The Isle of Skye is fast becoming one of the most popular places to visit in Scotland. The scenery is stunning and overwhelms visitors, from the lush sandy beaches to the moody and misty Cuillin mountain range. I spent several days on the Isle of Skye on a wild camping trip last month and Skye quickly became one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been! Wild camping is so much fun and a great way to experience life differently when you’re sleeping in unique places.

Surprisingly, there’s not very much online about wild camping spots on the Isle of Skye. So I wanted to write up this post with the information I found, and other spots that came recommended. I use the OS Maps app to find wild camping spots – I actually use the app on every hike I do in the UK! It’s an annual subscription that costs £29/year, but they do have a 7-day free trial, too. You can find out all my recommendations for outdoor gear in this post, but here are the best wild camping spots on the Isle of Skye in Scotland!

Wild Camping Spots on the Isle of Skye

The Quirang

This scenic and beautiful area of Skye draws huge visitors to do the Quirang walk. If you go away from the main path (in the southerly direction, on the side of the road as the car park) you can find some flat, grassy areas to pitch a tent. I found the wind here to be so brutal that we didn’t want to camp here. You can also walk about 10-20 minutes of the Quirang walk, there will be some nice places to pitch a tent too. We wanted to be close to the car, so we ended up driving 5 minutes down the Uig-Staffin road (west from the Quirang, closer to Uig). There were quite a few easy spots where we could park and set up on flat, dry ground (we saw a few other people camping on this road as well!). We camped by a stream, right near a waterfall.

Walking Distance From Vehicle: 2 minutes

Coral Beach

One of my favorite wild camping spots on Skye was recommended to us by a hitchhiker we picked up earlier that day. Coral Beach is just amazing, with white sand and views for days. It’s an easy 20-minute walk to the beach. We decided not to pitch our tent right on the beach (there were a lot of rabbit holes). Instead, we camped near the wall just a few minutes walk from the beach. The road to Claigan is full of potholes (you’ve been warned!), but there’s a large car park at the end. Seeing the sunset here was phenomenal – even if you don’t camp here, I definitely recommend coming for sunset! We had the entire beach to ourselves as well!

Walking Distance From Vehicle: 20 minutes

Camasunary Bay

If you’re looking for a more remote camping location, I highly recommend Camasunary Bay. There’s a bothy (shelter/structure in mountainous regions that’s free to use) which makes a perfect place to sleep for the evening. Although there’s plenty of space in the bay to pitch a tent as well. Parking is in a layby off the road from Broadford to Elgol. It is a noticeable layby, about 11.3 miles from Broadford or 3.2 miles from Elgol. I read that the walk takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes from the road to the bothy, but it took me about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

There were a group of guys wild camping in tents at Camasunary Bay, but besides that we had the bay (and the bothy) completely to ourselves. The bothy has two rooms, a dining room with tables, and then a room for sleeping. There are wooden bunks made of planks, and it’s warm and cozy. Even though you don’t have to pitch a tent, I still consider this one of the most unique camping spots I’ve stayed at. The bay is so far away from everything, and I saw another beautiful sunset here! You can read my full post on Camasunary Bay here.

Walking Distance From Vehicle: 1 hour 30 minutes

Loch Slapin by Torrin

For my last night of wild camping on the Isle of Skye, I camped next to Loch Slapin near Torrin. This is also on the road from Broadford to Elgol. There are several points to pull over and park off the road, with flat, dry, grassy areas to fit a tent. Based on my experience, there will be quite a few other people camping along the loch at various points – so maybe try to get here a bit earlier (around 5:00pm) than you normally would.

Walking Distance From Vehicle: 1 minute

Ben Tianavaig

Somewhere I didn’t camp but came across as a recommended wild camping spot on Skye is Ben Tianavaig. It’s across the bay from Portree, and is meant to be a perfect place to watch the sunrise in the morning. It’s 413 meters to the summit, and the walk is listed as 2-3 hours round trip. Parking is recommended by the bay at Camastianavaig.

Walking Distance From Vehicle: 1 hour (minimum) for the summit

Neist Point

Another popular wild camping spot on the Isle of Skye is Neist Point. You can camp high above the lighthouse – walk up from where you park, over the moorland, and look for anywhere flat and dry. (Kind of near where this photo was taken.) This is meant to be a great place to watch the sunset. There is plenty of parking on the road to leave your car for the night.

Walking Distance From Vehicle: 5-10 minutes

Scorrybreac

One walk that I really wanted to do, but unfortunately missed out on during my time on Skye, was Scorrybreac. This is an easy walk of about 1 hour from Portree, with camping recommended past the Black Rock. As I didn’t do the walk I’m not entirely sure what the grounds are like! There is free parking at the short stay car parks in Portree after 6pm (and before 8am in the morning), although there is also a long stay car park which might be easier.

Walking Distance From Vehicle: 30-60 minutes

Ollisdal Bay

If you’re up for a serious and difficult walk, I also heard that Ollisdal Bay is a good option to spend the night. There is a bothy here (the Ollisdal Bothy), so there is hopefully some shelter available in adverse weather. This camping spot is part-way through the coastal trek between Ramasaig and Orbost. The walk is 14 miles and should take about 8-10 hours – so it’s not to be taken lightly. It is also a very difficult walk, over rough and sometimes pathless terrain. If you wanted, you could do half of the walk in the afternoon, sleep in the bothy, and then do the other half the next morning. Closer to Orbost, you can see Macleod’s Maidens, some impressive seastacks. There are apparently parking spots at either end of the walk, but no way to get between the two unless you have two cars (with no connections via public transport). This is the most remote wild camping location on this list! I’d really love to do this walk someday.

Walking Distance From Vehicle: Minimum 4 hours

Official Campsites on the Isle of Skye

Of course, the above are only recommendations for wild camping spots. As Skye becomes more and more popular, there are lots of different official campsites available. All of these campsites have a charge to spend the night, although they will of course offer facilities like toilets and showers. Most don’t take reservations and operate on a first come, first served basis. Some of the most popular campsites are:

• Glen Brittle, on the coast near the Fairy Pools
• Kinloch Campsite, near Dunvegan
• Sligachan Camping, in Sligachan (right off the main road)
• Loch Greshornish (Skye Camping and Caravanning Club Site), off the A850

Wild Camping Tips

No matter where you camp, you should always be respectful of nature and abide by the rules of wild camping. Wild camping is legal everywhere in Scotland within reason – obviously don’t camp in the middle of a town, or next to someone’s house. You can view the Scottish Outdoor Access Code here for more information. You can check out my outdoor gear guide for all my top picks on camping gear, outdoor clothing, and miscellaneous camping necessities.

Leave no trace. Take away all of your litter, and bring out everything that you pack in. The best wild camper leaves nothing but footprints, and takes nothing but photographs. This includes banana peels and apple cores – there are plenty of garbage cans around the Isle of Skye for you to get rid of litter after you camp! Trash and litter is one of my biggest pet peeves about camping, so just DON’T DO IT.

Be prepared with the correct maps. Having a map will help you navigate around the Isle of Skye, and maps are a must on any outdoor trip, whether you’re hiking for the day or camping overnight. There are two OS Landranger maps for the Isle of Skye: the Landranger (23) for North Skye, and Landranger (32) for South Skye with a scale of 1:50,000. There are five OS Explorer maps for the Isle of Skye that all have a scale of 1:25,000 if you need more detail: OS Map 407 (Dunvegan), OS Map 408 (Trotternish and the Storr), OS Map 410 (Portree and Bracadale), OS Map 411 (Cuillin Hills and Soay), and OS Map 412 (Sleat). Nowadays, I use the OS Maps app for nearly every hike I do in the UK. I also highly recommend having a road atlas like this one for navigating the roads and driving on the Isle of Skye.

Don’t camp in places that say no overnight camping. This might seem really obvious, but if there are signs saying “no overnight camping” or “no overnight stays,” don’t camp there. I know it can be tempting, particularly if you’re somewhere really remote with no one around. But don’t do it. There are so many places (literally everywhere else) in Scotland that you can wild camp, so don’t do so in places that specifically prohibit it.

Never park in passing places. For quite a few of the above wild camping spots on Skye, the access is by a single-track road. This is a very narrow road that still allows two-way traffic – and these roads will have passing places just wide enough for two cars, where you can pull over safely if you meet another car. Do not ever park in a passing place as you are hindering access to the road for all vehicles that drive on it. There are obvious areas that are not passing places (like the above photo) at these wild camping spots for you to park safely and leave your vehicle overnight.

Only stay one or two nights, and in small numbers. The access code advises against wild camping for two or three nights in any one place. But I’d go as far to say you should only stay one or two nights in one place. First of all, there are simply so many wild camping spots to sleep at on the Isle of Skye – don’t limit yourself to just one or two! Secondly, it causes less damage to the landscape and fewer problems for the locals if you pack up sooner rather than later.

Do all of your toilet business well away from water. The access code recommends 30 meters away from water if you need to pee. If you have to take a shit (we all do at some point in time!), go well away from water and buildings, prepared with a trowel so you can bury it. You wouldn’t want to arrive at a gorgeous camping spot only to be greeted by a pile of poop, would you?! So don’t do that to someone else. Use common sense and be respectful.

Beware of boggy ground. Quite a lot of the areas on the Isle of Skye look like amazing wild camping spots. That is, until you walk on them and your boots squish out water because the ground is very boggy. Don’t pitch your tent there, as the ground isn’t sturdy enough. And since you then run the risk of waking up in the morning to a tent in standing water. Also, beware of midges. These small insects love feasting on humans and they can (and will) drive you insane. I use Smidge insect repellant.

Not into camping? Accommodation on Skye can get booked up months in advance. I recommend Hostelworld for booking hostels, and Booking.com for hotels. You can also sign up to and search accommodation on Airbnb here!

Booking.com

 

There are no trains that run on the Isle of Skye, but if you’re looking for train connections in Scotland, I always book through Trainline. If you’re planning to fly to Skye, the nearest airport is Inverness. Glasgow or Edinburgh are good options as well. I use Skyscanner for booking flights! Considering travel insurance for your trip? World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 adventure activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more.

If you’re looking for a tour of Skye, either for a day or as part of a bigger trips around Scotland, there are lots of options! Here are a few different tours that visit Skye:

The Isle of Skye in Scotland is home to some of the most stunning scenery in the UK, in Europe as a whole, and the world over. It is on many peoples’ bucket list for a reason! Wild camping is an excellent way to save money and cut costs as you travel, but it can be difficult finding great spots. I hope these wild camping spots on the Isle of Skye prove useful to you fellow travelers!

Have you every been wild camping on the Isle of Skye? Where were your favorite spots?!

Check out my other Scotland posts!

You might also like:

Alternative Isle Of Skye: 4 Ways to Avoid the Crowds

Staying in the Camasunary Bay Bothy on the Isle of Skye

A 7-Day Itinerary for Scotland’s North Coast 500 Road Trip

A Travel Guide for Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, Scotland

What to See on the Isle of Mull and Iona in Scotland

What to See and Do in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland

Cairngorms National Park Travel Guide: What to See and Do

Isle of Arran: A Guide For Visiting Scotland in Miniature

My Outdoor Gear Guide For Hiking And Camping In The UK

12 Tips For Planning Your Scottish Highlands Road Trip

All my hiking posts!

Like this post? Pin it for later!