Nicky J Green

Saturday 27th May to Saturday 3rd June 2023

My brother and I have been planning this trip for a while now. It may not seem like a big deal to many people, but to us it was going to be an adventure! For most of my adulthood, I’ve only had a handful of proper holidays away. I also have a keen interest in van life which started back long before it was popularised by Instagram, and so was relishing the opportunity to experience it. My brother, who is disabled, has recently been through a difficult time and so this trip was going to be significant for him too.

After many itinerary adjustments, lots of research and a wealth of conversations with other vanlifers, campers and seasoned Scotland visitors, we were ready to hit the road.

Day 1 – Travel Day

Leaving South Gloucester around 8:30 am, we headed for Scotland. As we pulled off the drive I felt such excitement at the prospect that by the end of the day, we would be in another country, some 350 odd miles away from where we started. I guess that’s the appeal of travel. My brother has a Ford Transit Devon Campervan, about 25 years old and calls her Ye Old Faithful.

We plodded along steadily on the inside lane of the M4, M5 and M6 for pretty much the whole journey. We made a couple of stops along the way to break up the motorway driving and stretch our legs. Stafford Services North on the M6 treated us to a beautiful large pond/ small lake with ducks and a fountain. It was a perfect spot to relax and have some lunch, we almost forgot all the driving we had ahead!

Around 7pm we were welcomed to Scotland and upon crossing the border, my brother of course played The Proclaimers. Singing and bobbing along to I’m Gonna Be felt like a proper road trip as well as a sense of achievement crossing the border. We had a late stop for some food at Cairn Lodge Services and picked up the last two hot pies they had. Hands down, BEST service station I have ever visited. It was welcoming, friendly and the food was local and delicious!  

Although the day had been successful and we had reached Scotland without any breakdowns or too many holdups, we were very tired from all the driving. We had contemplated a stop over in England during our planning process as we were aware YOF was an old vehicle travelling slowly and the motorways would be busy with bank holiday and half term traffic. However, we opted for a stop over in Kilmarnock at The Park Hotel, a decision we did not regret! To have a hot shower, sink into a soft cosy bed and refuel with a full Scottish breakfast the next morning, was the perfect way to reset from the journey and begin our camping adventure.

Day 2 – Wild Camping

After breakfast we headed out to continue our journey North East to Cairngorms National Park. Our route took us through Glasgow on the M8 which looks like it passes through the new Low Emissions Zone. Upon researching this later on, I don’t think the motorway passes through the zone but it’s worth checking in advance if using this route. It was only a couple of hours drive from our hotel in Kilmarnock to the Cairngorms National Park. We arrived at Blair Atholl, the south gateway to the Cairngorms, and stopped here for a while to plan out the rest of our day.

We had parked up at the Blair Atholl Visitor Centre which was closed due to it being a Sunday. The parking was unlimited so we made ourselves a coffee in the van and had a wander around. My brother has limited mobility so we didn’t explore too far and we were quickly drawn back to the van by the smell of fish’n’chips from the shop next door. 

On our brief wander around we discovered Blair Atholl is home to Blair Castle and Gardens and Atholl Country Life Museum, either of which we would love to have explored further had we planned more time to spend in the area. Both my Brother and I were a little apprehensive as we were planning on wild camping in the Cairngorms National Park that night, something neither of us had done before. After some lovely fish n chips from Food in the Park we headed back to the A9 and followed it clockwise around the Cairngorms.

We took our time travelling and stopping to admire the stunning scenery and landscape. Not far from Blair Atholl we stopped by The House of Bruar, a department store/mini village set off the road, with some of the quality cashmere on offer tempting both of us! A short drive later saw us stopping on the bridge from Kincraig to admire the River Spey on one side and loch Insh on the other. The incredible waterscapes, on such a beautiful sunny day, were something from a painting. We were both just blown away with the beauty surrounding us. It wasn’t long before we found a lovely secluded camping spot in the forest, right on the banks of River Feshie and Allt Fhearnasdail. There were two other tents on the bank, so we parked up the camper and I pitched up my tent ready for our first night wild camping in Scotland.

Day 3 – Braemar Caravan Park

The night had been cold but I didn’t really notice much as I was excited about being wild camping. It stays light until around 10:30 pm this time of year in Scotland, so getting our camp ready and heading to bed was easy without torches, especially with the waxing gibbous moon lighting up a clear sky. Even a wild wee at 3 am wasn’t hampered by lack of light and I was able to admire the tranquillity of the forest at night. Waking up to the sun shining through the trees and the sound of the rivers running nearby, was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. I spent some time climbing around the banks and wandering around the trees by our camp, just taking in all that nature had to offer. I still, now, can’t believe how idyllic our wild camping experience had been. 

Once we were both up and ready, we had some breakfast and were visited by the local rangers. They were checking in with all the wild campers and offering out information. This made me feel quite safe, knowing the area was patrolled even on a bank holiday and also demonstrated how well the area is cared for. We left our wild camp spot (leaving no trace!) and headed for our campsite at Braemar, with many stops along the way. The roads through the Cairngorms National Park are single track for the most part with ample pull-in places. Our route took us on some of the snow roads which offer the most stunning and dramatic landscapes throughout the journey. You would never have known it was a bank holiday as we rarely saw another car.

We arrived at Braemar Caravan Park and were quickly checked in. The camp was quiet, very clean, organised and well equipped. Located on the edge of Braemar village, the campsite is surrounded by some beautiful scenery. We were pitched close to the amenities block, as requested due to my Brother’s limited mobility. However this did have us next to the entrance and road which, although pretty quiet most of the time, groups of bikers would pass through the village and noisy campervans would occasionally come and go. This location did prove delightful late one night however, when a couple of campers returned from the village in high spirits singing in tune all the way up the road through the main gate! The campsite boasts hardstanding gravelled pitches with grassed dividers, grassed pitches for campers, separate tent pitching grass areas and sleeping pods available for hire. The facilities were excellent and regularly cleaned with plenty of hot water for washing, showering and washing up. 

We had been blessed with another warm and sunny day that really showed off the stunning landscape of the Cairngorms NP. After dinner, we familiarised ourselves with the campsite and sat to watch the rabbits running around the neighbouring field.

Day 4 – Balmoral Castle and Estate

One of the appeals to booking a campsite in Braemar was being so close to Balmoral. This and wild camping were our two must dos for our trip. After breakfast in the van we headed straight to Balmoral Castle for the day. It was a quick drive, through the quaint little village streets, to the castle. The main car park is before you enter the grounds, however we had called ahead and were told to drive onto the estate to access the disabled parking. 

The mobility access around Balmoral was excellent. The disabled parking is right outside the gift shop and all the paths we came across were wheelchair and scooter friendly. A visit to Balmoral Castle is predominantly outside in the grounds. On our visit, the ballroom was open to visitors and offered, not only a look around the ballroom itself, but a wealth of displays and information documenting the history of the Royal family, more recent information and some of their local ties to Scotland and the local area.

The grounds of Balmoral estate offered some great views of the building itself as well as some peaceful walks along the river paths and through the gardens. We were given a map of the grounds so we could navigate ourselves very easily along the paths. We stopped for a while at the pet cemetery and also at the Princess Alice Memorial for a brief self guided history lesson. Many other visitors had opted to take up the audio tour, which appeared a popular choice.  

There is a toilet block and small cafe on site as well as a gift shop to pick up some souvenirs. After picking up some gifts for our parents, we headed back to the campsite to reflect on a lovely day out at Balmoral. We were again blessed with weather perfect to enjoy leisurely strolls around the grounds and found all the staff to be really friendly and helpful. My brother was able to enjoy everything on offer thanks to the excellent mobility access. After dinner, we took our binoculars up to the neighbouring field and sat and watched the bunnies running around again..

Day 5 – Loch Morlich

My brother had heard of a beach in the Cairngorms and was instantly intrigued. After a little bit of research we discovered it was Loch Morlich he had heard about. We decided to head there for the day and see the beach claims for ourselves. We took a leisurely drive from the campsite, around to the Aviemore area and arrived at Loch Morlic in time for lunch.  

We arrived at the main car park which is situated in the surrounding Glenmore Forest Park. Although it was really busy when we arrived, there was ample parking and we quickly found a spot, not too far from the main path. As we headed down the footpath through the trees, they started to frame the incredible landscape coming into view. As we approached the loch, the trees gave way to a multi-feature landscape I had never seen before. The beautiful sandy beach meeting the still silky water of the loch was perfectly framed by the green forest and rocky mountainscape set against a clear blue sunny sky. It was truly a picture postcard moment. My brother and I just sat for ages trying to take in our surroundings.

I can not express how stunning Loch Morlich was on that day. The photos simply do not do it justice. To have mountain, forest, sand and water all in one view is just so stunning and leaves one feeling quite spoilt. It was wonderful to see so many people enjoying the water on SUPs and canoes and there was even a popular watersports facility at the loch. After quite some time relaxing on the beach, my brother and I decided to cool off with some ice creams from the beach cafe and headed for a wander around the surrounding forest. The forest is well connected for walkers and cyclists, and the paths were easily accessible, at least in the area we were.

The parking area had a decent toilet block that was being attended whilst we were there. We decided to head back to the van and continue on into Aviemore for the late afternoon. Aviemore has lots to offer and is a great place to spend the day exploring. As we had arrived later in the day we sadly didn’t get to see as much as we’d have liked. I have stayed in Aviemore before, many years ago, for a Christmas trip and it is such a beautiful place to be. Aviemore is a popular base to explore the Cairngorms National Park from and has an abundance of amenities to offer. Lots of high street and independent shops, a good choice of eating and drinking places, accommodation of all types are available and lots of local attractions can be found close by. After a look around some local shops and a grocery top up, we settled in for some fish’n’chips from Smiffy’s as the smell had been driving us hungry!

Day 6 – Braemar Village

When my brother and I were planning our camping trip to the Cairngorms National Park, we kept our day plans quite loose once at the campsite. This meant we could be flexible and just enjoy the adventure, but also enabled us plenty of time with my brother’s mobility restrictions if needed. Today we had decided to explore Braemar village and so it offered us the time to enjoy what was fast becoming an enriching habit on our trip, some time chatting and reflecting over tea and cake whilst admiring the stunning backdrops we were finding ourselves against at each tea break. 

Braemar village is a beautiful setting to walk around and admire and there are some walks and trails that start and pass through the village. It was another beautiful sunny day so we took a casual stroll from the campsite into the heart of the village. We headed to Gordon’s Tearoom and Restaurant for a delicious lunch and explored the local shops, art gallery and churches within the village. Braemar Castle, the community run historical landmark, was sadly closed for its big renovations whilst we were there but it looked an impressive and interesting castle to explore and is visible from the main road into Braemar.

However, we were free to visit the home of the famous Braemar Gathering and take a look around the grounds and pavilion that host the popular event. This nicely rounded our trip to Balmoral and learning of the Royal family’s connections and interest in Braemar and the famous games event.

Day 7 – Pack Up and Stop Over

On a last minute whim, my brother and I decided against a wild camp night in favour of a hotel stay for our last night in Scotland. We were both conscious of the long drive back to South Gloucestershire and decided we wanted to be fresh and well rested for the journey. We packed up our camp before taking a steady drive to our hotel.

There were two things my brother wanted to spot on our trip to Scotland and that was a highland cow and a red squirrel. Although we never got to see a highland cow on our travels, on our last morning a red squirrel came to visit the campsite. We were too busy admiring this rare beauty that it disappeared before either of us could grab a camera. But we saw it. And that made us both happy.

On our drive to Gretna Green, we passed through Perth to refuel and ran into some complications with road layouts and turnings. It didn’t help that our sat nav was taking us to a petrol station that didn’t exist (nor do I think it ever existed judging by the old buildings in the location) but we managed to navigate to a petrol station and back onto our main route.

We stayed at The Days Inn at Gretna Green service station which was nice and comfortable and relatively quiet considering its location. This was both our first time at a Days Inn and we both found it relaxing after our day, with friendly and accommodating staff on hand.

Day 8 – Home and Reflection  

After a restful sleep and a decent cooked breakfast to send us on our way, the rest of our journey home was smooth and easy back down the M6, M5 and M4. My brother and I took the time to reflect on our trip and chat excitedly about our experiences.

We had been blessed with such warm and sunny days that it definitely made our trip so much more special and enjoyable. Although we had the warm day temperatures, the Cairngorms NP still experiences chilly night time temperatures with some nights as low as 5℃ during our week in May. I was expecting the cold nights but have since invested in warmer thermals and educated myself better on how to maximise my season 3/4 sleeping bag qualities. 

The Cairngorms National Park did not disappoint to deliver us an absolutely stunning and beautiful camping trip. Every place we visited offered breathtaking scenery that so often just left us speechless. To travel within the United Kingdom and experience something so different and so unique is quite special and a huge privilege. Both my brother and I have taken so much away from our experience and our trip never fails to put a smile on our faces every time we think about it.