The best campsites and places to camp near Edinburgh
Hi and welcome to CampingScotland.com, in this blog post we explore the best areas and campsites near Scotlands Capital, Edinburgh.
The first question we need to answer before we start is how far is to far? Well for this post since were looking for campsites near Edinburgh were going to go with campsites that are within a 1 hour drive from the city bypass.
So where are the best areas to camp that are a maximum 1 hour drive from the city bypass? Well you have St Andrews to the North, Edinburgh City to the East, Peebles to the south and Falkirk to the West.
If you want to skip right to the map just scroll down where we have centered it on Edinburgh and set the zoom at around a 1 hour drive (you can also zoom out if your willing to go further).
Which areas?
Do you go North? South? West? or East? Well that depends on what you are looking for. I won’t go into to much detail on each of the locations but I will give you a summary of what you can expect from each to help narrow down your search.
The North (St Andrews & Fife)
North of Edinburgh over The Queensferry Crossing you will enter the Kingdom of Fife. Expect stunning coastal views, historic towns including St Andrews and some sandy beaches.
The West (Falkirk)
To the West you have Stirling, Falkirk, Dunblane and also Glasgow. Expect large towns, historic sights, rivers and farmland.
The South
If your heading South then why not stop off at Peebles or near Dumfries where you will find stunning countryside, great walks and small villages.
The East
To the East of the bypass you will find the City of Edinburgh and North Berwick. Edinburgh speaks for its self but if you love beaches then head over to North Berwick where you will find golden sandy beaches, swimmable waters and coastal towns.
The Map
Click on any of the icons on the map to find out more about each campsite.
If you want to narrow your search by applying filters or explore all the campsites in Scotland on a bigger map then head over to our Campsite Finder section.
Best Campsites Near Edinburgh - TOP 6
We couldn’t do a post about campsites near Edinburgh without mentioning what we believe to be the top 6. These campsites are our personal favourite, click on each to find out more.
St Andrews Holiday Park
We don’t normally list large holiday park style campsites but this site has an excellent separate touring area perched on the clifftops above St Andrews. The site is suitable for both tents and camper vans with all the facilities you would expect from a holiday park. The town of St Andrews is a short walk away where you will find a sandy beach, restaurants, cafes, pub’s shops and many historic sights. This is great campsite if you are setting up a base to explore the local area or for families looking for a site with great facilities. Pitches are bookable online via the holiday parks official website. For whisky lovers, there are a few distilleries nearby that offer tours, Kingsbarns, Lindores Abbey and Daftmill. For those looking for water sports, St Andrews Beach is a great place to wild swim, launch a kayak or have a beach day with the family.
Silverburn Park Campsite
Award winning, small & quiet family-friendly campsite set in the beautiful 27-acre Silverburn Park offering glamping pods, campervan pitches & tent pitches. The site has 3 glamping eco-pods, 4 gravel campervan pitches & 12 grass tent pitches (4 with electrical hook up). There is a modern toilet and shower block with 3 separate units including an accessible one. The campsite is located next to the town of Leven where you can reach shops, restaurants, bars and cafes a short walk from the campsite. Campfires and BB!’s are permitted so long as they are raised from the grass, the site provides fire pits, wood, marshmallows and fire starters for a fee. Dogs are also welcome to the site. There are plenty of food options nearby with the campsites very own Cottage Window Café located next to the reception building. There is a long, soft sandy beach a short stroll from the site where watersports and wild swimming is possible. Further afield you will find the historic town of St Andrews and plenty of golf courses. Daftmill Distillery is the nearest whisky distillery to the site with Lindores Abbey also nearby.
Glentress Forest Lodges Campsite
Large campsite located next to the world famous 7stanes mountain bike trails at Glentress Forest in the Scottish Borders. The site has a selection of hard standing and grass pitches for both campervans and tens, some with electrical hook up. There are also various glamping pods available to hire on a nightly basis and sleep up to 5 people. The site has a separate female and male toilet and shower block, drying room for wet biking gear and a communal kitchen. Locally you will find the adventure park Go Ape next door along with some of the best mountain biking trails in the country, the Cardrona Golf course is also a short walk away where you will also find a put and restaurant within the Cardrona Hotel. Further afield you will find the Borders Distillery where you can learn about how they create their lowland whisky. Outside of Fort William this is probably one of the best campsites for mountain bikers in the UK so if you are looking for some laid back accommodation conveniently located to some world class trails then look no further.
Blair Drummond Caravan Park
Small family run campsite located within a sheltered walled garden set amidst mature woodland’s just outside the village of Doune. The site has hardstanding and grass pitches for campervans and a small grass area located by the outer walled garden for tents (only 8 tent pitches). This site is perfectly located to explore Stirlingshire with Blair Drummond Safari Park right on its doorstep for those looking for a fun family day out. The village of Doune is around a 45-minute walk or a short drive where you will find the historic Doune Castle, restaurant and Deanston Distillery. The site also has a ship selling essential supplied and a short walk away you will find Blair Drummond Smiddy which has a café, farm shop and takeaway food. There is a toilet, shower block and communal gas BBQ area where you can cook up some delicious burgers purchased from the farm shop. We really like this site due to its closeness to Deanston Distillery, woodland setting, access to farm shop and small sheltered tent area.
Shepherds Rest Campsite
Small family fun campsite located on a farm that has a selection of shepherd glamping huts for rent and an open grass area for tents, no campervans permitted. The site is located in the Borders where a local bus operates a 10 minute away that connects to local towns and train links. The site has a toilet, shower and washing up block available for use by campers, there is also electrical hook up available for tents at an extra cost (£5 extra). Campfires are aloud so long as they are within a fire pit and off the grass however dogs are not permitted within the campsite. Due to being a working farm the site owners encourage campers to join then on the farm seeing lambs in spring, saying hello to the pigs and ponies and helping collect eggs from their chickens. Locally there are plenty of walks, excellent biking trails and many birds to keep an eye out for. The Borders Distillery is a short drive away where they run daily tours exploring how they create their lowland whisky.
Pillars of Hercules Campsite
This is a basic family friendly quiet campsite: space to pitch a tent, kick a ball around, toilets & showers, a wash house for your washing up and somewhere to light a fire. There is one camping area available, The Bankings Field where you can drive in and park next to your tent with a few campervan spaces located on site (no caravans). Backpackers and touring cyclists carrying their own equipment are welcome anytime and can camp in a separate area, there is no need to book in advance-just register & pay in the shop on arrival; £5 per person/night. For all other campers including campervans you can book online via the campsites webpage. There is a café and farm shop located onsite offering vegetarian food, walks close by an only 20minutes to the local village where you will find restaurant and a pub.
