I'm torn on this review. After hiking along Loch Lomond all day, arriving at Beinglas Farm…read morecampground was pure magic. The place was packed and so beautiful. It has wonderful food with good vegetarian options and has a decent little store. The trouble was that it was impossible to sleep there. Signs said "absolutely no noise after 10:30," but karaoke at the bar began at 10 and blasted out into the campground until well after midnight. Neon lights from the bar lit up the tents well into the night. And children ran around screaming well past midnight, and wasted young adults puked well into the morning and made all sorts of noise. It was quite chaotic and it appeared that there was no person on staff holding anyone responsible. So, in short, a great place, but not a good place to get a night's rest after a long, long day's hike.

We stayed at the estate for a short break in a wigwam in the quiet season and decided to eat…read moresomething that didn't smell of burnt wood on the second night. The site was dead so it wasn't hard to get a table but the weather was pretty good so the choice got smaller for a table outside but we were lucky. The staff were friendly and laid back and although this wasn't a problem I did wonder if this approach would work when the season kicked on. The food was pretty tasty with favourites like fish and chips and steak and chips cooked well with nice accompaniments. I was told the steak was Aberdeen Angus so was happy to ask for it medium rare, which is what I was given, along with a big juicy flat mushroom and grilled tomato. We washed it down with a very refreshing lager called Sunburst from a local micro- brewery, which was a nice touch for the choice on tap.

The trail for the Great Glen Way was located directly behind an Airbnb we stayed at outside of…read moreInverness. We didn't spend too much time on the trail, but we checked it out a bit one night and it seemed like it would be a nice trail to take a stroll through the woods on. There were a lot of cyclists coming through that night and we quickly got out of their way!

This is considered to be an easy long-distance route. But…read morethat's all going to depend on your resources and the weather. Walking with everything on your back is tough to manage but exhilarating. And the landscape is beautiful. The Great Glen Way is a route that goes along The Caledonian Canal from Fort William to Inverness. It's long and people do it in 5 days but I'd say that would be pretty tough going. With all the clobber if you are camping, it's tough going. I'd say you need to be able to be flexible because the weather is temperamental. You need enough money to stay in hostels or B and Bs whether you want to or not. Lots of lovely things to see along the way. If you donate £6 to British Waterways, you can camp at the locks along the way. There are a few of them and the loos and showers come in very handy indeed when it's raining all day long. Dry rooms with driers that cost £3 for 30 mins and work very efficiently. I'm now wiser by doing this walk. And I am considering doing another long distance walk already.

A couple of weeks ago, G-Bot and I decided to go on an outdoor adventure and so packed our camping…read moregear, put on our hiking boots and cagoules and set off on our trip in Betty. After my brother telling me that Buckfast swigging youths tend to head up to the Balloch area in the summer in their pimped out rides I figured that we'd try somewhere a bit quieter as I'm not down with that at all. We ended up in Luss and what a beautiful little town it is. The Luss Caravan and Camping Site is absolutely stunning with plenty of space and the most picture postcard picturesque views you could imagine. Waking up to the sun rising over the loch every morning would be a dream come true and even though we only stayed for a night I felt that the clean air and tranquil setting recharged my batteries. It was £25 for us to pitch our tent for the night and I have to say, I found that a bit steep but we had the option to leave the car outside the camping ground and pay only £16 but for all of the hassle of lugging the tend and goods all over the place we decided to just go the whole haul. It might even be a bargain, I'm not sure what to going rate for a campsite is but it was a £25 well spent. The staff who run the campsite are very friendly and the gift shop is well stocked and reasonably priced too. The toilets were clean and fresh and there was even a small play park for the little 'uns. If you're thinking of going camping then I highly recommend this campsite, it's idyllic.

As a first time motorhome hirer, we thought this place might make a lovely looking stop for our…read morevery first night. Well, we'd heard caravanning was a bit cliquish. And, how true!! I phoned to ask how the members-only system worked for new visitors. A reasonably polite woman gave me a rather confusing explanation about us either having to be full members (but we were too late to join as you can't do so on the same day - thanks!) or the hire company having to be Privilege members of the Club, and they'd accept that. So I phoned the hire company who confirmed they were. So I phoned the site back, this time getting an incredibly brusque man who rudely told me to go away as they don't in fact accept Privilege members, giving me an earful about the hire company not knowing the rules. After I'd hung up at his bad manners, he later phoned me back demanding I tell him who had recommended them so he could complain about them too. Well, apparently his own staff don't know the rules either, or I could have saved myself half an hour of wasted grief. What an experience to give first-timers considering this activity for the first time. If we hadn't booked our vehicle already, I'd be giving up in disgust at the hostile and unfriendly attitudes.

I am jealous. I am jealous that there are people in this world who can get up every morning and go…read morehere, even if just for a quick morning walk. We visited Loch Lomond on New Year's Day and can I just say it made for the most magical start to a new year for me. I'm floored by its beauty and tranquility and if its the start of the Highlands, holy cow - or rather coo! My tour group couldn't get over how stunning the light, filtered through clouds touched upon the hillsides. The park was clean and everyone did their part to keep it that way. No one was too noisey either. Would love to come back and explore more!

Truly, a magnificent park and one a few untouched by development in Scotland. Jagged peaks and…read moresteep mountain tops punctuate the sky and mark some of the most prestige wilderness areas in the world. I wholeheartedly loved this park and my time exploring it. Going back, I would spend a weekend and camp here to really immerse myself (guess I have a good excuse).

We looked for a place for a nice walk with our dog. Some place nice, green and quiet. Found this…read morepark here online and thought it looked promising. Came by car. Only a 40 minute drive from our BnB. Plenty of parking at the visitors centre at the main entrance. Free of charge. And no charge to enter the park as well. There are some shops, a coffee shop, a garden center, arts & crafts, toilets, a playground. Lots to do. There are several paths leading you through the big grounds of this park. Some very easy and flat. Some more narrow and a bit wet after rainy days. Bring some good shoes to be sure. We loved walking around the park with our English Bulldog. Lots of other furry friends to meet here. And a lot less visitors than one might expect. A first highlight is the Craigend Castle. Or more like what remains of it. Now nature is taking it back and it's fenced off. Some part of me would love to see it restored. Bought I also understand that they like to keep it this way. Let nature take it back for a living place for various animals. Then Mugdock Loch is another highlight. Walk around this beautiful quiet little Loch. Plenty of photo ops and benches for a picnic. The Loch is also the place where you will find the Mugdock Castle. Some really nice remains. Very fun to explore. With tables to make a picnic. A really nice little castle. We very much enjoyed our day here. Follow the map and the paths. Or just start walking and let yourself get lost a little. Surprisingly it's free...something that wouldn't be possible in my country. Not an impressive park of this size with so much to see. A lovely place.

Mugdock is one of my favourite places to go.. It's not to far from the city centre and you feel…read morecompletely in the countryside.. I had been going to Mugdock for years and never new there was a castle and only last summer, up behind the castle I found some world war 2 gun barracks.. So much to see and the wildlife is amazing.. If your lucky enough you might go when the castle is open, if you get the chance go in as the view from the roof is stunning.. They also have a coffee shop where you can get some food but most importantly an ice cream..

The Kelburn Castle has been a home to the Boyle family since it's construction in the 13th Century…read more It is the oldest castle in Scotland that has been continuously inhabited. Allowing the castle to be painted came about when the Boyle family were told that they would have to remove the tower because of damage to the stonework. Since it was going to be removed the family decided to ask four Brazilian street artists to paint the castle. Their graffiti art created so much excitement that the family appealed to the Historic Scotland to allow it to stay. They are a government agency responsible for preserving the country's historic monuments. The agency granted temporary permission and attached an end date. The end date has passed and the family is working towards extending it again. While I visited the castle it was under major renovations so perhaps the construction will stabilize the castle and allow it to continue to be known to tourists as the Graffiti Castle. It cost £9.00 to spend the day hiking on the property. It was an absolutely amazing day and I highly recommend visiting this property. There is a visitor office with hiking maps, bathroom facilities and an area to purchase food. Included in our entrance fee was a tour of the spooky forest. They had a children's section by day and adult section at night. I passed on the Halloween fun because of time restraints.

This is a DO NOT MISS venue. The graffiti castle is fabulous and the grounds, pathways, waterfalls,…read morehikes and secret forest just add to the experience. Entrance fee was £7 and well worth it.