Loch Lomond Camping Permits & Management Zones Explained

Quick Summary

• Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park has four Camping Management Zones covering specific lochsides, introduced in 2017 to manage peak-summer pressure
• Permits cost £4.50 per night per tent and are required from 1 March to 30 September inside the zones
• Booking is via lochlomond-trossachs.org — summer weekends book out weeks in advance
• Most of the national park is still free — the zones are specific lochside strips, not the whole park. Outside zones and outside the season, standard Access Code rules apply

Loch Lomond & The Trossachs is the only part of Scotland where wild camping isn't automatically free under the Access Code. That single fact catches out thousands of walkers every year who arrive at Rowchoish on a Saturday in July expecting to pitch for free and discover they've needed a £4.50 permit booked three weeks in advance. This is the complete practical guide to the zones, the permits, and the plenty of legal free alternatives within the same park.

Quick Answer: The Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park has four Camping Management Zones covering specific lochside strips — West Loch Lomond, East Loch Lomond, the Trossachs West around Loch Chon, and North Loch Earn. Permits are required from 1 March to 30 September and cost £4.50 per tent per night. Book at lochlomond-trossachs.org — summer weekends book out weeks ahead. Outside the zones, outside the season, and anywhere else in Scotland, standard Scottish Outdoor Access Code rules apply and wild camping is free.

What the Camping Management Zones actually are

Camping Management Zones (CMZs) are specific areas within Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park where wild camping is restricted by byelaw. Outside them, standard Scottish Outdoor Access Code rules apply — small tent, small group, Leave No Trace, 2-3 nights maximum. Inside them, you need a permit.

The zones were introduced by the national park authority on 1 March 2017, after a decade of rising antisocial behaviour along the east shore of Loch Lomond — littering, abandoned tents, illegal fires, drunk disturbances, assault cases. Loch Lomond is within an hour's drive of Glasgow (1.5 million people) and was receiving thousands of casual campers on summer weekends, most of them behaving fine but a minority causing serious damage to the landscape and to other visitors. The permit system caps the number of tents per zone per night and is enforced by park rangers.

The zones exist as a compromise: wild camping in the park stays legal (unlike in most of England and Wales) but it's managed and numbers are capped at busy times.

Important: the zones are not the whole park

This is the single most common misunderstanding in online content about Loch Lomond camping. The CMZs are specific lochside strips within the national park, not the whole park. Most of the park — including all the hills above around 150m elevation, the upper glens, most of the Trossachs forest network, and vast tracts of the north and west — is outside any management zone and operates under standard Access Code rules.

Source: Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority; The Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park (Camping Management) Byelaws 2017.

The four zones, one by one

Each zone covers a specific stretch of lochside. Boundaries are clearly mapped on the national park's website and signposted on the ground. The detail below is a practical summary — always check the official CMZ map at lochlomond-trossachs.org before travelling.

Zone 1: West Loch Lomond

Covers the west shore of Loch Lomond from roughly Tarbet south along the A82 to the southern end of the park. Includes lochside pitch spots near Tarbet, Luss, Inveruglas and the A82 viewpoints. Permits required from 1 March to 30 September.

What's in it: Lochside strips along the A82, several designated permit campsites with picnic tables and composting toilets, informal pitches on the shore. Typical permit availability: Tight on summer weekends, usually OK midweek.

Zone 2: East Loch Lomond

The single busiest zone and the one with the worst pre-2017 reputation. Covers the east shore of Loch Lomond from Balmaha north to Rowardennan and beyond, along the line of the West Highland Way. Designated campsites at Rowchoish, Sallochy, Rowardennan and Cashel.

What's in it: Every informal pitch spot along the WHW east shore, the formal permit campsites listed above, and the entire Inversnaid area. Typical permit availability: Summer weekends book out 4-6 weeks ahead. The Rowardennan / Rowchoish WHW stretch is the hardest to get. Critical for WHW walkers: If you're walking the West Highland Way between April and September, you need permits for any overnight in this zone — book before you start.

Zone 3: Trossachs West — Loch Chon / Loch Arklet / Loch Ard

Inland zone covering the Loch Chon, Loch Arklet and Loch Ard area west of Aberfoyle. Includes the dedicated Loch Chon permit campsite which has composting toilets, picnic tables and pre-marked pitches — arguably the easiest introduction to Scottish wild camping for nervous first-timers.

What's in it: Lochside pitches on Loch Chon and Loch Ard, the Loch Chon managed campsite, surrounding forest strips. Typical permit availability: Better than East Loch Lomond, reasonable midweek availability in summer.

Zone 4: North Loch Earn

The smallest of the four zones, covering the north shore of Loch Earn at the eastern edge of the park. Some of the quietest permit pitching in the park network — Loch Earn never had the same pre-2017 antisocial pressure as Loch Lomond.

What's in it: Lochside strips along the A85 on the north shore of Loch Earn. Typical permit availability: Usually available even on short notice in summer.

How the permit system works

Booking

• Where: lochlomond-trossachs.org (the national park's official site) — do not use third-party sites, there are no authorised resellers
• When to book: As far ahead as possible for summer weekends (4-6 weeks for East Loch Lomond, 2-3 weeks for other zones). Midweek permits are usually available 1-2 weeks out
• What you need: Email address, payment method, tent size (affects which designated sites you can use), arrival and departure dates, vehicle registration if you're parking nearby
• Confirmation: Emailed permit with a booking reference and QR code. Save to your phone and print a backup

Rules of a permit

• One tent per permit — book one permit per tent in your group
• £4.50 per tent per night
• Maximum stay — 1 to 3 nights depending on the specific spot
• Arrival after 2pm, departure before noon (the standard rule at most permit campsites)
• One group per marked pitch at formal sites, or spread out in informal areas
• Standard Leave No Trace applies — pack it in, pack it out, dig a cat hole if there's no toilet, don't light fires except in designated fire rings where provided

What you get for £4.50

It varies by zone and by specific site. At the formal permit campsites (Loch Chon, Sallochy, Cashel) you get:

• A numbered or marked pitch
• Composting toilet facilities
• Picnic tables
• Bin facilities at some sites
• Potable water at some sites
• Park ranger presence during the season

At the informal permit areas (most of East Loch Lomond, parts of West Loch Lomond) you get:

• Permission to camp in a designated area
• No physical facilities beyond what the land provides
• The ability to say “yes, I have a permit” if a ranger asks

Enforcement

Park rangers patrol the zones in daylight hours during peak season. Camping in a zone without a valid permit is a byelaw offence punishable by a fixed penalty notice starting at £40 (rising to £500 for repeat offences). In practice the first response to a no-permit camper is usually a polite explanation from a ranger with the option to book retrospectively or leave — rangers aren't aggressive enforcement officers, they're trying to preserve the system. But don't rely on that.

Free alternatives within the same national park

Roughly 95% of the national park is outside the Camping Management Zones and is free to camp in under the standard Scottish Outdoor Access Code. Some of the best wild camping in the park is outside the zones entirely.

Free spots inside the park, outside the zones

• The hills above ~150m elevation. Ben Lomond's summit area, the Arrochar Alps, Ben Vorlich, Ben Ledi, the Trossachs hill tops — all free to wild camp on under the Access Code
• Rowchoish area north of the CMZs. The WHW north of the East Loch Lomond zone (above Rowardennan and onwards through Inverarnan) is outside the zone — free camping on approach to Inversnaid and beyond
• Bridge of Orchy and Rannoch Moor. North of the park boundary entirely — free, legal, genuinely remote
• Glen Falloch, Glen Dochart, Glen Ogle. The glens on the northern and eastern edges of the park are outside the zones
• The Cowal peninsula. Western edge of the park, barely inside the boundary, minimal CMZ coverage
• Most of the Trossachs forest network. Queen Elizabeth Forest Park has huge areas of legal free camping outside the small Loch Chon zone

Outside the park entirely

• Glen Etive (west of Glencoe, 45 minutes north of the park) — iconic free roadside wild camping
• Cairngorms National Park — no Camping Management Zones anywhere, entirely free under the Access Code
• Most of Argyll — outside the LLT boundary, free everywhere
• See our 25 Best Wild Camping Spots in Scotland by Region for the full picture

When to go

Permit pressure varies dramatically through the year. If you can pick your date, you can avoid the worst of the booking difficulty.

The off-season loophole

From 1 October to 28 February, no permit is required in any of the zones. The byelaws only operate during the peak summer window. So you can wild camp free on the east shore of Loch Lomond from October onwards, under standard Access Code rules. The weather is colder and the daylight shorter, but the zones are empty of crowds and free of bureaucracy. This is the best-kept secret of the CMZ system and the one most guides don't mention clearly.

A note on motorhomes and campervans

The CMZs don't directly apply to motorhomes — because Scottish wild camping law doesn't apply to motorhomes in the first place. The Scottish Outdoor Access Code explicitly excludes motor vehicles. Motorhomes and campervans are governed by separate rules about overnight parking, which vary by local authority and by specific road or lay-by.

• Motorhome overnight parking along the A82 and around Loch Lomond is restricted in several places by specific parking byelaws and overnight prohibitions — check signage on arrival
• Designated motorhome aires exist in some Stirling and Argyll & Bute locations — check council websites
• Campsites (not wild camping) are available throughout the park — book separately at each site

If you're travelling in a motorhome, this article about tent camping permits doesn't apply to you. The rules you need are about overnight parking, not CMZs.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a permit to wild camp at Loch Lomond?

Only if you're camping inside one of the four designated Camping Management Zones between 1 March and 30 September. The zones cover specific lochside strips — not the whole national park. Outside the zones or outside the season, standard Scottish Outdoor Access Code rules apply and wild camping is free. A permit costs £4.50 per tent per night and is booked at lochlomond-trossachs.org.

How much is a Loch Lomond camping permit?

£4.50 per tent per night. One permit covers one tent for one night. If you're staying multiple nights, you buy multiple permits. If you're in a group with multiple tents, you buy one permit per tent. Booking is via the national park's official website — there are no authorised third-party resellers.

How far in advance do I need to book a Loch Lomond camping permit?

For summer weekends in the East Loch Lomond zone (the busiest), book 4-6 weeks ahead. For summer weekends in the other three zones, 2-3 weeks usually works. Midweek bookings are often available 1-2 weeks out. In April, May and September, availability is much better and short-notice bookings are usually possible. From 1 October to 28 February, no permit is required at all.

Where exactly are the Loch Lomond Camping Management Zones?

There are four zones: West Loch Lomond (along the A82 on the west shore), East Loch Lomond (the WHW east shore from Balmaha to Rowardennan and beyond), Trossachs West (Loch Chon, Loch Arklet, Loch Ard area), and North Loch Earn (the A85 north shore of Loch Earn). The full official map is on lochlomond-trossachs.org and is clearly signposted on the ground. The zones cover roughly 5% of the total park area.

Can I wild camp on Ben Lomond without a permit?

Yes, once you're above the lochshore CMZ boundary. The East Loch Lomond CMZ covers the WHW east shore and the surrounding lower ground, but the hillside above the zone — including the summit area of Ben Lomond itself — is outside any CMZ and is free under the standard Access Code. A high pitch on Ben Lomond is legal and free year-round, provided you follow standard Access Code rules.

Is the Loch Lomond permit refundable?

Permits are generally refundable if cancelled more than 48 hours before the booking date, with a small admin fee. Within 48 hours of the booking, refunds are at the discretion of the national park — the system exists to manage capacity, not to profit from cancellations. Check the booking confirmation email for specific cancellation terms for your booking.

What happens if I camp in a zone without a permit?

You may be approached by a park ranger. In practice, rangers try education first — they'll explain the system and ask you to either book retrospectively or leave. Repeat or uncooperative offences can result in a fixed penalty notice starting at £40 and rising to £500. Camping without a permit in a zone is a byelaw offence, but the national park's stated goal is compliance and education, not punishment.

Does the permit cover walking the West Highland Way?

Partially. The WHW passes through the East Loch Lomond CMZ for about 20km between Balmaha and roughly Inversnaid. If you're walking the WHW between April and September and planning to wild camp on that stretch, you need permits for each night inside the zone. North of Inversnaid the WHW is outside the CMZ and standard Access Code applies — free wild camping from there to Fort William. See our West Highland Way Planning Guide for the full WHW logistics.

Related Articles

• Wild Camping in Scotland: What the Access Code Actually Means — the legal framework outside the zones
• 25 Best Wild Camping Spots in Scotland by Region — free alternatives to the CMZs across Scotland
• West Highland Way Planning Guide — full WHW logistics including CMZ navigation
• Scottish Bothies for Beginners — the covered-shelter alternative to wild camping
• OutdoorSCOT Tools — Gear Checklist Generator and other planning tools

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This article is for informational purposes only and reflects the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Camping Management Byelaws 2017 as they operated in April 2026. Permit systems, fees and zone boundaries can change — always verify current arrangements on the national park's official website before booking or travelling. OutdoorSCOT is not liable for any incidents arising from the use of this information.

Sources

• Camping Management Zones — Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park
• Camping Management Byelaws 2017 — Scottish Statutory Instruments
• Scottish Outdoor Access Code — NatureScot
• Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 — legislation.gov.uk