The top motorhome & campervan sites in Scotland

Want to get away from it all in an area of the UK where you really can kick back and relax away from the crowds? A motorhome site in Scotland may be the best place for you.

Scotland’s east coast is busy in lots of other ways, thanks to everything from its quaint fishing villages to castles and abbeys, even the occasional cathedral.

Then there are the golf courses, a smattering of whisky distilleries, a coastline where you can expect to see seals and dolphins, while inland and up above you’ll be looking to spot buzzards, ospreys, sea falcons, golden eagles and more. It’s also an area known for its red deer and red squirrels.

Away from the Scottish capital, there’s the UK’s longest street fair (Kirkcaldy, at Easter), UK’s first ever UNESCO City of Design (Dundee) and the home of golf (St Andrews).

So, join us now on a south to north trip up Scotland’s east coast, taking in lots to see from Edinburgh to Aberdeen, and beyond.

Mortonhall Caravan and Camping Park

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A great place to start? Perfectly placed for getting the bus into Edinburgh—just four miles off if you prefer to walk it. Mortonhall Caravan and camping Park is set in the grounds of a country estate. Craigmillar Castle is just three miles away from here, too. Plus, you can enjoy views of Arthur’s Seat, the Pentlands and Salisbury Craggs.

Open all year, choose between grass, standard, premium and full-service pitches. On-site facilities include a licensed shop, dedicated motorhome waste disposal point, the Stable bar and restaurant, laundry etc.

Mortonhall is owned by the same organisation that has Tantallon Caravan Park in North Berwick and Belhaven Bay, in Dunbar, in its portfolio—two other motorhome sites well worth considering for your motorhome tour of Scotland’s east coast.

Woodland Gardens Caravan and Camping Site

Open from Easter to September, this adults-only site is set in the grounds of what was once—and indeed still is—an orchard. It’s just off the A915 main road running from Kirkcaldy to St Andrews and is perfect for further exploration of Largo Bay, its small harbour and miles of sandy beach.

It’s also near the Fife Coastal Path as well as a local woodland walk.

Just the 20 touring pitches are here in a truly tranquil setting, where gates are closed from 10pm to 7.30am. Pitches range from Small to Large (6.5m-8.5m maximum), hardstanding and set in small groups with hedge and fence boundaries.

It’s dog-friendly and there’s free wi-fi as well as good TV reception. A particularly welcoming recreation room is home to a 55in TV, pool table, darts board, book exchange, tourist information and more—with everything kept immaculate by site owners Craig and Jan Young.

Elie Holiday Park

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In the East Neuk of Fife, there are just some sand dunes to negotiate before you hit the sandy beach that’s Shell Bay here. It’s on the Fife Coastal Path, with nearby Ruddons Point a Site of Scientific Special Interest nearby.

Site facilities include Kincraig View restaurant, Mirador café, Ruddons bar, and the Robinson Crusoe Adventure Park. Touring pitches are all hardstandings and prices include mains hook-up and Wi-Fi. Some have a partial sea view, and all enjoy direct access to the beach.  Dogs are welcome here, including on the beach (on a lead).

Elie Holiday Park is part of the Abbeyford Leisure portfolio, which also includes St Monan’s (also in the East Neuk of Fife) and St Andrews Holiday Parks.

Larick Campsite

In Tayport, on the southside of the River Tay, Larick Campsite is a recent addition to the huge range of sites for motorhomes on Scotland’s east side. As well as its coastal location, it’s also cheek-by-jowl with Tentsmuir Forest and Tayport Common. It’s in the latter you’re likely to see red squirrels.

Plus, right next door to site is The Larick Centre, an equally new community and sports centre. It’s here you’ll also find the nearest café, which does everything up to full Sunday lunches (and provides free wi-fi) and is open seven days a week.

If you want to find out more about the local area’s history, take the Tayport Heritage Trail.

Larick is some four miles from the “City of Discovery”, Dundee. You can also catch the bus from the stop near the site entrance. It also goes to St Andrews, some 12 miles off.

The site has 32 pitches (all except two are grass) and accepts motorhomes up to 8m long.

Eastmill Road Caravan Park

Don’t be put off by the site’s name. Motorhomes are more than perfectly catered for here on this quiet, family-run site next to the river Southesk and between Dundee (27 miles away) and Aberdeen (41 miles away).

It’s also handily placed for the Angus Glens, while the likes of Forfar Loch, Arbroath and Montrose, on the coast, are all 20-minute drives away. If you get to Montrose, look out for its iconic Lunan Bay, also a popular spot for swimming. Brechin—which has a still-standing medieval cathedral but is officially no longer a city—is just a mile off.

There are some 19 pitches with hook-ups for motorhomes, all grass, and it’s pet friendly. It’s open from April through to the end of October.

Deeside Holiday Park

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Deeside is set in the River Dee valley near Royal Deeside and the Cairngorm National Park.

Open-all-year, this all-inclusive site includes a section of hardstanding and fully service pitches suitable for motorhomes. Facilities include, but aren’t exclusive to:

• a motorhome service point
• family bathroom
• indoor games room
• pool table
• laundry services

The Granite City of Aberdeen is seven miles away, with Banchory 10 miles off in the opposite direction. Like all the other sites on this east coast tour, you’re never far from a golf course.

Deeside Holiday Park is part of Wood Leisure, which owns half a dozen sites across Scotland. There’s some great touring advice to be had when you download the Wood Leisure app. 

Glenbuchty Stopover Motorhome Aire

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Set on its own, exclusive headland, looking out across the Moray Firth, this is a great value spot to pitch for one or two nights.

If you’re lucky you might get sightings of marine wildlife, including a colony of resident seals. If you’re even luckier, you may get to see the Northern Lights (in the winter). It’s on the Northeast 250 route and the Moray Coastal and Aberdeenshire Castle Trails. Nearby Fraserburgh is just over a mile off—a working harbour, home to the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses and a dog-friendly sandy beach. Closer still is the coastal village of Sandhaven.

Glenbuchty is mainly aimed at self-sufficient motorhomes—those with their own toilet and washing facilities. It is a member of CAMpRA (Campaign for Real Aires) and a CAMpRA Aire of the year winner. It has hardstandings, is pet-friendly and has a seating area in its walled garden.

Great value (prices are just £5 a night at the time of writing), this site is open all year. If you’re just passing through, you can also use its toilet waste disposal facilities (for a small fee).