Drymen Camping

Drymen Camping sits on Gartness Road, 2km south of Drymen village, right on the West Highland Way and National Cycle Route 7, and just before the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park camping management zone begins. That geography matters: this is the natural staging post for long-distance walkers arriving in Drymen after a day on the trail, and a solid base for anyone exploring the national park without wanting to rough it entirely.

The site has a straightforward, no-frills character that earns genuine affection rather than polished praise. Pitches look out over fields where horses graze, giving it a quietly pastoral feel that you don't expect from a trailhead campsite. Owner Gavin is reliably on hand and Carolyn runs a pizza operation that gets a mention in nearly every positive review. There's a covered cooking and drying area with WiFi and phone charging, a detail walkers notice immediately, and the showers and toilets are consistently reported as clean and spacious.

Tent pitches and glamping pods share the site. The pods offer a step up from canvas but come with a caveat on cold nights: insulation is light, so check the weather if you're booking a pod in September. Drymen village is 2km away with pubs (The Clachan, The Drymen Inn, The Winnoch, The Buchanan Arms Hotel), a cafe, deli, and local shop. The John Muir Way and Rob Roy Way also pass through, making this a crossroads of sorts for Scotland's big walking routes.