Beach camping in The Great Trossachs Forest National Nature Reserve

Part of the wider Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, this pocket of wilderness, just one hour north of Glasgow, offers front-door access into the mountainscapes and storied lochs of central Scotland. The nature reserve is rich in biodiversity, with the land shifting from thick copses of oak, birch, and Scots pine into open heathland and exposed higher slopes full of deer. That backdrop provides a blank canvas for outdoor activities, including hiking and mountain biking, while the park’s mirror-clear lochs Katrine and Venacher are ideally set up for canoeing, kayaking, standup paddleboarding, and fishing. Campsites in the area offer lochside glamping pods and woodland pitches.

• Booking is recommended for all campgrounds in the Trossachs, particularly on weekends when out-of-towners swarm in. Most sites only operate from March to September.
• In some areas of the Trossachs, wild camping is allowed, if restricted to permit-only pitches. Some bylaws prohibiting camping and campfires may be in effect in certain Camping Management Zones.

Scotland’s long summer nights are sunlit until 10pm, meaning the Trossachs swell with visitors from June to September, and advanced booking is essential. For your best chance of a prime camping spot, aim for May, June, or later in the season from September to October when the nights are cooler. Autumn brings with it fully colored-in forests and the atmospheric calls of the stag rut—when the Trossachs’ native deer compete on the hills for hinds.

• Camping permits at the Trossachs’ most beautiful spots aren’t needed between October and February, so consider travelling outside the summer high season.
• Bins are often not provided, so campers must take pack out any waste. Travel light, especially if coming by bike or boot.
• Ticks, which can carry lyme disease, are present in the Trossachs, particularly during spring and summer. Keep your arms and legs covered.