Must See Nature in Scotland

Our top choices for wild camping and nature filled adventures in Scotland.

Image description: a spaniel-sized, mixed-breed rescue dog stands on a path between tall pine trees and watches squirrels and birds.

Scotland is the wild heart of the UK, it is like being transported to another world where mountain ranges tower above you, breath-taking lochs reflect bright sunsets and moss-covered forests enchant you.

We spent a couple of months travelling around Scotland, to take our self-built camper van (converted Ford Transit) out for a test adventure. We chose Scotland because it was close enough that if there was an emergency, we could cry it off and grab a coach home, but also because we hadn’t explored it yet and knew it was going to be an incredible adventure.

So, how to choose where you want to go? Jack and I prefer nature-filled adventures, far away from cities and the noisy crowds they host. As we were heading north as winter started, we didn’t have to worry about the extra hoards of tourists that summer brings, so we had more flexibility.

Though we originally went to Scotland to try out the famous NC500 route, it was practically the only place on the mainland we didn’t go to due to a few electrical problems slowing us down and a spot of emergency facial surgery for a tricky tooth. We don’t regret it though, the places we did experience were just too amazing to wish we didn’t spend as much time there.

Image description: a cheeky female red deer is poking her head through a feeding/ viewing hole in a wooden fence that is painted a grey-blue colour. Her wet, brown nose is heart shaped on the end of her muzzle and there is something goat-like about her dark brown eyes. Her oval ears are pointing outwards and her gaze is focussed on a carrot stick behind the camera.

GALLOWAY FOREST PARK

An immense place with over a million trees, considered to be the largest forest in the UK. With its Dark Sky Park status, it is the perfect place to star gaze at night and watch the moon in all its glory. This was where had our first wild camp too! It has tonnes of trails with different lengths and abilities, which was perfect for me as a traveling spoonie (I have ME/CFS and POTS). You can feed, stroke and photograph red deer at the Red Deer Park (which is wheelchair friendly, if slightly muddy), go looking for red squirrels or just stop in your car and watch waterfalls!

Image description: Jack is a tall, white man with dark blonde hair wearing a cute smile, chequered fleece jacket that we call 'The Lumberjack Jacket' and blue jeans. In front of him is a scruffy black and white dog with a curly tail like a husky, though she is a desert dog. Behind them is a miniature green cliff, covered in mosses, ferns and ancient grasses and in between them are autumn leaves, fallen from trees above. A trickle of a waterfall comes gently down.

STRANRAER

A beautiful corner of south-west Scotland that, according to locals, doesn’t get much busier than we saw it in winter! We planned to stay around here for a night or two and ended up staying for about a week. We meandered along Loch Ryan and saw a breath-taking moon rise, enjoyed a blustery walk around Portpatrick followed by a lunch in a kooky café there and found the dinkiest nature reserve too. Aldouran Nature Reserve is a volunteer-maintained oasis where we watched tonnes of red squirrels, saw woodpeckers and went for multiple walks in the valley, staring at all of the mini waterfalls and streams.

Image description: Jack is all wrapped up in his winter clothes but manages to still look semi-graceful as he tip-toes over stepping stone rocks. The water around him is Loch Morlich, the water looks choppy and is patterned with ripples due to the freezing breeze. Behind, the Cairngorm mountains are snowy and are a white contrast behind the black line of winter trees that line the loch.

CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK

The Cairgorms is one of those amazing places where you can visit all year round and it be magical every time. I visited when I was 16 in the height of summer, and although the midges were a classic nuisance, we swam in lochs and climbed the peaks. This time, however, was a stark contrast. Snow-capped mountain ridges were a magical backdrop for sunsets shimmering on Loch Morlich. Loch Morlich is a great place to go if you want to be immersed in nature but use mobility aids or struggle with inclines, as there is a well-maintained path. We kept coming back. The Cairngorms is one of those places you needn’t have an itinerary for, because you’ll want to keep stopping and walking around, picnicking or photographing everything.

Image description: a bright, wintery picture that is almost spring-like. Coral Bay, a semi-circular cove lies beneath the hill, its waters a sparkling blue and land a greeny-yellow from the bright evening sun. A black and white dog, Winnie, overlooks the bay and is on a lead. It almost seems as if she has spotted the otters playing down below, which we have spent a few minutes looking at through our binoculars.

ISLE OF SKYE

Skye is where we spent Christmas and stayed for a while. Honestly, we could have almost moved there as we loved the community so much, enjoyed the rugged beauty and all of its local history and folklore. We loved it so much I wrote a whole post on it- go check it out!

If you enjoyed this travel guide, stay tuned as we enter Europe for a year-long road trip on a budget, in our self-built camper van! Enjoy your wild adventures!