Caravan Parks In Ross-Shire | MOTORHOMEingLife

It is one of the best parts of the whole route, but it is not the gentlest introduction to Highland touring. The scenery around Ullapool, Gairloch and Torridon is world class, yet the single-track roads, long gaps between fuel stations and exposed Atlantic weather demand confident driving and careful planning. If it is your first big trip in a caravan or motorhome, base yourself at a park near Ullapool or Gairloch and explore from there rather than trying to circle the whole NC500 in a few days. Take it slowly, fill up often, and book pitches ahead in summer, and it makes a superb and memorable first Highland adventure.

Yes, the registered touring parks in Ross-shire offer electric hook-up on their pitches. Sands Caravan and Camping near Gairloch has around 120 electric hook-up pitches along with a shop, cafe and chemical disposal point, and Ardmair Point near Ullapool provides electric hook-up on its grassy waterfront pitches. Broomfield Holiday Park in Ullapool and Gairloch Holiday Park also offer electric hook-up. Because the weather here can be cold and wet even in summer, a reliable electric supply is worth having for heating, so confirm the amperage when you book if you run high-draw appliances. Some remote pitches are non-electric, so specify what you need when reserving.

Ullapool has two strong options for tourers. Ardmair Point Caravan & Camping Park sits right on the water a few minutes drive north of the town, with grassy electric hook-up pitches and a lovely waterfront setting looking across to the Summer Isles. Broomfield Holiday Park is closer in, on the edge of Loch Broom within Ullapool itself, which makes it ideal if you want to walk to the pubs, the seafood restaurants and the Stornoway ferry. Both put you in easy reach of Corrieshalloch Gorge and the road north into Assynt. They fill quickly in the North Coast 500 season, so book ahead for July and August.

Gairloch is a great west-coast base and has two parks we rate. Sands Caravan and Camping is a large beachside site about ten minutes drive west of the village, with roughly 120 electric hook-up pitches, a licensed shop, a cafe and a chemical disposal point, and it works brilliantly for families who want the beach on the doorstep. Gairloch Holiday Park is smaller and family-run, with hardstanding electric pitches and views across Loch Gairloch toward Skye. From either you can reach Inverewe Garden at Poolewe, the Loch Maree nature reserve and the Torridon mountains within a short, if scenic and slow, drive.

They can, but you need to drive them with care and patience. The A835 to Ullapool is a normal A-road and presents no problem, but the A832 loop around Gairloch, Poolewe and Loch Maree, plus the roads into Torridon and Applecross, are single-track with passing places for long stretches. A big motorhome or twin-axle caravan manages fine as long as you go slowly, use the passing places for overtaking as well as oncoming traffic, and pull in to let queues past. The infamous Bealach na Ba to Applecross is best avoided in a large outfit. Plan routes in advance and you will be fine.

In summer, yes, strongly. The North Coast 500 has hugely increased demand, and the parks around Ullapool and Gairloch regularly fill through July and August, so booking ahead saves you from hunting for a space at the end of a long, tiring drive on tricky roads. In May, June and September you have a better chance of turning up and finding room, though a phone call the day before is still wise. Off-season many west-coast parks close entirely, so always check they are open before you travel. Given how far apart the sites are out here, a confirmed booking gives real peace of mind.

Scotland has generous access rights for wild camping, but those rights are strongest for tents and lightweight campers, and the position for motorhomes parking overnight at the roadside is more restricted and, on the NC500, genuinely contentious. The surge in visitors has led to litter, waste and blocked passing places, which has soured local feeling and prompted parking restrictions in places. Our strong advice is to use registered parks with proper facilities, empty your tanks responsibly and treat the crofting communities with respect. If you do stop off-grid on a remote stretch, be completely self-sufficient, take all waste away and never block a passing place or field gate.

Fuel and propane are available in Ullapool, Gairloch, Kinlochewe and Dingwall, but the stations are far apart and west-coast prices are the highest in Scotland, so the golden rule is to fill up at every opportunity rather than waiting until you are low. For emptying tanks, the larger registered parks such as Sands near Gairloch provide a chemical disposal point and grey water facilities for guests, and most touring sites have a service point. Plan your route so you pass a park with facilities every couple of days, because there is very little in the way of public disposal on the remote stretches of the coast.

Honest answer: changeable and often wet. Ross-shire faces the full force of the Atlantic, so even in summer you should expect a mix of glorious clear days and driving rain, sometimes in the same afternoon. Summer highs sit around 17°C with very long daylight, spring brings crisp clear spells with snow still on the Torridon tops, and autumn sees the storms build. Winter is dark, wet and windy with occasional road closures. Whatever the season, pack proper waterproofs and warm layers, and do not rely on a forecast more than a day out. The upside is that the light between the squalls is unforgettable.

Yes, on the west coast they can be, though they are manageable with a bit of planning. Highland midges are worst from about June to early September, and they come out in force near still water, in woodland and on calm, damp, overcast evenings, especially around dusk. A breeze keeps them down, so a pitch with some air movement, such as the coastal sites at Gairloch and Ullapool, is a real advantage. Pack a good repellent, consider a head net for the worst evenings, and keep the door shut at dawn and dusk. They are a nuisance rather than a trip-wrecker, and daytime and windy conditions usually see them off.

Yes, and it is a brilliant add-on. Ullapool is the mainland ferry port for Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, with the crossing run by CalMac taking around two and a half hours. You can take a caravan or motorhome across, but vehicle space is limited and books up early in summer, so reserve well ahead if you want to combine Ross-shire with the Western Isles. The islands offer their own network of holiday parks and stunning beaches. Building a loop that takes in Ullapool, the ferry to Lewis and Harris, and a return crossing makes for a superb extended Highland and Hebridean tour.

We would give it at least four or five days, and you could happily fill a week or more. The distances are long and the roads are slow, so trying to see Ullapool, Gairloch, Torridon and Loch Maree in a couple of days means spending all your time driving and none of it enjoying the scenery. A better plan is to split your stay, a few nights around Ullapool for the north and the Assynt road, then a few nights at Gairloch for Inverewe, Loch Maree and Torridon. That lets you tour from a fixed base each time, keep the daily mileage sensible and actually soak up one of Britain’s great touring regions.

Very much so, and many experienced tourers prefer it then. May, June and September give you the best balance of decent weather, long daylight and far fewer vehicles on the single-track roads than the peak of summer. Spring brings crisp clear spells with snow still capping the Torridon peaks, and September offers dramatic light as the autumn storms begin to build. The main things to check are that the parks you want are open, as some close outside the main season, and that you pack for cold nights and Atlantic weather. Book a little ahead even so, because the good shoulder-season sites are popular with those in the know.

It is one of the best parts of the whole route, but it is not the gentlest introduction to Highland touring. The scenery around Ullapool, Gairloch and Torridon is world class, yet the single-track roads, long gaps between fuel stations and exposed Atlantic weather demand confident driving and careful planning. If it is your first big trip in a caravan or motorhome, base yourself at a park near Ullapool or Gairloch and explore from there rather than trying to circle the whole NC500 in a few days. Take it slowly, fill up often, and book pitches ahead in summer, and it makes a superb and memorable first Highland adventure.

Yes, the registered touring parks in Ross-shire offer electric hook-up on their pitches. Sands Caravan and Camping near Gairloch has around 120 electric hook-up pitches along with a shop, cafe and chemical disposal point, and Ardmair Point near Ullapool provides electric hook-up on its grassy waterfront pitches. Broomfield Holiday Park in Ullapool and Gairloch Holiday Park also offer electric hook-up. Because the weather here can be cold and wet even in summer, a reliable electric supply is worth having for heating, so confirm the amperage when you book if you run high-draw appliances. Some remote pitches are non-electric, so specify what you need when reserving.

Ullapool has two strong options for tourers. Ardmair Point Caravan & Camping Park sits right on the water a few minutes drive north of the town, with grassy electric hook-up pitches and a lovely waterfront setting looking across to the Summer Isles. Broomfield Holiday Park is closer in, on the edge of Loch Broom within Ullapool itself, which makes it ideal if you want to walk to the pubs, the seafood restaurants and the Stornoway ferry. Both put you in easy reach of Corrieshalloch Gorge and the road north into Assynt. They fill quickly in the North Coast 500 season, so book ahead for July and August.

Gairloch is a great west-coast base and has two parks we rate. Sands Caravan and Camping is a large beachside site about ten minutes drive west of the village, with roughly 120 electric hook-up pitches, a licensed shop, a cafe and a chemical disposal point, and it works brilliantly for families who want the beach on the doorstep. Gairloch Holiday Park is smaller and family-run, with hardstanding electric pitches and views across Loch Gairloch toward Skye. From either you can reach Inverewe Garden at Poolewe, the Loch Maree nature reserve and the Torridon mountains within a short, if scenic and slow, drive.

They can, but you need to drive them with care and patience. The A835 to Ullapool is a normal A-road and presents no problem, but the A832 loop around Gairloch, Poolewe and Loch Maree, plus the roads into Torridon and Applecross, are single-track with passing places for long stretches. A big motorhome or twin-axle caravan manages fine as long as you go slowly, use the passing places for overtaking as well as oncoming traffic, and pull in to let queues past. The infamous Bealach na Ba to Applecross is best avoided in a large outfit. Plan routes in advance and you will be fine.

In summer, yes, strongly. The North Coast 500 has hugely increased demand, and the parks around Ullapool and Gairloch regularly fill through July and August, so booking ahead saves you from hunting for a space at the end of a long, tiring drive on tricky roads. In May, June and September you have a better chance of turning up and finding room, though a phone call the day before is still wise. Off-season many west-coast parks close entirely, so always check they are open before you travel. Given how far apart the sites are out here, a confirmed booking gives real peace of mind.

Scotland has generous access rights for wild camping, but those rights are strongest for tents and lightweight campers, and the position for motorhomes parking overnight at the roadside is more restricted and, on the NC500, genuinely contentious. The surge in visitors has led to litter, waste and blocked passing places, which has soured local feeling and prompted parking restrictions in places. Our strong advice is to use registered parks with proper facilities, empty your tanks responsibly and treat the crofting communities with respect. If you do stop off-grid on a remote stretch, be completely self-sufficient, take all waste away and never block a passing place or field gate.

Fuel and propane are available in Ullapool, Gairloch, Kinlochewe and Dingwall, but the stations are far apart and west-coast prices are the highest in Scotland, so the golden rule is to fill up at every opportunity rather than waiting until you are low. For emptying tanks, the larger registered parks such as Sands near Gairloch provide a chemical disposal point and grey water facilities for guests, and most touring sites have a service point. Plan your route so you pass a park with facilities every couple of days, because there is very little in the way of public disposal on the remote stretches of the coast.

Honest answer: changeable and often wet. Ross-shire faces the full force of the Atlantic, so even in summer you should expect a mix of glorious clear days and driving rain, sometimes in the same afternoon. Summer highs sit around 17°C with very long daylight, spring brings crisp clear spells with snow still on the Torridon tops, and autumn sees the storms build. Winter is dark, wet and windy with occasional road closures. Whatever the season, pack proper waterproofs and warm layers, and do not rely on a forecast more than a day out. The upside is that the light between the squalls is unforgettable.

Yes, on the west coast they can be, though they are manageable with a bit of planning. Highland midges are worst from about June to early September, and they come out in force near still water, in woodland and on calm, damp, overcast evenings, especially around dusk. A breeze keeps them down, so a pitch with some air movement, such as the coastal sites at Gairloch and Ullapool, is a real advantage. Pack a good repellent, consider a head net for the worst evenings, and keep the door shut at dawn and dusk. They are a nuisance rather than a trip-wrecker, and daytime and windy conditions usually see them off.

Yes, and it is a brilliant add-on. Ullapool is the mainland ferry port for Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, with the crossing run by CalMac taking around two and a half hours. You can take a caravan or motorhome across, but vehicle space is limited and books up early in summer, so reserve well ahead if you want to combine Ross-shire with the Western Isles. The islands offer their own network of holiday parks and stunning beaches. Building a loop that takes in Ullapool, the ferry to Lewis and Harris, and a return crossing makes for a superb extended Highland and Hebridean tour.

We would give it at least four or five days, and you could happily fill a week or more. The distances are long and the roads are slow, so trying to see Ullapool, Gairloch, Torridon and Loch Maree in a couple of days means spending all your time driving and none of it enjoying the scenery. A better plan is to split your stay, a few nights around Ullapool for the north and the Assynt road, then a few nights at Gairloch for Inverewe, Loch Maree and Torridon. That lets you tour from a fixed base each time, keep the daily mileage sensible and actually soak up one of Britain’s great touring regions.

Very much so, and many experienced tourers prefer it then. May, June and September give you the best balance of decent weather, long daylight and far fewer vehicles on the single-track roads than the peak of summer. Spring brings crisp clear spells with snow still capping the Torridon peaks, and September offers dramatic light as the autumn storms begin to build. The main things to check are that the parks you want are open, as some close outside the main season, and that you pack for cold nights and Atlantic weather. Book a little ahead even so, because the good shoulder-season sites are popular with those in the know.