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Camp site availability in Outer Hebrides

jjpoppy

jjpoppy

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Location
Norwich
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T6 Ocean 150
Off up to Outer Hebrides next month. I am thinking of just making the trip as I go without booking too many sites. Am I being silly? Should I be booking sites? Just how busy does it get up there, it is not school holidays.
 
We went in September 2021 travelling from Barra up to Lewis. Most sites were busy and some completely full. Unless you intend to wild camp, we would plan your trip and pre book sites.

FYI We stayed at:
Borve on Barra
Kilbride on South Uist
Balranald on North Uist
Horgabost on Harris
Ardroil on Harris
Eilaen Fraoich on Lewis

We’d also recommend you stock up with food, drink and fuel regularly whist on the islands. Opportunities for eating out and refuelling are few In our experience.

Great trip to do - have fun.
 
I’m currently sitting on a ferry on way back from a motorbike tour of Arran, Mull, Skye, Lewis, Harris, Uists and Barra. Campsites were very busy. Can only imagine they get even busier from now onward. There are some wild spots and serviced parking spots but the days of relaxed island hopping ferry tickets and making plans with the weather appear to be gone, at least for now.
 
Tiree has a booking system. They got fed up of people parking on the machair.
 
We went in September 2021 travelling from Barra up to Lewis. Most sites were busy and some completely full. Unless you intend to wild camp, we would plan your trip and pre book sites.

FYI We stayed at:
Borve on Barra
Kilbride on South Uist
Balranald on North Uist
Horgabost on Harris
Ardroil on Harris
Eilaen Fraoich on Lewis

We’d also recommend you stock up with food, drink and fuel regularly whist on the islands. Opportunities for eating out and refuelling are few In our experience.

Great trip to do - have fun.
And as suggested elsewhere, you really do need to book most ferries.
 
We are heading over to Lewis & Harris next weekend for a week. Ferry booked Glastonbury-style on the day the summer timetable came online. Booked the trip long before we got our van, so we have accommodation. Still hoping to pinch a sneaky night or two in the van, not on sites though. Would welcome any recommendations in the north west of the island for quiet overnight spots.


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We are heading over to Lewis & Harris next weekend for a week. Ferry booked Glastonbury-style on the day the summer timetable came online. Booked the trip long before we got our van, so we have accommodation. Still hoping to pinch a sneaky night or two in the van, not on sites though. Would welcome any recommendations in the north west of the island for quiet overnight spots.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Car Park 1 or 2 at Eoropie Dunes Park near Port of Ness is worth a try.
 
And as suggested elsewhere, you really do need to book most ferries.
Thank you for this, Yes all ferries booked, we found we had to as no open tickets for campervans or motor homes any more. Looks like perhaps we will book more camp sites than we had originally (2020) planned.
 
The community-run campsite at Cnip on SW Lewis is wonderful, and you can buy fresh scallops at a hut nearby!
 
School holidays start 24th June in much of Scotland and it will be very busy with motorhomes anyway, so definitely advisable to book. The ferries are often old and plagued with maintenance issues so build in flexibility in case ferries are delayed/ not running.
 
We went last Sep for 3 weeks with our one year old and did a mix of pre booked campsites and camping spots that you pay when you turn up. I’d really recommend scurrival on Barra run by such a friendly helpful chap and has community kitchen/ dining room that came in helpful on a stormy night. Also definitely book ahead with balnarald site on uist beautiful walks and new modern shower blocks. Also enjoyed staying at Cnip on Lewis which we didn’t book ahead that also has good small supermarket with laundry service facilities fairly nearby and at huishinish on Harris at the community trust spot again I don’t think you can book ahead. It’s such an incredible trip to make such beautiful places and quieter slower pace of life. Also really recommend stocking up on food especially when you arrive on Harris from uist as there’s a community store just as you come off ferry, we drove straight thinking there’d be shops near horgabost but there wasn’t so had to drive back again. If you’re sailing from Oban there’s supermarkets there, Lidl etc.
 
We’ve just been to the Outer Hebrides - early to mid-May. The campsites were pretty full. We stayed at Laxdale on Lewis, Balranald (North Uist), Ottersedge (Benbecula), Kilbride (South Uist), Wavecrest on Barra and a final night at Moorcroft on North Uist. They aren’t massive sites, most can only take 15-20 vans. There are places where you can wild camp, usually just lay-bys, especially on Harris.

I would book - we booked all our sites about 5 weeks before we went. I would book the ferries too as we couldn’t always get the ferry we wanted on the inter-island ferries.

There are quite a few shops - there seems to be a Co-op in every small town/large village, but there aren’t that many places to eat out, so we cooked in the van most nights.

A lot of the campsites are on or very near the coast, so you have stunning views and great walks along the beaches.
 
We went last Sep for 3 weeks with our one year old and did a mix of pre booked campsites and camping spots that you pay when you turn up. I’d really recommend scurrival on Barra run by such a friendly helpful chap and has community kitchen/ dining room that came in helpful on a stormy night. Also definitely book ahead with balnarald site on uist beautiful walks and new modern shower blocks. Also enjoyed staying at Cnip on Lewis which we didn’t book ahead that also has good small supermarket with laundry service facilities fairly nearby and at huishinish on Harris at the community trust spot again I don’t think you can book ahead. It’s such an incredible trip to make such beautiful places and quieter slower pace of life. Also really recommend stocking up on food especially when you arrive on Harris from uist as there’s a community store just as you come off ferry, we drove straight thinking there’d be shops near horgabost but there wasn’t so had to drive back again. If you’re sailing from Oban there’s supermarkets there, Lidl etc.
Thanks so much for your comments, it is realy helpful. We have now made some bookings (for camp sites) but left several nights free to find those 'fantastic sites' we always miss! - realy looking forward to the trip, not long to go now.
 
Good info on above site
Uncle Croft great site Butt of Lewis worth the drive up fantastic beaches.
Around Lyskentyre beach there are camping spots pay by text £5 a night (North Harris Trust) with fantastic views.
North Uist lovely pub Westford Inn (dog friendly) if eating booking required.
Uig sands restaurant looks amazing.
 
Well,

We had a great time, 50mph winds, cancelled ferries, broken down ferries (causing an extended trip), but what a fantastic experience.

Thanks to all for your help and advice in advance.

Yes we did book most, but not all camp sites - the only time we really had an issue looking for a pitch was when a ferry broke down (not all who were stranded were able to/bothered to let camp sites know resulting in fully booked sites with vacant pitches!).

A great holiday, so many welcoming and friendly people, and fantastic coastal scenery. We didn't go for the weather (just as well), as we had so much wind we rarely put the roof up!

Calmac ferries have their issues, but they came good in the end helping us get to Harris (via Skye!), and then came good through their compensation scheme.

Extended trip in OH resulted in no trip round the NC500 after, but heyho we can do that another year?

Oooo we did do the Applecross pass on way home - now that is good.
 

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