Ullapool next to Loch Assynt if you're out of the midge season. Also on the Cairngorms.

Corrieshalloch Gorge and the Falls of Shin are good places to visit.

Wherever you go in the highlands you will no doubt enjoy the scenery and tranquility ------ it's magic!

Rob

Oh, and don't forget to keep the fuel topped up. filling stations are somewhat scarce the further north in the Highlands you go - and more expensive.


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## angelaa (Feb 14, 2011)

We love Lochgilphead. It's beautiful and a lovely caravan site there on the front. We were there in October. Some lovely places around there.


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## CandA (May 1, 2005)

Hi

Lots of us love going to Scotland. However, the midges can be dreadful and I would avoid going from June to the end of August. We also visit at Easter and over the 30+ years have had all sorts of weather but May is a good time to go too.

The west coast is lovely for the scenery but it is difficult to beat the Camping and Caravanning Club site on Channonry Point, near Rosemarkie (not far from Inverness) as you can watch dolphins from your pitch and just a short walk up the beach to the point you can watch dolphins from just a few feet away around high tide. Charlie Phillips, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society's Field Officer is often there to answer questions and it is a wonderful wildlife experience. Charlie's blog is at:
http://uk.whales.org/blog/charliephillips

Where ever you go in Scotland you will find beautiful places.

Good wishes


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Tony

Scotland is beautiful

But lancashire and Cumbria are magnificent

Maybe stop and explore this region

Gaze at the mountains in the Lake District

Walk them maybe

Or walk the lower slopes whilst they watch over you

Slip into yorkshire

Buy cheese, explore the canals and markets

Visit bury market

And visit me   
Aldra


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## 100127 (Jul 20, 2006)

When is the midge season then guys?


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## KITTYKAMPER (Apr 5, 2009)

midge season is roughly June to August, varies from year to year depending on winter frosts, rainfall, spring temperatures. good years they are an occasional mild annoyance, bad years they make outdoor life impossible. I spent a few summers in a bothy on the shore of Loch Maree and the worst year I was wearing a midge hood and rubber gloves just to put out the washing, the best year I was skinny dipping and sunbathing every day. Heat and wind both keep them at bay, obviously with a motorhome we can move on from very midgy spots just like we can move on from any other little annoyance .....


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## Gordonm (Dec 4, 2014)

Before the weather 'changed', I always preferred Scotland around Whitsun week at the end of May as it was the first week of great weather and the week before the midges appeared!

I prefer the north-west as I like my hills good and pointy, the north east ones are more rounded - but all are beautiful. the area between Ullapool and the Kyle of Tongue is my favourite, especially Achiltibuie 

The best Midge repellent is Avon Skin-so-soft - long story, but I spent some time up at RAF Kinloss and got to know people in the Mountain Rescue centre there, and they bought the stuff by the crate, and swore that it outperformed anything else with or without that nasty DEET.

(there's a fantastic fish and chip shop in Ullapool btw)


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## Robell (Mar 13, 2013)

> (there's a fantastic fish and chip shop in Ullapool btw)


I'll second that :eating:


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## vicdicdoc (May 14, 2005)

Blobsta said:


> When is the midge season then guys?


You should be asking when the **** bagpipe season is . . . I'm not sure which is the worst of the two: midges buzzing & biting: bagpipes squealing & squawking. (But there again I'm a Londoner :wink:


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## tony50 (Oct 16, 2007)

suedew said:


> Hi Tony, I prefer the west coast, as you avoid the cold east winds, midges are a pain near water but they dont like the wind.
> As a child had no problems with midges, but all the family were smokers and my uncles pipe was enough to deter anything.
> I like going back in May starting to warm up and fewer of the dreaded midges.
> Have had no problem finding campsites, like the club site at Forfar, good for visiting the town, if you are a single malt man, head for the Isle of skye and the site at sligachan (sp) the bar behind has hundreds of whiskies on optics in Alphabetical order, John still has a long way to go to get to the end.
> ...


Thanks for reply we like all suggestions plus cycling where there are no vehicles (not woods or rough tracks
Thanks again 
Tony A


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## tony50 (Oct 16, 2007)

aldra said:


> Tony
> 
> Scotland is beautiful
> 
> ...


Wow! Thaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnks

Tony A


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

tony

Carry a supply of one a day antihistamine tablets

We were once badly bitten by midges in glencoe

Visited the chemist for some cream we were so miserable

He gave us antihistamine tablets, didn't stop the b*****s biting but stopped the reaction and itching

Never travel anywhere without them now, problem solved  

Aldra


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Can't add much, but a couple of tips we picked up.

I'd go up the East, over the top and down the West. The West has far more spectacular scenery, so it seems better to leave it for last to avoid a feeling of anticlimax. _(We went last September and didn't even see any midges.)_

When travelling down the West, decide how long it will take from A to B, and quadruple it to allow for all the stops to gawp at the scenery.

Be careful in Ullapool. There are two chip shops, and it's not the first one you will come to from the campsite. You want the one on the corner - and don't ask for a large portion unless you have not eaten in three days. :roll:

Dave


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## JLO (Sep 27, 2006)

We lived just outside Elgin in a place called Mosstodloch for nearly 4 years, never had a problem with midges. We were about 2 miles from the coast at Garmouth.

If you like whisky the whisky trail starts in Elgin. Glenfiddich was about 15 miles away from us, Glen Grant about 8 miles in Rothes. 100 pipers and Queen Anne were also nearby. Walkers shortbread factory and the Aberlour distillery about 8 miles from Elgin. There is a Cooperage in Craigallechie. In the village where we lived is Baxters of Speyside who have a visitor centre and various shops. Aviemore is about 50 miles away, Inverness also about 50 and Aberdeen about 70. Tomintoul within a reasonable travelling distances, as are Ballater and Braemar. Fort William used to take us a couple of hours (in a car) Ospreys, Dolphins etc at Spey Bay (about 5 miles away from us) There is plenty to do and see around that area. 

Sorry can't help you with campsites as we didn't have the motorhome when lived up there.

If you go in May June it starts to get light about 2am and it goes down about 12.30 am. Only trouble was when we first went to live there I had awful trouble convincing our 6 year old son that even though the sun was still shining at 9 pm it was still bedtime. His Friday night treat was for the 3 of us to go for a bike ride, we would leave about 10pm and cycle down to the Spey to watch the salmon leaping and we didn't need lights on our bikes, on the other hand in the winter......


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Tony

It's so magnificent in Scotland

The greAt glen 

And the Westcoast 

You will just love it all

So just go relax enjoy

Mind you Im p****d off you are not coming to me

Maybe the route down??

Aldra


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