Best campsites for hikers in Muir of Dinnet National Nature Reserve

Some of the prettiest woodland in Scotland’s northeast lies in the Muir of Dinnet National Nature Reserve. Within the Cairngorms National Park, the reserve is a beautiful blend of wetlands, heath, moors and woods. It’s also a great place for wildlife spotting—more than 140 bird species have been seen here and otters are also a fairly common sight. A stroll through the landscape brings you to Loch Kinord, where you may see breeding and wintering birds, and to the remarkable Burn O’Vat, a granite cauldron-shaped pothole—standing inside and listening to the water echo is an out-of-the-ordinary experience. While there is no campsite in the nature reserve, caravan sites can be found just 10 minutes away.

99% (48)

Top-rated campgrounds

Some of the prettiest woodland in Scotland’s northeast lies in the Muir of Dinnet National Nature Reserve. Within the Cairngorms National Park, the reserve is a beautiful blend of wetlands, heath, moors and woods. It’s also a great place for wildlife spotting—more than 140 bird species have been seen here and otters are also a fairly common sight. A stroll through the landscape brings you to Loch Kinord, where you may see breeding and wintering birds, and to the remarkable Burn O’Vat, a granite cauldron-shaped pothole—standing inside and listening to the water echo is an out-of-the-ordinary experience. While there is no campsite in the nature reserve, caravan sites can be found just 10 minutes away.

99% (48)

Top-rated campgrounds

1. Cairngorms Glamping and Campsite

97%

(57)

10 units · Tents, Motorhomes · Strathdon, Scotland

Pitches and pods in the Cairngorms National Park

2. Mondhuie Chalets

1 unit · Glamping · Nethy Bridge, Scotland

Just under an acre, close to Ancient Caledonia Forest , on the Speyside Way (which runs from Elgin to the South) Garden space for pets, kids and a run around! Our house and 2 Chalets (1 sleeps 5, 1 ideal for 2 or small family) are on the property. Not fully fenced from road. On the outskirts of NethyBridge. Private driveway, and car park

3. The Loft Glamping & Camping

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(9)

12 units · Tents, Motorhomes · Kinloss, Scotland

The Loft Glamping and Camping is situated at East Grange Farm, Kinloss, Moray. It 's a working farm that has evolved over the years to include Wigwam Glamping and Camping for campervans, motorhomes and tents. A number of the old farm buildings have been reppurposed as venue spaces for Weddings, Events and Workshops. The "wilderness" campsite offers pitches suitable for tents and small campervans whilst the Stackyard area is suitable for motorhomes and mega tents. All motorhome pitches have electrical hook-up and we have a good number of electric tent pitches. We also now take bookings for caravans. We do not have fully service pitches Onsite, we also have Original Wigwam cabins which are wooden camping cabins (Pods) that offer all year round protection against the elements. With heating, electricity, fridge, kettle and toasters. For those wanting a bit more luxury there are also ensuite Wigwam Cabins onsite with wood fired hot tubs. We welcome families, groups, well behaved dogs and do allow campfires outside the wigwams and at pitches and can provide fire hubs on the campsite (this must be pre-arranged). The Loft Glamping and Camping looks forward to welcoming you throughout the year!

4. Glamping Bothy

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(2)

1 unit · Glamping · Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, Central Scotland

An upmarket bothy in the grounds of a 12th-century Aberdeenshire castle

Stories from the community

C

Cathy

August 2025

7 m Class A

Weekend Trip to Cairngorms Glamping and Campsite

Cairngorm Glamping 🩷. This is a beautiful place to stay, with friendly, chilled hosts. Tucked in among the hills of Upper Donside, the view towards the Lecht is lovely … morning or evening. The surrounding countryside is magical. The site has several fields set up for tents / vans / Motorhomes, with or without services. The animal park is very sweet, with goats who seem to spend all day teasing each other and an adorable donkey who wants to talk to everyone 🥰 … the zip-line park was popular with kids of all ages and there’s a food bothy if you don’t feel like cooking. Shower and toilet facilities are clean and well located. They never seemed to be “busy” even though we were there before and during Lonach Gathering weekend. Grey and waste water services are well placed for Motorhome access. As a Scot who lives overseas, I love that places like Cairngorm Glamping exist. They showcase the scenery and provide camping access to areas of countryside that might otherwise be missed by visitors. Just wish we’d had time to stay longer … but will return! 🥰🩷🙏

J

Jordan

August 2025

Tent

2 nights at Cairngorms Glamping and Campsite

Very pleasant, peaceful area with a good view & amenities

S

Stephen

August 2025

Tent

With kids

1 night at Cairngorms Glamping and Campsite

Fantastic, friendly hosts, spectacular views and breakfast was delicious! Kids loved the animals and we would have happily stolen Bru!

e

evelyn

August 2025

Tent

With kids

2 nights at Cairngorms Glamping and Campsite

It would take less time to write what didnt stand out. This is the best, most well kept Campsite we have been to. The fields are really well kept with the most beautiful surroundings. Good Big pitching spaces. Facilities kept clean and always stocked. The Little Critter is a bloody brilliant idea, you can buy feed and go into the first pen and feed the goats, llama and alpaca. There is also a donkey, ponies and a horse, and some chickens. The owners have 4 amazingly friendly dogs. So beautiful and love attntion. 2 of them stay in their garden an want you to throw the ball. Theres a wee shop if you need summit last minute. The washing stations for dishes and the showers etc all have hot - YES - HOT water. There is a massice connect 4 game, swing sets, quiditch poles, a flying fox, an inground trampoline, a sandpit with toys, bikes and go karts all available for the kids and older kids etc. picnic tables. They also provide off the ground fire pits, (there is no time that you have to put it out or get to bed, just be respectful) If you need wood you can take it and pay the next day. Hot rolls and coffee are available in the morning to buy. Robert and his wife and team are all absolutely lovely and nothing is too much. Robert even helped to move my sisters car off a ledge when she missed some signs saying to not turn 🫣😁. The best part as if all of the above was not enough.... NAE MIDGES ❤️ Thank you so so much for an amazing wee break away.

c

claire

August 2025

Tent

With kids

Weekend Trip to Cairngorms Glamping and Campsite

Beautiful place, kids loved the animals and the play park

N

Nicole

July 2025

Tent

With kids

2 nights at Cairngorms Glamping and Campsite

Lovely campsite, great for the kids, my own kids made friends playing on the zipline, loved saying hello to the animals and the bikes they could play on was a nice touch, facilities where nice and we overall had a great time.

A

Abby

July 2025

Tent

2 nights at Cairngorms Glamping and Campsite

Everyone here was super kind and funny. The campsite was in a beautiful area with a gorgeous view and beautiful farm animals surrounding the pitches. Would really recommend and definitely going back.

P

Peter

July 2025

Tent

With kids

Weekend Trip to Cairngorms Glamping and Campsite

Great campsite with lots of amenities. Plenty of space for the kids to run around.

l

lez

July 2025

Tent

With kids

Weekend Trip to The Loft Glamping & Camping

Everything went well from start to finish great welcome to the site , lovely little hide away if staying for 1 or 2 nights even a week plenty to do and see around the area and excellent facilities to boot , and great scenery around the site defo be back

f

fey

July 2025

5 m Class B

With kids

1 night at Cairngorms Glamping and Campsite

Alles war wunderbar! Wir waren total überrascht, wie schön es dort war. Besonders wie kinderfreundlich es dort ist. Ein riesiger, wunderschöner Ort in den Highlands mit lovely handsome critters :), unendlich wunderbaren Spielmöglichkeiten, netten Nachbarn und sauberen Sanitäranlagen. Genau das richtige nach einer langen Fahrt mit Kindern. Wir würden gerne zurück kommen!

H

Helen

July 2025

6 m Class B

With pets

1 night at Cairngorms Glamping and Campsite

Great campsite - definitely dog and family friendly! Lots of amenities.

Electric hook up pitches on the Wilderness campsite.

I

Ian

July 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to The Loft Glamping & Camping

Beautiful location, with nice sheltered, shaded pitches and good facilities including decent showers. Grigor was very helpful and gave me plenty of tips for local places to visit. Thanks

M

Michael

July 2025

7 m Class B

Weekend Trip to Cairngorms Glamping and Campsite

Lovely to be in a secluded area surrounded by mountains, animals and lots of space. Simple well kept facilities.

E

Erin

June 2025

5 m car

Weekend Trip to Cairngorms Glamping and Campsite

Lovely family campsite, gorgeous views and plenty of amenities and essentials on site

A

Allison

June 2025

7 m Class A

With pets

Weekend Trip to Cairngorms Glamping and Campsite

A great campsite. We did not need to use the bathroom facilities as we were in a motorhome. Lovely and quiet which is exactly what we were looking for.

Happy farmer sitting in a truck in a grassy field

Campsites for hikers in Muir of Dinnet National Nature Reserve guide

When to go

Spring and winter are the best times to visit for birdwatching. In spring, summer visitors, such as swallows and willow warblers, return from their winter homes while in winter you may see flocks of finches, tufted ducks, greylag geese, goldeneyes and the occasional otter. However, the reserve is a year-round attraction. Ospreys are sometimes spotted in summer and, in autumn, the landscape blazes with rich colors. Note that the visitor center is usually closed for a few weeks over Christmas and New Year.

Know before you go

This nature reserve is important for wildlife so visitors should visit responsibly, following the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. Be especially careful around breeding birds on the lochs from April through July
You’ll find panels in the Visitor Centre that provide details about how the different elements of the reserve evolved, from the glaciers that carved the landscape to the formation of lochs and bogs.
The closest bus stop is in Dinnit, four miles (6.5 kilometres) away.
Trails are clearly marked and depart from the car park