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10 best caravan holiday parks in Scotland - 2021
Forgive me for stating the obvious, but Scotland's a big place so don't expect to see every inch of it in a week's caravan holiday.
For remoteness and mountainous scenery, I'd travel to the Highlands which include the Grampian Mountains (home of Ben Nevis) or if you're more adventurous then try the Islands of Skye, The Hebrides, Shetland or Orkney. As a general rule, Scotland becomes more remote as you travel north.
For a more accessible holiday with city sights I'd consider Edinburgh or Glasgow in the 'lowlands' (i.e. the southern half of Scotland).
As a general rule, you'll find Scottish holiday parks are a little bit cheaper than those in most of England so there are some good deals to be had.
We've picked out 10 of the best by looking at price, location and reviews.
For remoteness and mountainous scenery, I'd travel to the Highlands which include the Grampian Mountains (home of Ben Nevis) or if you're more adventurous then try the Islands of Skye, The Hebrides, Shetland or Orkney. As a general rule, Scotland becomes more remote as you travel north.
For a more accessible holiday with city sights I'd consider Edinburgh or Glasgow in the 'lowlands' (i.e. the southern half of Scotland).
As a general rule, you'll find Scottish holiday parks are a little bit cheaper than those in most of England so there are some good deals to be had.
We've picked out 10 of the best by looking at price, location and reviews.
1. Seton Sands Holiday Park near Edinburgh (busy coastal Haven park, indoor swimming pool)
**Winner: best value caravan holiday park in Scotland**
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Haven is one of the biggest names in the UK holiday park market and we reckon Seton Sands is their best caravan park in Scotland. It also owns Craig Tara on the West Coast - see our comparison of the two.
Reviews are typically around 4/5 or slightly higher for Seton Sands and it’s a big, family-friendly site with plenty of facilities. There’s an indoor swimming pool, which is useful if the weather isn’t up to scratch, daytime and evening entertainment (if that's your thing), archery, golf and soft play amongst other fun and games. The beach is on your doorstep. It's well located for a visit to Edinburgh but you'll be in the car for a long time if you want to visit one of Scotland's main national parks (Loch Lomond and the Trossachs is a couple of hours away). There's loads of family-friendly things to do in Edinburgh including Edinburgh Zoo, Edinburgh Castle and the National Museum of Scotland. Price: £549 for a family of four for a week in a standard chalet in early August 2021. |
Seton Sands is good-sized family friendly holiday park with positive reviews...
...and a local beach with plenty of space for running around
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**Haven Offers: Last minute bargains from £120 + October Half Term from £299 + 2022 Holidays from £49**
2. Eyemouth Holiday Park near English border (cheap, beachside, access to nearby swimming pool)
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Eyemouth is a family friendly holiday park which gets very good reviews (4.5/5 on TripAdvisor) despite having more basic facilities than some.
The park was part of the Park Resorts chain, which is now part of Parkdean Resorts (are you keeping up?). It's not far from the English border on Scotland's east coast so is an easy one to visit for a weekend if you live in Northern England. It will take about an hour to get to Edinburgh for a day out. Onsite you'll find a sports court and play area, as well as a bar and restaurant. There's no swimming pool onsite, but you do have access to a local indoor pool included in your stay (so I'm afraid you can't get away with walking back to your caravan wearing a towel). You can also walk to the beach easily. Price: £659 for a week in a 'Linkim' caravan for a family of four in August 2021. |
There are terrific sea views from Eyemouth Holiday Park...
...and a good choice of two bedroom and three bedroom caravans
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3. Blairgowrie Holiday Park (basic facilities, lodges, hot tubs)
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If you want non-stop entertainment and knobbly knee competitions...don't stay at Blairgowrie Holiday Park
However, if you want a simple holiday park with decent reviews and slightly posher accommodation than most parks then it's worth a look. It's in Perthshire, about 40 minutes from the Glenshee ski resort in the Cairngorms and you can even hire your skis from the holiday park if you want to. If you want to travel to Edinburgh or Loch Lomond it's about an hour and a half in the car. There's an outdoor play area for children, but it's more of a pleasant base for exploring. Customer reviews are a very impressive 9/10 at the time of typing. The accommodation is lodges rather than caravans, but the prices are similar to some caravan parks. Price: £745 for a week in a Rowan lodge in August 2021 for a family of four. |
If you want a quiet holiday park with good reviews...
...then Blairgowrie is an appealing option
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4. Nairn Lochloy Holiday Park Highlands (busy Parkdean park, indoor swimming pool, beachside, good reviews)
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Eyemouth isn't the only Parkdean Resorts holiday park worth considering in Scotland. We've also picked out Nairn Lochloy Holiday Park for our top 10, although Grannie's Heilan Hame and Tummel Valley Holiday Park have also got their plus points.
Grannie's Heilan Hame and Nairn Lochloy are both in beachside locations in the Highlands in North East Scotland whilst Tummel Valley Holiday Park is in the centre of Scotland. There isn't a great deal between them in terms of facilities, but Nairn Lochloy just edges it on visitor reviews (8 or 9/10) and it offers a good mix of scenery. Some of the caravans are practically on the beach whilst it's only a 40 minute drive to the Cairngorms National Park or Loch Ness. All three have got indoor swimming pools, adventure playgrounds, crazy golf and places to eat amongst other things to entertain children for five minutes. One other factor to consider is that if you're travelling from London, it's an extra two hours to Nairn Lochloy compared to Tummel Valley. If you find travelling with children to be as much fun as root canal surgery then you might prefer the option with the shorter drive. Price: £809 for a week in a 'Mull' caravan for a family of four in August 2021 |
Nairn Lochloy is a good-value beachside holiday park...
...with caravans for 2-8 people.
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5. Auchenlarie Holiday Park South West Scotland (family-friendly, indoor swimming pool, kids' club)
**Winner: cheapest caravan holiday park in our top 10**
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Auchenlarie is a fairly large holiday park with a big range of facilities and accommodation.
It's near to the English border on the Scottish South West coast, a couple of hours from England's Lake District. We've included it because of its combination of strong reviews, competitive prices, gorgeous beachside location and family-friendly facilities. Onsite you'll find an indoor swimming pool, sauna, gym, children's club, crazy golf, play areas and places to eat. Galloway Forest Park is nearby if you fancy exploring although bear in mind it's a long way from the Highlands (Ben Nevis is a five hour drive, for example). Reviews average about 8.5/10 or 9/10 and there are posh lodges or cheaper caravans depending on what sort of holiday you are looking for. It's certainly one of the cheaper holiday parks in Scotland. Price: £535 for a week in a bronze caravan for a week in August 2021 for a family of four. |
The location of Auchenlarie Holiday Park is spectacular...
...with a secluded beach next door to the park
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6. Loch Lomond Holiday Park (lochside, idyllic, hot tubs, basic facilities)
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Loch Lomond Holiday Park is so close to the water's edge that you might get your feet wet when you step out of your accommodation.
Onsite facilities are basic but this one gets rave reviews (9/10 or higher generally) because of its location and good value lodges, which are slightly more solid than caravans. The park has a play area and games room and you can hire things like bikes and kayaks rather than attempting to carry everything on the roof of your car. Don't expect things like swimming pools and children's entertainers here though, it's all about the idyllic location. It's run by a company called Argyll Holidays which has a handful of holiday parks across Scotland. Loch Lomond is roughly an hour north of Glasgow, on the boundary between the Highlands and Lowlands. Price: £765 for a week in an Argyll Lodge for a family of four in August 2021. You'll pay a lot more if you want a hot tub and more luxurious accommodation. |
Loch Lomond Holiday Park doesn't have many onsite facilities, but the scenery is fantastic...
...and you can get a hot tub with a view
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7. Nethercraig Holiday Park Perthshire (peaceful park, basic facilities)
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Nethercraig is certainly in the 'tranquil' category when it comes to holiday parks. Don't expect an entertainer called Clive Crocodile to provide childcare here.
Instead, you get easy access to the Cairngorms and good quality caravans in a very peaceful area. There are acres of private woodland to explore, assuming you can persuade your children to put down their smartphones for 30 seconds. The Royal Family's holiday home - Balmoral Castle - is about an hour's drive north and Peter Pan author JM Barrie's birthplace is about 20 minutes away. There's a choice of lodges and caravans. They all get good reviews but the caravans are a couple of hundred pounds cheaper in high season. Reviews are outstanding with an average of 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor when I checked. Reviews: £545 for a week in a caravan for a family of four in August 2021 in an Angus caravan |
Nethercraig is another simple resort without lots of entertainment...
...but the local scenery isn't bad
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8. Whitecairn Holiday Park South West Scotland (outstanding reviews, hot tubs, basic facilities)
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When I checked, Whitecairn Holiday Park had achieved the ultimate accolade for a caravan park - a 5 star rating on Trip Advisor.
It doesn't have a lot of whizzbang features but it's got nice views, a play area, fishing and you can pay to use an indoor swimming pool a couple of miles away at another park with the same owners. It's inland a little bit, but close enough to the coast for easy trips out and it's near to Galloway Forest Park. There are lodges and caravans to choose from. Price: £539 for a week in a 'gold' caravan for a family of four in August 2021. From what I can tell, 'gold' is the cheapest option behind 'platinum' and 'superior'. Perhaps they should introduce a similar system at the Olympics? |
Whitecairn Holiday Park achieves outstanding customer reviews...
...and you can upgrade from a caravan to a lodge with a hot tub
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9. Ben Nevis Holiday Park Fort William (mountain climbing base, good reviews, hot tubs, basic facilities)
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Ben Nevis Holiday Park/Lochy Holiday Park is an excellent base for attempting to climb Ben Nevis (the highest mountain in the British Isles). It was previously called Lochy Holiday Park.
It's only three miles from the mountain's visitor centre and the park has some impressive views which will have you unpacking your walking boots with gusto. It might be the mountain air talking, but visitors rave about it, with average reviews of 9/10. The park itself doesn't have a lot on offer in terms of facilities (besides a playground) but the lodges and caravans get strong reviews. There's a good choice of fishing, boat trips and mountain biking in the local area for adventurous types or those outdoorsy parents who go hiking with a 9 month old baby on their back. I always imagined I'd be like that, but in reality we consider a successful day out to be a trip to the swings and roundabout... Price: £709 for a week in August 2021 for a family of four in a 'Highland' caravan. |
Ben Nevis Holiday Park is well located for a hiking holiday...
...and you can spend the evenings recovering in your hot tub
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10. Coastal Kippford South West Scotland (woodland park, simple facilities)
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Coastal Kippford used to be called Kippford Holiday Park. It's a pretty park surrounded by trees, so you might spot a red squirrel if you can persuade your children to keep quiet for long enough (red squirrels are much more timid than their grey cousins).
Onsite there are a couple of playgrounds, but it's all about enjoying nature at this one, rather than daring each other to go head first down the flumes. Local entertainment includes things like a bike track, fishing, local beaches and golf. Reviews average 9/10. It's also a pet friendly holiday park. Price: £703 for a week in a gold caravan in August 2021 for a family of four ('gold' was the cheapest option we could find) |
Coastal Kippford is near to the town of Castle Douglas
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Price comparison of 10 of Scotland's best caravan holiday parks
We compared prices for a week in early August 2021. We searched in November 2020 for the cheapest price available for a family of four, including two adults and two children aged 10 and 12. Of course, prices will vary a lot depending on availability and so on, but for what it's worth, here's our top 10:
- Auchenlarie Holiday Park - £535 **Winner: cheapest caravan holiday park**
- Seton Sands Holiday Park - £549 **Winner: best value caravan holiday park in Scotland**
- Whitecairn Holiday Park - £539
- Nethercraig Holiday Park - £545
- Eyemouth Holiday Park - £659
- Coastal Kippford - £703
- Ben Nevis Holiday Park - £709
- Blairgowrie Holiday Park - £745
- Loch Lomond Holiday Park - £765
- Nairn Lochloy - £809
Images from Haven, Parkdean Resorts, Hoseasons, Auchenlarie and Booking.com
