Are There Any Aires in Scotland?

This page is dedicated to campervan and motorhome stopover providers within Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland licensed through CAMpRA Rally Group*.

ARE THERE ANY AIRES IN SCOTLAND?

Yes! At time of writing, there are 162 CAMpRA aires within the UK and around one third of those are in Scotland. Many have their own websites, are pinned on Google maps and/or have social media pages. Frugaldom blog is hosting a free list of some fabulously frugal aires that should be on every campervanner or motorhomer's list.

WHAT IS AN AIRE?

An aire is a simple stopover that can be used by campervans or motorhomes while travelling. These can be service points that offer fresh drinking water, electric hook-up and toilet emptying facilities in exchange for a nominal fee or, in some cases, a donation. Some aires simply provide a safe, secure and legal place to park. The 'no services' aires are handy stop off points and allow you to relax and rest for a day or two without the worry of being moved on, as long as you don't display any camping behaviour. No camping behaviour means no awnings, no BBQs or firepits and no setting out the sunloungers, chairs or picnic tables. Aires provide overnight parking, nothing more. Most expect you to arrive in daylight with everything onboard you require and leave no trace when you go. The usual price for these stopovers is around £5 per night, slightly more if there are services available. The 'CAMpRA' licensed aires are star rated with 3 stars meaning no services, 4 stars have waste facilities and 5 stars can mean electric hook-up is available. Prices vary accordingly but like I said, many are asking for only £5 per night. Aires, unlike many holiday parks and campsites, are open all year round. 

WHO OWNS AIRES?

Aire owners are just ordinary people who want to offer those travelling in campervans or motorhomes an inexpensive alternative to fully serviced campsites that stipulate a minimum stay. Aire owners set their own rules and prices, depending on the facilities available on site. Some will have grass pitches, some will have hardstanding or be based within enclosed yards, all will be for a maximim of 5 vehicles. If you arrive at an aire with 5 vans already parked, move on to the next available stopover site, don't risk losing the aire owner their licence.

FINDING AIRES (The demonstration links here lead to Frugaldom's aire)

Being rural, postcodes and SatNav can often take you the wrong direction. In the countryside, several miles of single track lane may link a number of farms, houses and businesses, all with the same postcode. There isn't always anyone around to ask directions and often mobile signal can be non-existent, so no option to call anyone. For this reason, we always recommend using What3Words or else check for pinned sites on Google Maps. Many sites and apps such as SearchforSites and Park4Night include coordinates for these overnight stops.

SCOTTISH AIRES

Naturally, I am going to begin with Frugaldom. Overnight parking is provided in the yard so you are fairly sheltered and secluded. The yard is all hardstanding and as level as we can afford to make it for now. Set within the centre of the sanctuary and surrounded by wildlife and wild bird feeding stations, this aire is completely off-grid. Arrival is by daylight only and we have quiet hours between 9pm and 9am. There is no electricity and no fresh running water but we do have grey water waste disposal and a tank for emptying chemical toilets. For use of these facilities, we ask £5. The overnight parking is by donation either by scanning the QR code that links to PayPal or by dropping a few pounds into the donations / honesty box. While here, allowing for weather conditions, you can see the sanctuary ponies, Vincent Van Goat and possibly the badgers, fox, pine marten, adders and various wild birds. We also have our  environmental art project, which now has over 50 sculptures dotted around the site, from wizards and green men to unicorns, woodland creatures and fairy folks. I like to think of Frugaldom as being one of the quirkiest aires you will visit.

AIRES IN UK

I am compiling a list of inexpensive aires for anyone to browse, save, share or take note of for future travels. Aires are the way to go if you are travelling in a campervan or motorhome and in some locations, such as Frugaldom, they are free for those prepared to trade their time volunteering in exchange for safe and secure park-up. This is the link to the list of aires in UK that is currently being developed.

Happy holidays, folks! Frugaldom is about finding affordable options. You are welcome to join us as Happy Hutters or Wildlife Watchers if campervanning isn't your thing. I'm not including camping as there are just too many places in Scotland where you can wildcamp for free. Please remember to observe Scotland's 'right to roam' Outdoor Access code sensibly and respectfully.

* CAMpRA UK Ltd is the Campaign for Real Aires in UK