East Coast Campsites and the Scottish Borders

Not every motorhome trip needs to be the NC500. The east and south of Scotland are the quiet half: drier weather, gentler roads, beaches and castles with nobody on them, and sites you can often book a few days out instead of months ahead. These are the east coast campsites and southern park-ups that work for a four-berth motorhome, from Galloway and the Borders up through Fife to Aberdeenshire. It's the low-traffic, shoulder-season option, and it pairs well with our trip ideas and the case for a UK touring holiday over flying abroad. The route starts at the Glasgow depot.

Dumfries and Galloway: the quiet south-west

Galloway is the bit of southern Scotland most people drive past on the way north, which is exactly why it's worth stopping. Brighouse Bay Holiday Park near Kirkcudbright sits above its own bay, a big, well-run park with everything from grass hook-up pitches to fully serviced hardstandings, and the artists' town of Kirkcudbright a short drive away. Closer to the Solway, Sandyhills Bay is the quieter choice, a smaller site of around two dozen pitches, most with 16-amp hook-up, right behind a sandy beach. Inland from both, the Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park is one of the best places in Britain to see the stars on a clear night.

The Borders

The Borders reward a slow couple of days, and two sites bookend the region nicely. Jedwater sits on the banks of the River Jed about four miles south of Jedburgh off the A68, with hook-up pitches, a motorhome point and free fishing for guests; it's a natural first or last night if you're coming up from the south. Over on the coast, Scoutscroft near Coldingham has tarmac roads and easy hook-up access, a few minutes' walk from the sandy beach at Coldingham Bay and the seabird cliffs at St Abb's Head, and it stays open all year with a bar and restaurant on site.

Fife and the East Neuk

Fife packs a lot into a small county. Craigtoun Meadows is a five-star woodland park about ten minutes from St Andrews, with 54 hardstanding pitches on 16-amp hook-up, water and drainage, open from mid-March to the end of October. Down in the East Neuk, Sauchope Links sits by the sea just outside Crail, with hook-up pitches, dogs welcome, and the fishing village and the Fife Coastal Path on the doorstep. Between the two you've got the Old Course, the cliff walks, and a string of harbour villages that do a good line in fresh crab.

Angus and Aberdeenshire

The north-east coast is all big skies and quiet beaches, with Dundee the gateway to this stretch. Lunan Bay in Angus is a small site, around sixteen pitches, right beside one of the east coast's best beaches, a long curve of red sand and dunes; it's tiny, so book ahead. Further up, Stonehaven Queen Elizabeth Park is a Caravan and Motorhome Club site on Stonehaven Bay, 76 hardstanding pitches with hook-up, full facilities and wifi, and the member rate with your Atlas hire. Dunnottar Castle, on its clifftop just south of town, is ten minutes away and worth the walk.

Is the east coast better in the shoulder season?

Often, yes. The east sits in the rain shadow of the Highlands, so it's drier than the west, and these are lowland sites on good roads, so a cold snap doesn't strand you anywhere. Most stay open well into autumn, Craigtoun runs to the end of October and Scoutscroft all year, and the beaches and castles are empty in April, May, September and October. You can usually book a few days out rather than months ahead, and midges are far less of a problem here than on the west coast. If you want the freedom without the peak-season convoys, this is where to point the motorhome.

Good to know

• Shoulder season. Most of these sites are open well into autumn, and the east is drier and far quieter than the NC500 in spring and autumn.
• Club membership. Your Atlas hire includes both Club memberships, so the Stonehaven Club site comes at the member rate.
• Dark skies. Inland from the Solway, the Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park is one of the best stargazing spots in Britain on a clear, moonless night.
• Dogs. Most sites here welcome them, Sauchope and Scoutscroft included. Bring your own bowls and bedding; the whole fleet takes dogs for a single per-hire cleaning fee. More in our pet-friendly travel guide.

One corner over a long weekend, or string the south and the east together for a week. Either way, you'll have the beaches mostly to yourself.

City guides nearby

For where to stop and what to see in the cities on or near this route, see our city guides: Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen.