Camping in Tayside

Tayside is one of the nine regions that makes up Scotland. It stretches across Perthshire, Dundee, Angus, and Kinrossshire, making it an exceptionally diverse region with plenty to do and see.

Explore the great outdoors

Pack a pair of your comfiest walking boots and start exploring the beautiful Scottish outdoors. Whether you’re an avid walker or fancy a relaxing stroll, here are some incredible places to visit.

1. Angus Glen

Angus Glen comprises five glens – Glen Isla, Glen Prosen, Glen Clova, Glen Lethnot, and Glen Esk. These glens are well known for their picturesque scenery and wildlife. There are plenty of hiking and cycling routes, castles, and places of interest to explore.

2. Loch Leven

Loch Leven National Nature Reserve is home to more breeding ducks than anywhere else in inland Europe. The expansive body of water is perfect for birdwatching and fishing. You can find walking and cycling trails at Loch Leven and scenic picnic spots where you can enjoy a relaxing lunch.

3. Ben Lawers

Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve is a great place to spot incredible wildlife, including red deer, ptarmigan, ravens, ring ouzels, skylarks, and black grouse. It’s home to Ben Lawers, the 10th highest Munro (a Scottish mountain over 3,000 feet tall), which is 3,984 feet tall.

4. Tentsmuir Forest and Beach

Enjoy a combination of forest trails that dip and weave between trees and sand dunes. Tentsmuir Forest is the perfect place to visit for walkers, wildlife enthusiasts, and bird watchers. If you enjoy a bit of history, the forest has interesting stories to tell from the Second World War.

5. River Tay

If you’re looking for a thrilling adventure on your camping trip to Tayside, visit the River Tay, where you can enjoy fun watersport activities such as kayaking, paddleboarding, or whitewater rafting.

Uncover historical attractions in Tayside

The Scottish region is steeped in fascinating history and rich culture. If you want to learn more about Tayside’s history, check out these historical attractions.

• Scone Palace

Less than 7 minutes away from Scone Club Site is the magnificent Scone Palace. The palace is enriched with Scottish history and was most famous as the crowning place of Scottish Kings. Today, it is home to the Earls of Mansfield, but as you walk through the palace, you can uncover its history and all its fascinating stories. The palace also has beautiful gardens that are a dream to explore and plenty of events taking place throughout the year.

• Glamis Castle

For over 650 years, Glamis Castle has been at the heart of some of Scotland's iconic historic moments. It was the childhood home of Elizabeth Bowes Lyon, the late Queen Elizabeth’s mother (also known as the Queen's Mother). It was also the birthplace of Princess Margaret, the Queen's Mother’s daughter and Queen Elizabeth II’s sister.

The castle is also linked to Shakespeare, who took inspiration from it and referred to it in his play Macbeth.

• Discovery Point and RRS Discovery

A great way to turn back time and experience life in Antarctica is to join Captain Scott and his crew on the Royal Research Ship Discovery at Discovery Point. Uncover the tale of one of the most heroic voyages and get stuck into over 12 interactive galleries, including a 360-degree view over Dundee in their award-winning discovery dome.

Enjoy family fun adventures in Tayside

Camping in Tayside is a great family getaway, as there’s so much to do for every explorer. Here are some fun family-friendly attractions in Tayside.

• Blair Drummond Safari Park

Spend a whole day at Blair Drummond Safari Park and see their incredible range of animals, from the large African elephants and fierce Amur tigers to the adorable Ring-tailed lemurs and majestic owls. You can see the animals on your safari drive-thru or walk through each exhibit and say hello. For those who want to get close to each animal, book an animal experience where you can be a keeper for the day, feed the animals, and care for them.

If that doesn't excite you, there’s also a Dinosaur Discovery Land, Adventure Playground, park train and much more!

• Scottish Deer Centre

The Scottish Deer Centre is home to over 150 animals, including 31 different species. The centre aims to create awareness and educate the public on conservation through daily talks and helpful information scattered around the park. During your visit, you’ll see the hard work they do caring for such incredible animals, including deer, wolves, bears, otters, and many more creatures.

• Cairnie Fruit Farm

Cairnie Fruit Farm makes for a fantastic day out while camping in Tayside. The lovely farm is open during Halloween for pumpkin picking, and it’s open during the spring and summer as a pick-your-own farm. Depending on the season, you can pick all sorts of berries, currants and cherries. You can also see the sunflowers in August and September.

Alongside picking tasty fruits and seeing beautiful wildlife, Cairnie Fruit Farm also has a kids' Funyard and Maze. Kids can burn off any extra energy running around, enjoying the go-cart track, sandbox, peddle tractors, flying fox, bouncy pillows, barrel bug ride and more.

• Noah’s Ark

If the weather’s not looking so great, take the kids to Noah’s Ark, an indoor play area with soft play equipment, karting, bowling and more. There’s a cafe for parents to put their feet up and relax whilst the little ones let their creativity go wild.