Book review: Sea View Camping – Scotland, Highlands and Islands

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book for this review. I did not receive any payment and was not required to write a positive review.

I’ve reviewed a number of Motorhome stopover guides from specialist publisher Vicarious Books, but the firm’s success has led it to branch out into camping guides, using the same successful format that has made its motorhome guides so popular and useful.

In this review I’m taking a look at one of the firm’s most recently updated books, Sea View Camping – Scotland, Highlands and Islands. The book’s name is fairly self-explanatory and as it covers campsites, not motorhome stopovers, it is equally suited to tent campers, caravanners and motorhomers.

Sea View Camping Scotland contains illustrated details of 148 of the campsites that line the coast of Scotland, including the Western Isles (Hebrides) and Northern Isles (Shetland and Orkney).

Having been to many of the locations in the guide, and spent a month touring Scotland in our campervan in 2010, I can confirm that Scottish coastline is one of the wonders of the UK, especially for anyone who enjoys kayaking, watersports, hiking, surfing or wildlife spotting.

Illustrated, detailed & inspected

Sea View Camping Scotland follows the usual format for Vicarious guides — each campsite has a colour photo and a standardised description, including a key to all main facilities, a price guide, and driving directions and sat nav coordinates. The list of facilities included in the key is very comprehensive, and includes motorhome-specific facilities, details of pitch types, electricity ampage, dishwashing facilities, WiFi, and so on.

Sites which have Scottish Tourist Board ratings are also indicated, as are Camping & Caravanning Club/Caravan Club Certified Sites and Certified Locations.

Finally, all sites have been inspected by the book’s researcher, guaranteeing the consistency and accuracy that make Vicarious guides so much more useful than freebie advertising-based guides.

Buy this guide?

If you want to see more of the Scottish coast and like camping on sites in beautiful, unspoilt seaside locations, then the comprehensive nature of Sea View Camping – Scotland, Highlands and Islands makes it good value for just £9.99.

What’s more, it should rapidly pay for itself in time and fuel savings, as you’ll no longer have to hunt down such campsites at the end of each day.

Book details
Title: Sea View Camping – Scotland, Highlands and Islands
Publisher: Vicarious Books (visit publisher website)
ISBN: 978-0-9566781-6-4
Price: £9.99