2 November 2021

Campervan Adventure on the Isle of Skye


During the Summer holidays the family and I decided to hire our very first campervan and do a little tour round the Isle of Skye. We've done plenty of staycations up and down the country but nothing quite like this before. There would be 2 adults, 2 kids and 2 dogs all in the camper so I knew I had to be prepared and pack light but essential items that we would be using daily. It was a challenge but I really think I nailed it.

I hired our campervan for 4 nights (Sunday to Thursday) from the lovely Carry On Camping Scotia Ltd in Edinburgh. They weren't far from us and it took 30 minutes from Fife to travel through to collect the camper. The easiest thing for us to do was drive through with 1 car and 2 drivers so we could collect the camper and bring it home plus bring our car home as well since it wasn't far. After a demonstration of everything in the camper we headed home to pack her up. 

I had been packing on and off during the day before collecting the campervan so it took me about an hour to load it up. I bought packing pods from Amazon to keep our clothes in. These were brilliant and I would highly recommend them. I took things like toiletries (remember the smidge spray!), camping chairs, essential food items as there's a small fridge in the camper, sensible shoes/boots, pillows, sleeping bags, jackets, all the dogs stuff, charges for mobiles/ipads and some games to keep the kids occupied. It really is worth having a think and packing light if you can so you have optimum space inside your camper.

When everyone was ready we hit the road and headed for Fort William. This would be our first stop on our trip. We left our home around 4pm ish and booked into the Ben Nevis Holiday Park arriving at 8pm ish after a few stops to admire the mountains on the way. I should say I had planned an itinerary a month or so before our actual trip and had booked several campsite so I could secure electric hook up pitches although the camper does have an extra battery which makes it suitable for wild camping. Most locals prefer you to use campsites and help out local businesses though so be aware of this. 

Our first night in the camper was quite fun. The kids were full of beans and wouldn't stop annoying each other though! And if you shout the whole campsite can hear you ha ha. We got there in the end and it wasn't too hard getting everyone sorted for bedtime, we were quite tired so everyone thankfully went to sleep quickly.

Monday morning and our plan was as follows;

Monday
10:00 (Before 12:00) - Check out of Ben Nevis Holiday Park and head towards Isle of Skye.
11:30 – Stop at/near Eilean Donan Castle.
12:00 – Stop at Manuela’s Wee Bakery for cakes/snacks and toilet break.
13:30 – Stop at Kylerhea Otter Haven Car Park, walk to see the Otters.
17:30 – Stop at Skyeskyns Café for refreshments/ toilet break.
18:30 – Visit the Old Man of Storr
19:30 – Check in to Staffin Caravan & Camping Site for the night.


All the timings were a guide and just so we kept moving and didn't lose track of time. Some things like stopping at Skyeskyns Cafe we never managed but we took each day as it came and just went with it. The views of Eilean Donan Castle were lovely, they unfortunately don't allow dogs round the castle so we never went in. There was a little food truck selling treats and drinks right beside the car park so we stopped to take some photos for a minute. Manuela's Wee Bakery is very cute but limited parking (only about 4 spaces) and it's down a side street where people's houses are. They had tasty snacks and drink and we even bought their own gin. Good thing is they have a toilet which is always handy on campervan trips. The Otter Haven is a nice wee walk and there's a chance of spotting dolphins/whales etc too. We saw plenty of seals but no otters sadly. We did hear some dolphins/whales but just couldn't spot them quick enough. The Old Man of Storr is quite a walk, we never managed right up as it was getting cooler and there were a swarm of midges so we walked up a little bit then turned back to head to the campsite. Highly recommend Staffin Caravan & Camping Site, people were lovely and helpful and the site is small, very tidy and toilets/showers were lovely. 


Tuesday was another day and our plans were;

Tuesday
10:00 (Before 12:00) – Check out of Staffin Caravan & Camping Site.
10:05 – Stop at An Corran Beach, 5 minutes from the campsite.
11:30 – Stop at The Fairy Glen (30 minutes from An Corran Beach).
12:30 – Stop at The Galley Café & Takeaway for food/toilet stop (5 minutes from The Fairy Glen).
14:00 – Stop at Claigan Coral Beach Car Park (45 minutes from the café).
16:30 – Stop at Neist Point Lighthouse (40 minutes from Coral Beach).
17:30 – Head to Glenbrittle Campsite & Café for the night, 1hr away from the lighthouse (no pre booking allowed, just turn up).

Our camper wouldn't start on Tuesday morning but luckily the lovely man from Staffin gave us a jump start. Couldn't thank him enough and after that our camper was fine. I must have pressed the wrong switch and drained the car battery by mistake, whoops! We headed to An Corran Beach which is famous for its dinosaur footprints. Luckily the dinosaur footprints are pretty easy to spot when you start looking and they're close to where you park so no mad trek searching for them. The kids loved this and honestly it was fascinating to see. After this we popped along to the Fairy Glen for a walk and nose around. It was actually really lush with greenery and great for kids to explore. Lots of places to hide and climb and take in the views. We then stopped by the Galley Cafe for some food and a toilet stop. Really recommend this cafe as it has some delicious seafood on offer. Coral Beach was our next top and it didn't disappoint. On a sunny day it really is a fabulous please although a word of warning to get there. It's a single track road with very few passing places and a tiny long thin car park that you cannot turn your car around in. You have to be good at reversing and there's no way a motorhome will fit or be able to reverse sadly. It's also a good walk to reach this beach so if you have young kids be prepared to maybe carry them. We decided to bypass the Lighthouse stop and go straight to Glenbrittle Campsite since it's first come first served for pitches, you cannot book in advance. Luckily we secured the last EHU pitch with a beautiful view. 

It was soon Wednesday and our plans looked like this;

Wednesday
10:00 – Check out of Glenbrittle Campsite & Café.
10:10 – Stop at the Fairy Pools (10 minutes from the campsite).
12:00 – Stop at Talisker Bay (20 minutes from fairy pools).
13:30 – Stop at The Old Inn & Waterfront Bunkhouse food/toilet stop. Dog friendly. (15 minutes from the bay).
15:00 – Travel back to Ben Nevis Holiday Park for the night (2.5hrs away from skye).
17:30 – Check into Ben Nevis Holiday Park.


Wednesday turned out to be a complete change of plans. I completely scraped everything on the list and we just went with the flow. Harlow loved the beach at Glenbrittle Campsite as there was lots of fish and shrimp to catch in the water so we spent the morning doing that. When it was time to check out of the campsite we basically just headed for the closest cafe for lunch before hitting the road and heading for Fort William. It was more of a relaxing day but the kids didn't mind and neither did us adults. 


On Thursday, after spending the night at Ben Nevis Holiday Park, we packed up early and zoomed down the road to unpack the campervan and hand it back to the lovely Carry On Camping Scotia Ltd in Edinburgh. It was a lovely trip and something totally different. I think the next time we hire a camper we'll maybe try it just us adults and see how we get on. It's definitely a busy holiday and not a relaxing one but the different places you visit and the sights are just beautiful and 100% worth it. 

6 comments on "Campervan Adventure on the Isle of Skye"

Susan Mann on 3 November 2021 at 11:25 said...

This looks fab. Always fancied a campervan trip. Looks so much fun. x

The Breastest News on 4 November 2021 at 15:55 said...

Aw it was good fun and something totally different. Really do recommend giving it a go but defo plan if you're taking the kids :) x

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taylor swift cat's worth on 25 July 2023 at 06:15 said...

It was a lovely trip and something totally different. I think the next time we hire a camper we'll maybe try it just us adults and see how we get on.

do my assignment for me on 25 July 2023 at 13:10 said...

we basically just headed for the closest cafe for lunch before hitting the road and heading for Fort William. It was more of a relaxing day but the kids didn't mind and neither did us adults.

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