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not resolvedHi
Can anyone recommend a campsite that we could cycle to with children (age 8+)?
Ideally it would be accessible from an off-road path eg canal towpath or NCN. Short sections of very quiet roads eg country lanes could be OK.
Maximum distance of 25 miles from Edinburgh
There aren't all that many campsites within 25 miles of Edinburgh. Map of the ones marked on OSM here.
I've never been to any of them, and have even less idea how suitable they are for families, but the ones which jump out as most easily cycle-accessible are:
The one east of Dunfermline
West Clifton
A decent route to the ones at Newtongrange and Borthwick should be possible, although it won't be direct.
Don't know if you've cycled across the Forth before or what else you are looking for, but how about NCN1/76 to Pettycur Bay? (~22 miles from Roseburn)
Best to add tents=yes to that query :) https://overpass-turbo.eu/s/1hKV
That's a tough one.
I have taken the family cycle camping to Aberlady Station campsite in the past. A fair bit of the route can be covered by cycle paths, but after Port Seton you're on the main coast road the rest of the way.
Kids were 9 and 5 when we last visited IIRC. Great sand dunes and beaches nearby, plus the Museum of Flight not far by bike. Provisions and a decent chipper in Aberlady too.
My kids loved Blinkbonny Woods near Gifford - firepits, trees and compost toilets. If you're after "facilities" with your camping this probably isn't for you. Reachable from Edinburgh with a combination of NCN1, the Pencaitland railway path and minor roads.
As @Frenchy say West Clifton (i.e. Linwater Caravan Park) appears to have camping spaces as well: https://www.linwater.co.uk/accommodation/camping-site-edinburgh/
Along the towpath most of the way and then a little bit along back roads. Almond country park to explore. I have never used it though.
Blinkbonny is very good. Off road until far side of Salton Woods then quiet(ish) roads. Bonus of breakfast option at Lantern Rouge. We came home via Haddington and coast.
Have also camped in Salton Woods. It was fine, though seemed quieter back then.
Aberlady - we cycled out through there with the kids summer before last and managed to avoid cycling on the road I think. We were able to use the paths and pavements. Some bits were a wee bit agricultural maybe.
I've spotted some glamping pods at Dundas Castle (South Queensferry) before, if that is your thing...
Is bike+train an option? Gibson Park in Melrose is very nice and not far from Tweedbank station.
“bike+train an option“
Depends how many…
And if/when SR has ‘guaranteed’ (extra) spaces on specific trains/routes.
@urchaidh, yes may be possible to figure out a route that utilises pavements for much of it. However when laden down with camping gear I tended to prefer direct and less hilly ways, which meant the coast.
While on topic of East Lothian there's a good campsite east of North Berwick on road to Tantallon Castle. Went there when kids were younger, took the quiet back roads and it was fine if occasionally lumpy route. Got the train on the way back, plenty of space for bikes on that service. Camping there not particularly cheap anymore, but good facilities and within easy walking distance of beach, big supermarket nearby for provisions. Swimming pool in North Berwick too for rainy days.
That North Berwick campsite was the one we used to go to when I was a child. It is nice.
My colleague has just told me about this place Pillars of Hercules Organic Farm shop & Cafe near Falkland. He said it looked very lovely when he visited over the weekend. I know it's further afield but a train could be taken.
Cyclists camping
Genuine backpackers and touring cyclists carrying their own equipment are welcome anytime and do not need to book in advance-just register & pay in the shop on arrival; £5 per person/night. There is a separate 'cyclists camping area' for you.
A decent route to the ones at Newtongrange and Borthwick should be possible, although it won't be direct.
The Borthwick one is a Scout campsite.
Similarly the one near Penicuik is owned by the Guides.
Does the 2nd line in the Overpass query supercede the first?:
"
node [etc...]
way [etc...]
"
as it is not picking up the two single node campsites (Peebles and Beecraigs).
EDIT:
"The one east of Dunfermline"
...that's Scouts too!
“that's Scouts too!“
Presume only too?
as it is not picking up the two single node campsites (Peebles and Beecraigs).
That's odd - working fine for me.
I've just recently discovered opencampingmap
https://opencampingmap.org/index.html.en#10/55.9480/-3.4566/0/1/b6f
One possibility that I hadn't noticed before is Beecraigs has a camnpsite, cycle.travel suggest 20miles from Edinburgh, along the canal and then backroads from Broxburn, (or follow the canal all the way to Linlithgow). Either way there is a bit of a climb at the end.
I took my son camping in Beecraigs when he was little. The hill to get there from Linlithgow is certainly not for the faint hearted! With a full load of camping gear it is, shall we say, a challenging climb. Nice campsite though, with toilets, showers, picnic benches and BBQ stands too (at least when we visited, which was over a decade ago now). Big adventure playground nearby too. I don't think they have the deer farm nor the visitor centre any more, so any provisions will need to be brought in. There was still a cafe nearby when I was last there a few years ago, sells ice cream too.
I take it anything missing on that is missing or incorrectly tagged in OSM?
OSM is missing the tents=yes for Beecraigs, Peebles, is a caravan park that allows tents! We can also make sure that group_only
isn't set to exclude scout place.
Putting that together we have a new query!
Where not to go…
https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/visitors-turn-east-lothian-coastline-23519984
"It points out that while people have access rights to wild camp on land, their vehicles do not."
This specifically refers to motor vehicles, right?
@Frenchy, yes. Bikes are allowed under the land reform act. E-bikes aren't explicitly allowed but I don't think anyone would get far trying to stop them, especially if it's a pedelec.
This is niche, but I'm really wondering if those rights extend to the bike even when it's not being ridden.
@Frenchy - the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 allows you to be on land and to cross land. It excludes certain conduct from these rights, including "being on or crossing land in or with a motorised vehicle or vessel". Otherwise, it does not limit what you can take with you or how you choose to travel when exercising these rights - simply that you must act responsibly. I reckon pushing a bike, leaving it by a tent while you wild camp or parking up for a bit while you go and explore somewhere on foot would be fine.
reading yesterday about kayakers being harassed for daring to paddle on English rivers :(
I reckon pushing a bike, leaving it by a tent while you wild camp or parking up for a bit while you go and explore somewhere on foot would be fine.
I reckon so too, but when someone threatened to cut the lock on my bike if I left it locked to a fence (on a core path, but certainly not in anyone's way), I wasn't willing to take the risk.
In that situation it was easy enough to go back to the public road and park there, but I've been wondering about the legalities ever since.
Presume it was a ‘private’ fence(?).
Similar to railings in Edinburgh where some house owners object.
Yeah, private fence.
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