The East or West question relates to Scotland. I once heard that the East coast didn’t get the same midge problem as the West.
We love Scotland, but always tend to go pre Easter or post September to avoid the midge season. It would be nice to go when there is a chance of warmer weather. We are therefore thinking of a week in August this year and wonder of anyone can confirm if the East coast is more midge free than the West.
Lock Ness up to Inverness would be nice.
So, anyone done Scotland in the summer and not been eaten by those tiny pests?
Any recommended sites would be nice too – Motorhome with two adults, three children (5, 3 and 1) and one dog. Near water (I know, worse for our midge friends) with walking/ cycling.
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We tend to favour the east through choice but yes the midge issue is not as much of a problem in the east. Loads to see and do, often less busy as most people head automatically to the west.
Can highly recommend East Lothian and Aberdeenshire, both under-rated but not to be missed.
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have a look at clachtoll campsite its on the west coast but a lot further up its almost midge free due to the wind and it has a fantastic white sand beach but its out in the sticks big time. were addicted
The East coast is best if you're main aim is to avoid the midges.
However the West coast has the more dramatic scenery, better for a holiday and has more choice of sites
This is obviously only my opinion. We live in Dundee and always take our main holiday up the West coast. We have also stayed on East coast sites for weekends. Our experience of the midges has never put us off visiting the far West coast. We do take precautions eg citronella candles, wristbands etc.
The sites that we have stayed at with our kids and would recommend to you are, North Ledaig nr Oban, Bunree nr Fort William and Ardmair Point nr Ullapool. These sites are all right on the water and have playareas for the kids. All have websites.
Hope you enjoy your visit,
Alex.
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Being an East coast resident, I'm always happy to promote this area, but I'll concede that the West is more 'dramatic' .
Inverness is at the head of Loch (not Lock)Ness, so not much difference there. But if you mean that's the furthest north you want to go, then there are plenty of places to see on the East coast.
With walking / cycling / family & dog in mind, I'd recommend :
Edinburgh - Linwater site at East Calder. Nice canal side walks and Almondale country park walkable distance. Easy links into city from site.
Crail - be sure to visit the 'Secret bunker'.
Cruden Bay - not a great site, but good CC CL there. Lovely beach, World class Golf course and ruins of 'Dracula's castle'. (Bram Stoker wrote 'Dracula' while staying in Cruden Bay).
Fraserburgh - basic site in town but beside fantastic beach.
Lots of municipal sites along coast - check Aberdeenshire local govt website.
Huntly CC (affiliated) site in town & near castle.
Going along Moray coast - Findhorn sands.
Going towards Inverness, you might like to visit Cawdor castle, but I'd forget Culloden - It's the bleakest place on earth.
Hope that's some help. If you want anything more specific, just ask.
Try the Gart in Callander, this is a great caravan site, one of the best in Scotland. Toilet block is as good as any caravan club ones, maybe even better. Great little football pitch for children and adults, plus its away from the caravans, so no damages!. The only downside is no ground sheets and some of the pitches are on uneven ground so you need levelling blocks. This is a great base for touring central Scotland. Also a new caravan park has opened up in Perth, Noahs Ark.
There are no midges on the east coast from my experience. Went to Fife last summer - very pretty, wee fishing villages, but flat. The west is mountainous and wild, and if you camp next to the sea, the breeze keeps away midges. Lots of stunning beach-side camping to be found. The Moray firth, near Inverness and along to Aberdeenshire, is also a popular area for camping. Inland, west and central there are midges (how bad they are depends on weather conditions).
You are in a camper/caravan I see, so you will be able to escape from them if they get bad anyway! May to July are wonderful months to visit the north of Scotland as it's light all night!
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We have looked into the various recommendations and feel most are gems.
We will definitely be visiting them, but as many are a bit further North than planned, we are going to postpone Scotland until we can do a longer tour - probably 2011. We’re probably in Castle Douglas though at Easter (Loch Ken if it has space).
We will be keeping an eye on this post though in case anyone adds to it.
As for the dreaded Midge, we’ll we’ve never done the East coast so we’ll target there and probably the western coast as this appears to be a better option for a Midge reduced holiday! We did a week on Loch Lomond a few years back when we had a boat. The Midges were terrible. They had a real problem keeping up with the boat, but you could not walk anywhere, they were like a black fog. We had to keep windows shut, which was horrid as we had excellent weather.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: East or West - Which is best?
