Scotland has a magic that takes me back year after year. From exploring Military Zones to point-to-point treks through one of the most beautiful mountain passes in the world, our next venture was to explore the archipelagos of Scotland. Together Alice and I flew to Inverness to explore the Hebrides. Our plan was a wild-camping adventure for 3 nights exploring Skye. Below are my top 6 moments that became a bank of memories for the most incredible summer weekend.

1. Enthusiastic friendliness of Scots

We flew from London Gatwick and arrived into Inverness, we were greeted warmly at the car rental by a chap called David (at Enterprise) who asked us what our plans were. The moment he heard “Wild camping”, he asked us if we had any midge spray? We said No and he proceeded to take out a Midge spray and kindly give us one for the road, wishing us luck for our adventures.

We had a bit of an incident with a man on a secluded beach and the first couple we approached were kind, precautious and welcoming. Perhaps I’ve become too used to the ‘Londoner mentality’ that warrants treating strangers like strangers. Upon approaching the couple, they immediately said they were keeping an eye on us when they saw us setting up our tent. Moments like this hammered home the common thread of care for each other, or in Scottish terms, from the lady we met; “I helped 2 wee lasses from getting murdered” (this was an exaggeration on her part!).

2. Wild Camping

Back from camper-vanning Europe in 2019, I used an App everyday called Park4night which highlighted beauty spots for campers. Our first spot was a secluded road down near Tokavaig in Southern Skye. Together Alice and I cooked a feast of vegetarian haggis, mashed potatoes and green beans to make the hearty meal with the unfolding backdrop of a rippling loch beyond us.

3.) Gorge Walking with Skye Adventure

Alice gave me one of the most thoughtful birthday presents ever, a surprise to go Gorge walking! Donned in wetsuits, we clambered through waterfalls and weathered rock faces walls with sheer drops that looked coarse and unforgiving. My heart fell into my mouth as I plummeted 10m pass undulating overhangs and ledges. We met the activity providers in Sligachan to do the half day activity then enjoyed a meal at Seumas’ Bar after.

4.) Old Man of Storr

We were extremely lucky with the weather and the views of the massive pinnacles of the Old Man of Storr against a bright blue backdrop felt out of this world. The Storr is part of the Trotternish Ridge, which is a geological formation that runs for several miles along the eastern coast of the Isle of Skye. The ridge is composed of a series of rocky peaks and pinnacles, and offers stunning views of the surrounding landscape. The trek took us approximately 1hr 30 minutes to trek to the summit, then approximately an hour to get back to the car park.

5.) Hidden Beaches of Skye

Scotland is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. We quickly found out that the best beaches were a minimum of a 15 minute walk away from a car park. With golden sands and chilly waters as clear as glass, we walked to Coral Beach and Rubha Shlèite Beach (35 min walk away from the car park).

6.) The road-trip scenery

The undulating roads and views towards Neist Point Lighthouse were incredible. The joy of the trip came from cheesy playlists, the sun beating through the windows and unfolding views everyday.

Trip Tips:

• Our trip was from Saturday 10th June 23′ to Tuesday 13th June 23′. A top tip is to ‘reverse the annual leave days’. I think we are so used to thinking of ‘Monday’ as the start of the week but actually starting in the weekend, then taking off the two busiest days works best!
• Above is our road trip map of 2 beautiful beaches, the Man of Storr hike, the colourful houses of Portree and the Gorge walking in Sligachan
• We found all our wild camping spots on Park4night. The app is mostly designed for camper vans but our normal rental car with a tent worked well
• It is approximately a 2hr 30 min drive from Inverness Airport to Isle of Skye
• Our original plan included staying at Sligachan Campsite and Portree Campsite. Camping starts from £12.50 per person, per night and we realised we did not want to be surrounded by large vans in established campsites. We approached Kinloch campsite and asked to use their shower for just £5pp
• The meal plan including Idaho mash potato, haggis, pastas and bread, avocado and eggs is in the photo below. One pot meals work really well when cooking with a Trangia.
• We used Inverness Enterprise Car Hire by Inverness Airport and they were great, the cost of petrol was only £40 for our long weekend.
• I would advise bringing bug repellent/midge spray. I found a tick attached to me after camping in long grass in Scotland and my advice is to take the precautions necessary to avoid the bugs during midge season.