During the couple of weeks I spent in Scotland before leaving for Northumberland I stopped at some really great aires and park ups, so this post is devoted to those. I know that some people who follow my blog also travel, and I have got lots of useful information from others’ Instagram and Facebook posts, so thought people might find this useful. I have put links in to the Park4Nite information, but I also use the Facebook CAMPRA group a lot, they have extensive information and links to each aire.

There is something very poetic about spending the day wandering round beautiful castles filled with expensive antiques, and then ending up spending the night in my tiny camper in a car park! Not all of the park up were just car parks, however the majority were on this trip. I specifically try and support the small businesses and community run aires on my trips, and have found some real gems of places to stay.

The first one after leaving Speyside was at Lossiemouth, in one of their seafront car parks. There are a few park ups in Lossiemouth, I chose this one as it was near a toilet. I do have a little folding toilet in Katy for overnight use, but access to a flushing toilet and sinks is an added bonus 😉 There is no charge for parking overnight, but there is a donation box near the toilets so I was very happy to use that.

I have just got an upgrade for next year, as I have now got a portoloo as well! This is very exciting for me, most of the places that I stayed at this year have toilet emptying facilities, and it was something that I was thinking about as a next step. While at my sister’s recently, I reorganised things in Katy, got rid of the months supply of soup, and some of the 25 books that I have been carrying around with me, and freed up some space. I had a test run while camping with my sister in Wales, and it works perfectly, so very happy!

No pictures of the park up as it was raining when I got there, but the sunsets the next morning more than made up for that. It was a gorgeous morning, with lots of people out surfing or dog walking, and stunning views across the bay.

The plan for the following day was to drive along the coast, and I ended up at the Glenbuchty Aire, near Fraserburgh. Although it had been a gorgeous day, and I had visited all of the coastal delights that I have previously posted about, when I got there it was a bit wet and blustery, so didn’t take advantage of the beach access. It was a very warm welcome from the hosts, I was parked in the garden bit of the aire, but they have five hardstandings as well. This was a lovely peaceful spot, and a real bargain at £5 a night, with another £5 charge to use the black waste disposal. You can contact them to pre-book, which I did.

I then made my way down the coast, to a park up at a little village called Port Erroll. I had seen this on a previous Instagram post and thought like it would be a good place to stay. The £10 per night donation is also helping restore the harbour. It was a gorgeous place to sit and watch the sunset, and marvel at the very large waves the next morning. Unfortunately very high winds meant I didn’t get to do the walk to Slains Castle from the port. They also have lovely toilets there, open all night. There is only space for about 6 vans, so it is first come, first parked!

My next stop was inland, as I was making my way to a campsite for a few nights. This was an aire I had read so much about, the Grampian Aire. This is definitely a very luxurious aire, and such good value for money. For £10 a night you get a lovely pitch with fantastic views, and access to a little kitchen, but for a further £5 you can use the very gorgeous toilet and shower block. I completely forgot to take any pictures of the facilities, but you can see them on their Facebook page where they also have a video. Such a beautiful place to stay, and a very warm welcome from the owner, Meike. This one I pre-booked online as they only have 5 pitches.

I will post about the Tarland campsite separately, but after six nights there I was back on the road, and back to the coast. I ended a beautiful sunny day at the St Cyrus Nature Reserve, near Montrose. Their car park is part of their Stay the Night scheme, and the Forestry Commission car parks in Scotland has a similar offer at many of their car parks, and you can make the £10 donation either online, or at the site. They also have toilets, and the beach is just stunning. I had a very lovely peaceful night there. I did pay online before I got there, but not pre-book, however there are plenty of spaces available.

The following day I went back inland to the Cairngorms. Due to a slightly grey and cloudy day, I didn’t do the hill walk I was planning, as I know the weather can change really quickly on the mountains, but did have a lovely couple of walks from Glen Cova, and around the Loch of Kinnordy RSPB Reserve. Here I took one of my favourite photos ever, I love reflection pictures, and this one turned out really well. Definitely one to print off and frame for the future.

I finished the day at the Knocknahushoch Farm Aire You can book this one online in advance, through Pitchup and it only cost me £8 without electric or any facilities. This is definitely one of the most unusual places that I have stayed at, as well as being a farm, it is also an airfield, and you can park right next to the plane if you want to. As it was a bit windy I stayed next to the main buildings.

After a trip to Dundee to meet up with an old friend, I was intending to stay at St Andrews, near the harbour. However it was the weekend, and with a golf event on, the place was very very crowded. So I headed back to one of my favourite park ups from last year, at the Kelpies. As last year, the weather was atrocious driving into Falkirk, which was such a pity as it was my first time driving over the Forth Bridge, and I could hardly see anything! I will have to back one day.

No pictures of the Kelpies at night, or the park up, as it was raining all night, but it is basically just the Kelpies car park anyway. It costs £15 to stay, which includes a voucher for a hot drink, and thankfully the next morning was beautiful, so I enjoyed my coffee with a view, while catching up with my son in Japan. You don’t need to pre-book this one, as it is a very large car park and a very popular overnight stay.

The rest of the day was spent visiting my last historic properties in Scotland, including a very special place. More on that later. It was a gorgeous day, so I visited Musselburgh, and had a long walk along the seafront there.

I ended the day at the gorgeous Sitooterie, a spacious garden with great views, named for the lovely little cabin complete with cosy sofas, books and games. Luckily I didn’t need the space as it was such a nice evening I sat outside Katy, but it is a great option for us micro camper owners. It was £10 per night, with access to water and a composting toilet, and a very warm welcome as well. I pre-booked this one by ringing the owner and paid cash when I got there. The aire can accommodate up to 10 campers, depending on size.

I have really loved trying out such a range of different places to stay this year. I am also very happy to be able to support all these people who are kind enough to provide for us travellers, and really pleased that there are so many options, particularly in Scotland. I have so many lovely places pinned on Google maps for my return journey next March.

Although I am very happy being back in Spain, I have been in one place for 3 weeks now, so I am starting to get itchy feet again! However I do have lots of nice day trips coming up, and am back on my bike as well. Crafting is being slotted into the busy schedule, as well as all the other social activities, and I have also been learning to play poker! I hope you are also all having fun whatever you are doing. Thanks for visiting, and see you next time.