In Scotland for example, you can find places to stay with plenty of wildlife (red squirrels, otters and deer are just some of the animals you can spot), walking trails, views of lochs and the coast, and the opportunity for fishing. Visitors also report the best campsites Scotland offers include friendly site owners who can offer extras from eggs for sale to information about the local area. It’s a great place to travel with caravans and motorhomes.

Often, some great places to stay on your camping trip can be smaller sites off the beaten track that may not have the full range of facilities that a large site can offer. This is where a second benefit of owning a caravan or motorhome comes in – the ability to go off-grid.

Off-grid holidays in their strictest form means not relying on plugging your caravan or motorhome into an electric hook-up or water point and using the washroom in your leisure vehicle rather than facilities on site – it means being fully self-sufficient.

Sites in the UK usually offer a range of pitches that have different levels of services provided to them. You can often choose from a mixture of grass or hardstanding and pitches with and without an electric hook-up or it’s own water point. This means you can often book at a smaller site and still find a pitch that has the level of facilities that you would like.

But what happens if the site is running out of pitches with the facilities you are used to and you still really want to stay there? Or if you want to try a more out-of-the-way location that doesn’t offer electric hook-ups? Or maybe you want to really get away from it all and not rely on the services at all?

This is where being able to use the facilities that your caravan or motorhome comes with really comes into it’s own. It is possible to be completely self-sufficient in your caravan or motorhome with just a tap to collect water from. Being able to do this means that you can choose from a wider range of sites and pitches as you won’t be restricted to those that provide services to the pitch. And you may be able to save some extra money for days out, as a non-serviced grass pitch will usually be the cheapest option in terms of site fees.

When you choose to go off-grid, there are several things you need to consider before your camping trip – water, electric, gas and washroom facilities. Here’s a short breakdown of how to manage each when you are first considering off-grid holidays:

Water

The vast majority of campsites will have access to water but it always pays to check ahead of time if you are not sure. If water is not supplied to each pitch, there will often be a communal tap. You can fill up an Aquaroll from this and then connect it to your caravan or motorhome for your water supply. If you are unsure that you would choose to drink from the water supply, remember to take some bottled water with you.

Electricity

If you are not plugging into an electric hook-up that supplies 230v, you will be reliant on your 12v leisure battery and will only be able to use items that run off a 12v supply. The microwave and 3-pin plug sockets run off 230v so these will be off limits.

Before you rely on the leisure battery for your power, it’s a good idea to have an understanding of how much power you are likely to need for your trip and plan accordingly. A test trip close to home where you use only the leisure battery for electricity could help you to gauge this.

Remember to fully charge your leisure battery before any trip so you have it at maximum capacity.

Another option you could use to keep your battery topped up is to use a solar panel if you have one fitted to your vehicle. If your caravan or motorhome doesn’t come with a solar panel as standard, it is often possible to get one fitted after purchase (see your Bailey Retailer for more information).

Some people even go a step further and choose to install a second leisure battery or use a generator. If you would like to investigate this possibility, start by speaking to your Bailey Retailer for advice and to ensure you do not do anything that may invalidate your warranty.

Our Adamo motorhome range has an 80 watt Truma solar panel installed as standard.

Our Autograph and Alliance Silver Edition motorhome ranges and Unicorn Black Edition, Pegasus Grande SE and Alicanto Grande caravan ranges have a 100 watt Truma solar panel installed as standard.

Gas

Your gas is something that you will always carry with your vehicle regardless of the type of pitch you are staying on. Make sure you have enough for your trip and consider starting your journey with a full bottle(s) to minimise the risk of running out. Again, a test trip close to home will help you get an idea of how much gas you are likely to use. To get the most out of your gas supply for heating, take extra warm clothes with you for the evenings and night time.

Washroom facilities

This is where your caravan or motorhome comes into its own. With social distancing over the last 18 months, and many site wash facilities having to close, having a washroom on board means that you have your own bathroom just for you and your family. Remember to use the correct toilet chemicals and top them up before you leave. Check ahead of time what the situation will be onsite with waste water and toilet cassettes and if they have facilities to empty them.

All of our current Bailey caravans and motorhomes come equipped with a washroom that has a shower, toilet and sink.

In all cases if you are thinking about trying any level of off-grid camping, make sure you check your owner’s manual before your trip and ensure you are comfortable with the capabilities of your caravan or motorhome and familiar with all the equipment you will need before you set off.

When looking for a site where you can go off-grid to the extent that you would like, two great options are the Certified Location sites offered by the Caravan and Motorhome Club, and the Certified Sites offered by the Camping and Caravanning Club. Both these types of sites are smaller sites which are privately owned, and are often found in more rural locations – so you can get to stay in places that might not be able to accommodate a larger campsite.

When staying at a CL or CS site, you should first do your research to find out what facilities they offer which can vary compared to the larger club run sites. Some may have fully functioning toilet blocks and Wi-Fi, but others can have as little as a water tap. You can check what facilities each CL or CS has on the Club’s respective websites.

Both the Camping and Caravanning Club and the Caravan and Motorhome Club make it easy to find a site with the features you are after. Both have site locator tools that you can use to filter campsites by location, price, amenities and site type – including CS and CL.

Here are some of the features that draw visitors to CL and CS sites that are more off the beaten track:

Fishing sites

If you are a fan of fishing, then you’ll be pleased to see this as an option with both the Caravan and Motorhome Club and Camping and Caravanning Club. You’ll find plenty of rural sites across the UK catering to a range of fishing styles.

Coastal sites

Being an island, Great Britain is famous for its beautiful beaches, so it’s not surprising many campsites have sprung up within walking distance of the coast. While many of these sites are larger ones, those seeking smaller Certified Sites or Certified Locations will not be short of options.

National Parks

National Parks offer some of the most beautiful scenery in the country. Our motorhome ambassador Marcus Leach has written a series of posts on National Parks and what they can offer for a caravan or motorhome holiday. You can read all of these, beginning with Northumberland National Park here. Certified Sites and Certified Locations can often be found in and around National Park areas.

Family-Friendly or Adults Only

Whoever you’re staying on a CL or CS site with, there’s a site for your group. Many of the sites are family friendly and some even have space for ball games or a dedicated play area. Others have chosen to be Adults Only and provide a quiet space for total relaxation.

If you’re attracted to the idea of really going a little wild with your destination and getting off the beaten track, Scotland contains vast and beautiful wildernesses that mean you can really get away from it all and enjoy nature.

With its ever-changing scenery, including sandy beaches, national parks like Loch Lomond and striking mountains like Glen Nevis, you’re never far from something to see while getting back to nature.

Scottish campsites as in the rest of the country could be a mixture of independents, Club Sites, CS and CL sites. However, if you have some off-grid experience, you’ll be able to pitch up on a vaster range of pitch types which will give you more choice of places to stay.

Here’s some ideas on where to visit in this spectacular country;

Loch Ness

The most famous of all Lochs in Scotland is one of the most scenic places the country offers. There are a variety of things to do and see around the Loch which extends for 23 miles southwest of Inverness. Canoeing, walking trails, forests and waterfalls are all within close proximity to the Loch – take a look here.

Cairngorms National Park

The Cairngorms is the must-see National Park in Scotland, featuring winding roads that climb through rolling hills and rugged mountain ranges, meadows in the lower levels and its fair share of iconic Speyside single malt whiskies. Find out more about this region here.

RSPB Forsinard Flows National Park

Another Scottish national park that travellers often pass on is the Forsinard Flows. These contain 5% of the world’s blanket bog and are a habitat of international importance. Hence they’re well worth a driving day trip to explore.

Isle of Skye

The most famous of Scotland’s islands due to the amount of scenery packed into such a small area. Highlights include the Fairy Pools, The Old Man of Storr, The Quiraing and, guarding the entrance to the island, Eilean Donan castle.

With plenty of campsites with pitches suitable for different degrees of off-grid holidays spanning the length and breadth of the UK, you’ll never be too far away from your ideal trip away.

If you’re now ready to get going but need a caravan or motorhome to begin your off-grid adventures, then take a look at the current Bailey of Bristol ranges. With their Alu-Tech bodyshell (exclusive to us as a caravan manufacturer) made to withstand even the harshest of elements, our vehicles will be more than able to cope with wherever you want to take them.

To see our current ranges of caravans, click here

To see our current ranges of motorhomes, click here