When I first sat down to work out a budget for my motorcycle trip across Scotland, I quickly realised that accommodation costs would prove to be a stumbling block. Budget hotels and Airbnb can cost anywhere between INR 4,230 (if you’re fortunate) to INR 10,575 per day at current exchange rates. You could easily run through an average month’s wages in just a few days.
Unless, you simply go camping instead.
If you didn’t already know this, Scotland is one of the few places where wild camping is still permitted. It is legal to make a home for the night on (nearly) any piece of open and vacant land. This is despite nearly all of the property being privately owned. Even neighbouring England and Wales—all part of the United Kingdom—only allow camping within designated campsites which you need to pay for.
This right to roam allows you the opportunity to live wild and free, quite literally. There are of course a few caveats but they are largely aimed towards ensuring safety and limiting environmental impact. For instance, not leaving trash behind, not gathering in large groups, and not making a lot of noise should be self-evident rules. All necessary and very reasonable in my opinion.
It seemed too good to be true when I first heard about this. Now on the other side of my trip, I can assure you it is entirely legitimate. Over 10 days I had several opportunities to test the limits of this freedom, and I’m happy to report that I didn’t encounter any. In fact, given my past experiences in India, I often expected that someone would show up and ask me to move along. But on the few occasions I met someone near the camp, they were happy to see me there and often gave me suggestions of other great spots to look up further on my journey. This acceptance and encouragement of an outdoor-oriented lifestyle was a refreshing change for me.
I spent a few nights beside a famous loch (lake) and then in an open field at the foot of a mountain. My favourite spots though were a series of scenic perches that I found at different points along the coast of northwestern Scotland as I rode down the North Coast 500. Every morning I opened the top flap of my tent with a sense of excitement, not knowing what I would get to see. And every single time the view that lay in wait only seemed to get better. If I didn’t have the pictures to prove it, I would already find some of this hard to believe.
I realise that camping isn’t for everyone, and it’s definitely no bed of roses. There are limitations in terms of comfort and convenience that can make it seem like a lot of effort for very little reward. But for me, every night in the wild in Scotland was worth its weight in gold!
How to get there: Touchdown at any of Scotland's main cities such as Aberdeen, Glasgow, and Edinburgh. Because the United Kingdom has a well-developed road network, set off on a road trip from anywhere in the country. Scotland's cities are connected by a rail network and there are ferries that will take you to many of the small isles and islets in the region.