Wild Camping
Wild Camping in Argyll & the Inner Isles
Sea lochs, oakwoods and ferry-hop islands — the west coast at its most varied
Current conditions
Daylight Today
- Sunrise
- 04:57
- Sunset
- 21:59
- Civil dawn
- 04:00
- Civil dusk
- 22:56
NOAA Solar Calculator · 17 July 2026
About this region
Argyll trades the big plateaus of the Cairngorms for a coastline of sea lochs, Atlantic oakwood and short ferry hops to Mull, Jura and the smaller isles. Almost all of it is permit-free Access Code country, and the camping ranges from roadside spots on Loch Awe and Loch Sunart to genuinely remote bays you reach only on foot or by boat. The trade-off is moisture and midges — this is the wet, sheltered west, and a calm July evening on a sea-loch shore is a midge ambush waiting to happen.
Best camping spots
- Loch Awe shores (roadside and quiet bays on the B840)
- Ardgour / Loch Sunart near Strontian (via the Corran Ferry)
- Calgary Bay headland, Mull (camp on the machair, not the managed bay)
- Glen Coe / Glen Etive fringe (the Argyll side of the A82)
- Jura's west coast near Glengarrisdale (remote, boat or long walk-in)
- Knapdale and the Crinan coast (low-level oakwood and shoreline)
Getting there
Oban is the ferry and rail hub (CalMac to Mull, Colonsay, the Outer Hebrides; ScotRail from Glasgow). The Corran Ferry (5 minutes, runs daily) opens Ardgour and Morvern. Single-track roads throughout — allow more driving time than the map suggests.
Best months
May and September — late spring before the midges peak, early autumn after they fade. June can be excellent in a dry spell.
Key challenges
High midge pressure on sheltered sea-loch shores June–August; persistent west-coast rain; ferry timetables and single-track roads add planning friction; some honeypot bays (Calgary) have parking and camping restrictions
Why come here
Atlantic oakwood and machair; island-hopping by ferry; otters, eagles and dolphins on the coast; some of the quietest legal coastline in Britain once you leave the road
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a permit to wild camp in Argyll?
- No. There are no camping management zones in Argyll — the permit byelaws are specific to parts of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park. Standard Scottish Outdoor Access Code rules apply everywhere in Argyll: small group, well away from houses and crops, no more than 2–3 nights in one spot, and Leave No Trace. A few honeypot beaches such as Calgary Bay on Mull have local parking and on-beach camping restrictions, so camp on the surrounding headland or machair instead.
- How bad are the midges on the Argyll coast?
- Bad, in the wrong conditions. The sheltered sea-loch shores — Loch Sunart, Loch Awe, Loch Etive — are classic midge country from mid-June to early September on still, damp evenings. The defence is wind and timing: camp on exposed headlands or islands where the breeze keeps them down, go in May or September, and check the midge forecast before committing to a sheltered pitch.
- Can I wild camp on the Argyll islands?
- Yes — Mull, Jura, Colonsay, Kerrera and the smaller isles are all Access Code land. Add ferry logistics to the plan (book CalMac vehicle space ahead in summer) and respect crofting and livestock, especially on machair. Jura's roadless west coast around Glengarrisdale is some of the remotest legal camping in the Inner Hebrides; Mull's north-west around Calgary is the easiest island option from the Oban ferry.
- Where can I wild camp near Oban?
- Oban itself is a busy town, so the good camping is a short drive out: the shores of Loch Etive to the north-east, Loch Awe to the east on the B840, and the Ardgour/Loch Sunart coast across the Corran Ferry. All are permit-free Access Code country. For an island night, the Mull ferry from Oban opens up Calgary and the north-west coast.