Wild camping in Scotland

Can you wild camp in Scotland?

Yes, on most unenclosed land, as long as you camp responsibly. The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 gives everyone access rights to most land and inland water, and the Scottish Outdoor Access Code explains how to use them. Lightweight camping in a tent, in small numbers, for no more than two or three nights in one place, is part of those rights.

There are exceptions. Camping management byelaws in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park mean you need a permit or a campsite in some lochshore areas from 1 March to 30 September. Access rights never cover motor vehicles, so sleeping in a car or campervan is a separate matter.

What does the Scottish Outdoor Access Code ask of campers?

The Code's camping guidance comes down to a few habits:

• Small tents, small numbers. Lightweight camping, in a small group.
• Two or three nights at most in one place. Then move on.
• Well away from buildings and roads. Have a back-up plan if your first choice is busy.
• Avoid enclosed fields of crops or farm animals.
• Take all your belongings and litter away, and leave no trace that you were there.
• Use a stove for cooking. Don't light an open fire, fire bowl or barbecue in dry weather, or near forests, farmland, peaty ground, buildings or historic sites.
• Pee at least 30 metres from lochs, rivers and burns. Poo well away from buildings, paths, water and farm animals, and either bury it and replace the turf or bag it and carry it out.

The Code is the test of whether you are acting responsibly. If you follow it, you are exercising your access rights. If you don't, for example by camping beside someone's house or leaving a fire scar, those rights no longer protect you.

Where do you need a permit in Scotland?

In the Camping Management Zones of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, from 1 March to 30 September. Inside those zones, you can only camp in a campsite or in a permit area with a permit. Outside those months, and anywhere in the park outside the zones, the Access Code applies as it does elsewhere.

The key facts, from the National Park's permit page:

• A permit costs £4.50 per tent per night, and you need one for each tent.
• You can book up to three nights in one permit area.
• Bookings open up to four weeks in advance.
• A permit covers the whole permit area you chose. You are not given a set pitch.
• Permit areas have no facilities, so arrive as you would for any wild camp.

The byelaws came in during 2017 and the National Park Authority is reviewing them now, with a public consultation from July to September 2026. Check the permit page before every trip, because the zones or rules could change after the review.

Are fires allowed when wild camping in Scotland?

Only with great care, and in some places not at all. The Access Code asks you not to light an open fire in dry weather or on peaty ground, near forests, farmland, buildings or historic sites, which in practice rules out most wild pitches. Carry a stove.

The Cairngorms National Park goes further. Its fire management byelaw bans fires and barbecues across the whole park from 1 April to 30 September, with a fine of up to £500. Camping stoves are still allowed. Outside those months, the park asks visitors not to light fires at all. Loch Lomond's camping byelaws also cover firelighting in the Camping Management Zones.

Where in Scotland suits a first wild camp?

Choose somewhere you can reach easily and walk out of in poor weather: a glen or low hillside a short walk from a road or station, away from houses and farmland. A first night in Scotland doesn't need to be remote to be memorable.

Popular lochshores fill up on summer weekends, and some are inside the Loch Lomond permit zones. Quieter ground, further from the car park and away from the water's edge, is kinder to the land and more restful for you. We don't publish exact pitches; the Code asks you to choose your own with care, and it only works if people spread out.

How do you get to the Scottish hills without a car?

The West Highland Line from Glasgow is one of the best ways into the hills: it stops at Arrochar & Tarbet, Crianlarich, Bridge of Orchy, Rannoch and Corrour, some of them a few steps from open land. The Highland Main Line from Edinburgh and Glasgow to Inverness stops at Aviemore for the Cairngorms. Check Traveline Scotland for trains and buses.

If you drive, remember that access rights don't cover motor vehicles. Park where parking is provided, and respect any restrictions a landowner puts on their land.

When is the best time to wild camp in Scotland?

May and September are often the best months: long days, and fewer midges than midsummer. Midges are out from late spring to early autumn, worst on still, damp evenings in sheltered glens and by water. Ticks are around in spring and summer too, and some carry Lyme disease.

Winter camping in Scotland is a different activity, with short days, snow and serious cold. Build up to it.

What kit do you need in Scotland?

Pack for midges and wind as well as rain.

• A tent inner with fine, midge-proof mesh, so you can open the outer door without letting them in.
• A head net and midge repellent. On a still evening they make the difference between a good night and a miserable one.
• A tick remover, and long trousers tucked into socks in long grass and bracken.
• A tent that holds its shape in wind, with every guyline used.
• A sleeping mat with an R-value of about 3 or more, and a bag rated for colder nights than you expect.
• A stove, a trowel and a rubbish bag.

The Wild Camp Kit brings together the core kit for a first wild camp in Scotland.

What if you'd rather use a campsite?

Scotland has plenty of campsites, and many are close to the hills. In Loch Lomond & The Trossachs, the National Park Authority runs its own campsites at Loch Chon, Loch Achray, Inchcailloch and Sallochy. For small sites with few facilities, our guide to nearly wild camping explains what to look for.

How do you stay safe on a Scottish wild camp?

Tell one person your route and your return time, check the Met Office mountain forecast before you go, and have a lower, sheltered alternative in mind if the weather turns. Mobile signal disappears in many glens, so don't rely on your phone for navigation or for calling out.

Rivers and burns can rise fast after rain, and some are impassable in spate. Plan a route out that doesn't depend on one crossing. In an emergency, call 999, ask for the police, then ask for mountain rescue.

Questions people ask

Is wild camping legal everywhere in Scotland?

On most unenclosed land, yes, if you follow the Access Code. The main exceptions are the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs Camping Management Zones from 1 March to 30 September, enclosed fields of crops or animals, and land close to houses.

How long can I wild camp in one place in Scotland?

Two or three nights at most, according to the Access Code. In a Loch Lomond permit area, you can book up to three nights.

Do access rights include campervans?

No. Access rights don't cover motor vehicles, so wild camping rights don't extend to sleeping in a car or campervan.

Can I light a campfire in Scotland?

The Access Code asks you not to in most of the places you would wild camp, and the Cairngorms National Park bans fires and barbecues from 1 April to 30 September. Use a stove.