Review: Badrallach Campsite, near Ullapool, Scotland

A site on the Badrallach campground

Location: 45 minutes from Ullapool
Website: Badrallach 
Map: Google Maps
Camping Facilities: 

Bothy, campsites, and cottage
Grade: B
Stargazing: Very good
Summary: Beautiful location, simple facilities, sloped spots for tents, watch for midges
Thoughts: We had been driving all day, not really sure where we would end up when we did our internet search and found Badrallach Bothy. The Guardian informed us that this was one of the best campsites in the UK - to that point this was damning with faint praise (keep in mind my being accustomed to Canadian camping). But after considering it a bit, it seemed like everything we would want; close to the ocean, remote, and a genuine Scottish camping experience. I can say that we were not disappointed, by any standard of campsite.

The string of sites at the campground
(bothy in background)

We pulled up and knocked at the cottage located on site, and asked about a campsite. The price (£7.50 pp per night; Sept 2015) seemed reasonable and the setting looked fantastic. You drive in on a undulating, narrow road dug into side of the hills. It is a phenomenal spot and you get a sense of excitement to think that you're going to sleep rough in a place like this. You are tucked into the side of the hill, which doesn't afford the grandest of views, but you can look up the side of the hill to look at the heather (in the autumn at lesat) and a little waterfall that trickles its way down the slope. In addition, you can walk to the bottom of the hill on the main campsite and stroll down to the seashore and catch a good view of inlet, especially if the weather is clear.

One of the more secluded walk-in sites,
just a few steps from the main camping area

The campsites themselves are green and grassy, but the ground is generally sloped which can be create a bit of a challenge if you're trying to stay comfy in a sleeping bag. We were really impressed with the walk-in sites, which had a very private feel to them. We didn't feel like lugging our gear and setting up on one and I seem to recall the firepits being a bit better in the main camping area (though overall, they're still not great and you need to bring your own wood). The amenities (washing up facilities, washroom) are shared with the occupants of the bothy, which is fine and we had a few friendly chats with the occupants. The facilities were all in good order and sufficient for the small crowd that we had sharing the plots with us that day. The Badlarrach website suggests that the bothy becomes a common social/eating area for campers if it isn't reserved for sole use, but we did not have the pleasure of using it for that purpose.

We were visiting in Autumn, so I must warn that the midges were out as a merciless force; I suppose the midge buster was down for the season. However, as you can see from the photos, the site merits a look (just be sure to put on a midge hat). A great spot to begin a drive up the west coast of Scotland.

The setting of Badrallach Campsite

View from the nearby shore
(20 mins walk from campsite)

You mostly only share the landscape
with the sheep 

Review: Car Camping, North Lees Campsite, Peak District National Park, United Kingdom

Peak District from Stanage Edge

Location: 30 mins from Sheffield (10 miles)
Website:  National Park or Campsite
Map: Google Maps
Camping Facilities: Car camping
Grade: C
Stargazing: Good
Summary: Acceptable camping experience in the UK (my first)
Thoughts: After entering the park with little fanfare (the color of the terrain on my GPS changed from beige to green, if I'm not mistaken), I knew that I had to keep my expectations in check.  No park office, no visible change in land use, sheep eyeing you suspiciously -  clearly things are done differently here. As we zigged and zagged along the country roads, we had hopes that the vast wilderness that is the Peak District National Park would eventually reveal itself around the next bend. It does, but not in the way that we're used to. But that's okay. The UK is a small country with a relatively large population (compared to Canada), so one can only expect a certain level of solitude and remoteness. And maybe within the campground itself things would be different. Well it was, and it wasn't.

Sheep and grazing fields

- mainstays of UK National Parks

The flocks of sheep that greet you on the roadsides within the National Park were not welcome in the North Lees Campsite. No sir, gates and fences made their access impossible. A win for conservation! The camping experience, however, was consistently frustrating as the rest of the drive to that point. First off, the site was sloped, and quite dramatically so.  Good luck finding a level spot to sleep comfortably. Second, there is no demarcation of campsites. It's a total free-for-all. Where ever you'd like to stop walking/carrying gear, well, that's as good as any spot, friend. Thirdly, no demarcation of sites also means no privacy.  None. Nor are there many picnic benches to cook your breakfast (most people seemed to be happy to do so on the ground but we grabbed one of the few that there were).  Last, there are no campfires. Given that there are so few trees in the region to begin with, it's probably for the best. But yeah: "sigh".

Nice spot to wash dishes

Bears aren't an issue...

Sheep - you are fenced OUT!

Some good points that I need to bring up. The place is very tidy. You have nice shower facilities as well as running water for washing dishes (a bit of a hike from some of the "sites", so bring a container of some sort, like a bucket or camping sink). You also have recycling facilities and very kinds, friendly staff running the place.  And the connectivity to the splendid hiking trails within steps of the campground is excellent. Another bonus - you can walk to the pubs in Hathersage in about half an hour. In doing so, you'll stroll through quaint English countryside and maybe learn to appreciate it on its own merits, and not in relation to those of a totally different country that has no physical resemblance to the one you're living in, so you might as well stop whinging about it.

A second camping space that is a bit flatter

As a Canadian out on their first camping trip in the UK, I could have done worse than North Lees. Once you have acclimatized to the setting and your eyes have adjusted to the local scenery, you'll probably find that it does what it does pretty well. It's just different, that's all.

Interpretive sign maintenance varies...

Weather may vary as well

View from Stanage Edge

Peak District National Park

Mam Tor

Mam Tor was a gusty spot that day

Some trails veer onto private land,

but the signage will get you back

on track

Roadway carved right into

a drainage channel

A Canadian's Guide to Camping in the UK

So, fellow campers and campers-to-be, I've found myself living in the UK, away from my home of 35 years that provided endless rustic camping opportunities. Seeing as camping is something that defines who I am, it didn't take long before I was compelled to venture off into Britain's out-of-doors, to feed my wind-whistling-through-the-pines addiction. Well, it's my duty to inform North Americans who haven't tried camping in the UK yet that you're going to have to adjust your expectations. 

Camping in Peaks District National Park

You see, calling something a National Park on this side of the Atlantic does not necessarily mean the UK government has attempted to preserve or restore the natural character of the landscape. No sir, it does not mean that at all. Here, there are sheep. Yes, from what I can tell, National Park means maintaining feeding opportunities for future generations of farm animals: the government has reserved a tract of land where livestock can graze for all eternity. It doesn't seem to prevent quarrying, since one is clearly visible from the top of Stanage Edge in Peak District National Park (see Kiera Knightly gaze longingly at it here in a recent incarnation of "Pride and Prejudice"). There are also villages and hamlets dotting the National Parks, as well as plenty of roads and train tracks. I don't doubt that restrictions do exist, but they surely not in the Canadian tradition (which is itself far from pure).

Of course, I realise that it's probably impossible to create grand wilderness areas in a small island hosting 60+ million people.  No, a kingdom that has been thoroughly developed for many centuries can't possibly provide you with an experience that is akin to that which you'd find in the sparsely-settled great white north (population density of 250/km2 vs. Canada's 4/km2).  In fact, it was British expat John Muir who realized over 130 years ago that national governments should be setting aside areas of natural magnificence in North America to be enjoyed in perpetuity. But regardless, the National Parks in the UK have been set aside to "...make sure that nature and wildlife are protected and that people can continue to benefit from nature without destroying it" (says the UK Government), so the intent isn't all that different, even though the circumstances surely are.

So if you've read this blog before, you'll know that I'm quite particular in the things that I look for in a car camping site (which I generally perceive to be awful). Canadian guidelines cannot be applied here. Camping in the UK = tent in a field. At best. I suspect that most of the time, you're sharing that field with livestock, if not dozens of other tents. Privacy outside of your tent is not an option. If I were to apply my North American standards of camping to my UK reviews (spacious, private, pristine, secluded), the needle would be unable to move past a failing grade. But I can appreciate that camping cultures are context-specific, so I'll try to focus on the criteria that are within a local campground operator's control and try to put aside those that aren't.



Lake District National Park -
Complete with Hedgerows and Stone Walking Paths