Van Park Up: Claonaig, Kintyre Peninsula

Idyllic van spot right on the coast with a view of amazing Arran

I’m kicking off this new weekly series which I think speaks for itself: every week (or so!) I’ll be featuring a new van park up we’ve discovered during our myriad trips around Scotland. Parking a campervan overnight can be a contentious issue here in Scotland as not all van owners are aware of the basic tenets of Leave No Trace. This isn’t about that though. I’m here to share with you places we’ve discovered where you can park up peacefully, safely, and surrounded my nature. I know it goes without saying, but if you happen to visit any of these places, remember to leave it as you found it! (See park4night’s responsible traveller’s charter for more info.)

Park up on the Kintyre peninsula

This feature kicks off with a park-up we discovered last weekend while travelling to the Isle of Arran. Some mishaps with the ferry meant we had to stay on the mainland more than we intended. The upshot was discovering this super sweet spot near the port of Claonaig on the east coast of the Kintyre peninsula on the west coast of Scotland.

Things we loved about this spot

• An ideal base for catching the ferry to Arran either with the van or on foot (which is what we did - a bargain £3.20 per person - more on that later!).

• The location is gorgeous! Sea front with a view of Arran, plenty of nature watching opportunities, quiet, peaceful, minimal traffic.

• We even had a picnic table!

A very rare treat to enjoy al fresco dinner in the sunshine on the seaside in Scotland. We were even warm!

Other things we learned about the area that peaked our interest:

• Tarbert is the nearest town, and it’s very appealing! The Ironmonger shop was a particular gem where we scored some bargain firewood and excellent quality hardwood kindling. It also has useful stuff like a Co-op grocery store, cafe, ferry port, thrift store, and a friendly general store which sold OS maps and stationary amongst other things. Sadly we cannot recommend the restaurant “Lulabells”, but we hear the nearby “Bistro” is very good.

• The Kintyre Way, a 100 mile way marked footpath that weaves around the Kintyre peninsula (including Claonaig). We had zero opportunity to walk any of it but putting it on the list for a gentle multi-day adventure in the future! (The peninsula is very quiet so would make for a superb get-away-from-it-all backpacking trip!)

• Tarbert Holiday Park for a break from van life. We stayed in one of their pods for a night ahead of our early ferry. I’ve always raised an eyebrow at those pods but this proved to be a pleasant surprise. The holiday park also has van parking, a good coffee shop, laundry, and showers. Full review to come!

Cooking breakfast with a view of Arran

Park up location