Scottish Festivals by Campervan: Where to Stay

Scotland’s summer festival season

The hire season, mid-March to early November, lines up neatly with the festival calendar. The big music and city festivals run through July and August, the Highland Games are spread right across the summer, and a campervan turns any of them into a proper trip rather than a day out: your bed comes with you, you skip the festival-hotel prices, and you base somewhere quiet and travel in. The golden rule for all of them is the same, so we’ll say it once now and mean it throughout: book the van and your pitch early, because beds near a festival vanish first.

TRNSMT (Glasgow, July)

Glasgow’s big music weekend takes over Glasgow Green each July. You won’t park at the event, so base at a Glasgow campsite like Craigendmuir at Stepps or the Strathclyde Park Club site and take the train in, or make the most of the depot’s free daytime parking and the city’s transport. Our Glasgow guide and Glasgow campsites cover the options.

The Edinburgh festivals: Fringe and Tattoo (August)

For most of August, Edinburgh is the Fringe, the International Festival and, up on the Castle esplanade, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, all at once. It’s the busiest the city gets, so campsite pitches around Edinburgh book months ahead; the Club site at Silverknowes, Drummohr at Musselburgh and Mortonhall are the usual bases, all with buses into the centre. Don’t even think about taking the van into town; our Edinburgh guide explains how it works.

Belladrum Tartan Heart (near Inverness, early August)

The Highlands’ favourite festival is a friendly, family-leaning weekend at Belladrum near Beauly, usually in early August. There’s camping and campervan space at the event itself, and Inverness is close for a base before or after, with the campsites in our Inverness guide. Book as soon as tickets and pitches go on sale, because it sells out.

Highland Games (May to September)

You’re never far from a Highland Games in summer. Dozens of towns hold them, from small village gatherings to the famous Braemar Gathering on the first Saturday of September, long associated with the Royal Family, and the Cowal Gathering at Dunoon, the largest of all. Pick one near your route, turn up for the caber-tossing, the pipe bands and the hill race, and stay at a local campsite. Check the date for the year you’re travelling, as they move around the calendar.

The winter events: Celtic Connections and Up Helly Aa

Two of Scotland’s best events fall in January, outside our hire season, so they’re for the diary rather than a campervan trip with us, but they’re worth knowing about. Celtic Connections fills Glasgow’s venues with folk and roots music for a fortnight each January. Up Helly Aa, on the last Tuesday of January, is Shetland’s spectacular fire festival, reached by the overnight NorthLink ferry from Aberdeen. Both are special, and both are deep winter, so plan them on their own terms.

How to do a festival by campervan

The same three rules cover all of them. Book early, because the van and the pitch both go before the tickets are cold. Base outside the city and travel in by train or bus, since festival cities have no room for a motorhome and you won’t want to drive after a long day anyway. And lean on our city guides and campsite guides for where to stay. It’s always worth checking VisitScotland’s events calendar for this year’s dates before you lock anything in.

Whatever you’re going for, the music’s better when your bed is a short hop away. Get a rough plan and some dates together, and we’ll match the vehicle to the trip.