Don't like the idea of roughing it under canvas? Neither did ALLY THOMPSON. So when she and her family set off on holiday they opted for eco-friendly takes on tents that would include a few more home comforts than usual
CAMPING APPEARS to be the new black. Succumbing to an environmental conscience, not to mention the soaring costs of long-haul travel, mums and dads are loading their roof boxes, piling the kids into their car seats and setting the GPS for the nearest campsite in the hope of having a Swallows and Amazons experience.
For me, the idea of roughing it under canvas didn’t really appeal, what with one toddler in tow and a new addition only a few months away. We started to look for alternatives that would still let us join the camping phenomenon but would include a few more home comforts. (I had suggested a luxury spa break, but that met with little enthusiasm.)
After a month of trawling the internet for recommendations, we finally booked a ferry to Scotland, for our first family camping trip. The car was jam-packed with bits and pieces to cover every eventuality – apart from the tent that a camping trip usually requires.
Our first stop was Lochhouses Farm, near the seaside town of North Berwick, on Scotland’s east coast. Lochhouses is part of the Feather Down Farm Days group, whose more than 20 locations offer family holidays on working farms in unspoilt locations.
Parents get to introduce their children to a more basic lifestyle without the hassle of trying to pitch a tent: at Lochhouses, eight tents with wooden flooring, beds, kitchen areas and pot-bellied stoves are set up in a clearing on the farm, a stone’s throw from the beach at John Muir Country Park. This may sound like camping for cheats, but it still has a wonderfully rural feel.
All the ingredients are there for a Famous Five adventure: you can rent bicycles or ride horses and then go to the honesty shop, in an old wooden boat, which stocks fresh farm produce, such as venison burgers and wild-boar sausages, as well as camping essentials such as candles and matches. You write down what you have taken in a notebook, then settle up at the end of your holiday.
Much to the delight of Libby, our two-year-old, in the central area between the tents was a range of coops with chickens, rabbits and geese. There was also a pen with newborn lambs. The early-morning ritual involved traipsing across the field, hand in hand with Daddy, to check for eggs. It is a case of finders keepers, so the earlier the start the better your odds of having an omelette for breakfast.
Midmorning and it was back across the field to give the lambs their morning bottle. Great fun and a world away from life back home.
The location was perfect for exploring. Bracing walks along the beach until little legs grew tired, and then a short drive took us down to North Berwick. The town retains a lot of charm despite having been dragged reluctantly into the 21st century. On our one wet afternoon, the town’s Scottish Seabird Centre was an excellent rainy-day option. Interactive displays and attractions allow adults and children alike to delve into the area’s history and to get a closer look at the bird life, including gannets and puffins.
Exhausted after a day’s adventuring in the great outdoors, each evening we huddled around the stove, throwing more logs on for warmth, and snuggled up to read some bedtime stories by candlelight. This sort of family camping trip I could certainly do again, and again.
After three nights at Lochhouses we packed the car and headed to Perthshire and Comrie Croft eco-campsite. Situated between the village of Comrie and the town of Crieff, this promised something a little different again. Although it has a family camping field, we rented one of its Swedish katas, or tepee-style tents, for two nights in the woods behind reception.
Comrie Croft’s katas have wood-burning stoves, an elevated sleeping platform with sheepskin throws and a wind-up lantern. Outside is a campfire brazier and a big bag of firewood. Each kata is in a wooded clearing with fabulous views.
The site is owned by a group of 50 locals who set up a co-operative to buy the land a couple of years ago. There was already a hostel in one of the outbuildings, but the eco-campsite is a new addition. It takes its green credentials from the solar showers, recycling facilities and back-to-nature ethos. There are no dos-and-don’ts signs, as the team prefer to give guests the benefit of the doubt when it comes to wanting to be environmentally friendly. It is a fabulous spot for families who might be tempted to try wild camping but want the security of knowing that other campers are out of sight but not too far away.
At weekends the owners coerce friends and family into helping clear paths and trails through the farm’s woodland, creating a range of mountain-bike trails and walking routes. A little loch is stocked with brown trout; you can buy rods and nets at reception.
As mountain biking is a passion of Comrie Croft’s owners, they have set up a bicycle hire and repair shop on the farm. They have bikes for all abilities, including children’s models and child seats.
Deciding a bicycle maybe wasn’t the best mode of transport in my condition, I spent our first day lazing in a hammock outside the kata, reading magazines and eating chocolate while Libby and Daddy hired a bike and went exploring.
Unfortunately, unable to get out of the hammock again, I had to stay there, swaying gently for three hours, until they returned. This camping lark can be extremely taxing.
The village of Comrie, six kilometres away, has everything you might need on your camping break, from a deli to a great fish and chip shop. On our second day we ventured into the village for lunch, then went a further three kilometres to Auchingarrich Wildlife Centre. This is seventh heaven for kids, set in breathtaking scenery, with all sorts of wild and hairy, cute and cuddly animals for children to marvel at. It also has a hatchery, so Libby was able to hold and stroke some chicks.
Still in pursuit of the ultimate family camping experience – and feeling that we must have come pretty close with our two stops so far – we checked out of Comrie Croft and headed for Loch Lomond and then Crianlarich for our final stop, at Strathfillan Wigwam Village.
Although it offers wigwam accommodation, it also has a camping field, for tents, and a Mongolian ger. We had tried to book the ger, but it was already taken, so, unsure what exactly we were getting ourselves into, we opted for a wooden wigwam.
The wigwam wasn’t really what we had envisaged. I think perhaps I had watched too many Westerns as a child. It resembled the hull of a boat set upside down; inside were seats that pulled out into a bed, an electric light, a fridge and a heater. After five days of camping bliss at our first two sites, I was a little sceptical but prepared to give it a go. An hour later, watching Libby, in an Indian headdress, chase her dad with a plastic tomahawk – all bought at the site’s aptly named Trading Post – all doubts were gone. This was very definitely a site for the kids, big and small.
We had planned to head out in the car to see more of the area, but as the sun shone for the next 48 hours we circled our wagons and stayed put at Strathfillan. Libby lost herself in a world of cowboys and Indians with her fellow knee-high campers.
The wigwams were basic, and although they lacked the charm of the katas, Strathfillan’s hearty embrace of the Wild West more than made up for it.
At sundown families staked their claim outside their wigwam, mums and dads with a glass of wine in hand, barbecuing an alligator steak or an ostrich burger or two, courtesy of the Trading Post, while their children continued to rustle cattle.
So, next year’s family holiday. Camping? Yes please. Planning to pitch a tent? No thanks.
Go there
Stena Line (www.stenaline. ie) sails from Belfast to Stranraer. PO Irish Sea (www.poirishsea.com) sails from Larne to Cairnryan and Troon. Aer Lingus (www. aerlingus.com) flies to Edinburgh and Glasgow from Dublin. Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) flies to Edinburgh from Dublin and Shannon and to Glasgow Prestwick from Dublin, Shannon, Belfast and Derry.
Where to stay, eat and go if you're off to Scotland with the family
Where to stay
Lochhouses Farm. Tyninghame, East Lothian, 00-44-1420-80804, www.featherdown.co.uk. These pre-pitched tents have beautiful sandy beaches on their doorstep.
Comrie Croft. Braincroft, Crieff, Perthshire, 00-44- 1764-670140, www.comriecroft. co.uk. An environmentally friendly campsite in the heart of Perthshire, with walking trails and mountain biking.
Strathfillan Wigwam Village. Tyndrum, Crianlarich, Perthshire, 00-44-1838-400251, www.wigwamholidays.com/strathfillan. A little bit of the Wild West finds its way on to the West Highland Way.
Where to eat
No 12 Quality Street. North Berwick, 00-44-1620-892529, www.no12qualitystreet.co.uk. A child-friendly cafe-bar with a relaxed atmosphere, friendly staff and good children’s menu.
Thompsons the Delicatessen. Drummond Street, Comrie, 00-44-1764- 670253, www.thompsons delicatessen.com. Cured meats, freshly baked breads and other savoury delights. Hampers made up on request.
The Drovers Inn. Inverarnan, Loch Lomond, 00-44-1301-704234, www.thedroversinn.co.uk. Worth a visit for the ancient taxidermy, kilt-clad bar staff and the most delicious rack of sticky ribs.
Where to go
Scottish Seabird Centre. The Harbour, North Berwick, 00-44-1620-890202, www. seabird.org. Award-winning attraction with a discovery centre, kids’ zone and cafe.
Auchingarrich Wildlife Park. Comrie, Perthshire, 00-44-1764-670486, www.auchingarrich.co.uk. Home to numerous animals and birds, as well as a children’s playground, soft play area, cafe and woodland walks.
The Famous Grouse Experience. The Hosh, Crieff, Perthshire, 00-44-1764- 656565, www.thefamous grouse.com. For a day out that Mum and Dad might enjoy just as much as the kids, Scotland’s oldest working distillery allows you to go behind the scenes to see how the Glenturret single malt is created.