Glamping in Scotland

Whether you’re scaling the UK’s highest mountain at Ben Nevis, taking a cruise across Loch Ness or Loch Lomond, or hiking, mountain biking, and stargazing in the Cairngorms National Park—Scotland’s storied landscapes are made for adventurers. And a plus for some: Camping in Scotland doesn’t have to mean pitching your tent in the wilderness or battling the mist and midges. With glampsites springing up everywhere from Hadrian’s Wall to the Aran Islands, it's possible to enjoy a back-to-nature experience without giving up your home comforts (or your wifi connection). Scotland glamping sites come in all shapes and sizes, from cosy bell tents, tipis, and yurts to purpose-built, eco-friendly glamping pods. Most come fully furnished with heating and private bathrooms, and you might even have a hot tub or firepit. Glampers can also opt for something completely unique and spend the night in a woodland cabin, a converted railway carriage, or a shepherd’s hut.

Scotland is well known for its variable weather, so it's no surprise that many glamping sites in the country involve solid structures, hard roofs, and warm, air-tight setups. There are, however, plenty of summer glamping sites featuring airy bell tents, tipis, and family-sized safari tents. Sturdier but similarly seasonal, yurts are often available well into October, though yurt sites typically close during the coolest months. Whatever the weather, shepherd's huts offer cosy year-round spaces, often with wood-burning stoves and handy kitchen facilities. The likes of wooden-topped gypsy caravans and insulated pods are also popular—you'll also find a vast array of truly imaginative glamping offerings.

• Experience the sights, sounds, and excitement of the Edinburgh Festival in August.
• Catch a ferry out to the Hebrides and Scotland's remote western Isles.
• Take a wild road trip from glamping site to glamping site on the North Coast 500 route.
• Climb Munros in Cairngorms National Park.
• Hunt for monsters on a Loch Ness boat tour.
• Try winter glamping in the mountains and skiing in the UK's best resorts.
• Head out for mountain biking in Galloway Forest Park.
• Enjoy fresh fish and chips on Scotland's east coast.

Scotland's coastline is over three times the length of England's and twice that of France (and that doesn’t even include some 800 islands). With this, the country unsurprisingly presents a fair amount of logistical and geographical challenges. It’s best split into four different parts: the flat Central Lowlands; the rolling hills of the border country of Southern Scotland; the Highlands in the north; and the array of islands scattered off the western and northern coasts. Throw in almost 300 mountains over 3,000 feet, all spread across some of the most vertiginous landscapes in Europe, and you've got a landscape rife for glamping retreats.

Despite this dizzying array of places, getting around in Scotland has never been easier with an integrated network of planes, trains, buses, helicopters, and ferries—plus the odd tram in Edinburgh and Glasgow. We recommend using a car to travel to most glamping sites in Scotland, where rural areas have little public transport.