Camping in Scottish Borders

Camping in the Scottish Borders is a small, varied field rather than a crowded one. There are 11 campsites published on BritStays across the region, and all 11 are camping-type stays — so you're choosing between pitches, yurts, safari-style tents and caravan sites rather than cottages or hotels. Ten of them sit under the Scottish Borders itself, with one, Kielder Campsite, listed under Hexham on the English side of the border.

Countryside first, coast second

It's worth being straightforward: none of these 11 sites is listed under a coastal town. This is river-valley, forest and hill camping. Tweedside Caravan Park and Gibson Park Caravan Club Site sit in the more serviced, town-adjacent end of things; Ettrick Valley Yurts, Ruberslaw Wild Woods Camping and Blinkbonny Wood Campsite point towards quieter, woodland and valley settings. Tibbie Shiels and Ewes Water Caravan and Camping Site round out the inland spread.

If you want sea air in the mix, you'll be driving for it — the nearest listed attractions with a coastal postcode are Hay Farm Heavy Horse Centre and Lady Waterford Hall, both under Berwick-upon-Tweed. Treat those as day trips from an inland base rather than expecting to pitch within sight of the water.

Which site suits which trip

• Families who want things laid on: Tweedside Caravan Park lists a swimming pool, evening entertainment and a bar; Victoria Park Campsite lists a swimming pool, gym and spa. These are the two sites in the set with pool access, so if rainy-day backup matters, that narrows things quickly.
• Couples and comfort-seekers: Feather Down - Chesters lists a hot tub, bar and takeaway food — the closest thing here to camping without the cooking. Ettrick Valley Yurts offers the under-canvas version of the same idea.
• Groups, scouts and activity trips: Scout Adventures Hawkhirst is built around organised outdoor use, and Kielder Campsite lists a bar, gift shop and parking.
• Touring caravans and motorhomes: Gibson Park Caravan Club Site lists toilets and EV charging nearby, which is a useful combination if you're travelling in an electric vehicle.
• Back-to-basics: Ruberslaw Wild Woods Camping and Ewes Water Caravan and Camping Site carry no headline facilities in our data, which usually signals a simpler pitch.

Reading the facilities honestly

Across all 11 sites, the most commonly listed facilities are EV charging nearby (5), toilets (4), a gift shop (4), a bar (3), pet friendly (2), swimming pool (2), disabled access (2) and parking (2). Two things follow from that. First, these counts reflect what each site has chosen to list, not a full audit — only four sites list toilets, but that doesn't mean the other seven have none. Second, where something genuinely matters to you, confirm it directly with the site before you pay.

That applies most to dog owners: only two of the 11 are flagged as pet friendly. If you're bringing a dog, ring ahead and ask about dogs on pitches, in any shared buildings and on the surrounding land. The same goes for accessibility — two sites list disabled access, and on a grass or woodland pitch the detail of ground conditions, path surfaces and distance to facilities is what actually decides whether a site works for you.

What to do once you're pitched

This is castle country, and the listed options cover both the grand and the ruined. Floors Castle and Traquair House are the big house visits; Thirlestane Castle and Glen House are in the same vein. Ferniehirst Castle, Greenknowe Tower, Fatlips Castle, Gilnockie Tower and Askerton Castle give you towers and fortified houses to work through on a touring week.

For wet days and shorter outings, Sir Walter Scottʼs Courtroom, Old Gala House and Commendator's House Museum are all in the Borders. Moffat Museum sits over in Dumfries and Galloway, Hay Farm Heavy Horse Centre and Lady Waterford Hall near Berwick-upon-Tweed, and the John Gray Centre is listed under St Andrews — so check the drive before you build a day around any of them.

When to book

With only 11 sites in the region, availability thins out faster than the numbers suggest. Book the Scottish and English school summer holidays and any bank holiday weekend several months ahead, particularly for the sites with pools or hot tubs — Tweedside Caravan Park, Victoria Park Campsite and Feather Down - Chesters have the fewest equivalents if they fill. Fixed structures like the yurts at Ettrick Valley Yurts are single-unit bookings, so they go earlier than open pitches.

Spring and early autumn are easier, often bookable a few weeks out. If you're camping either side of high summer, check the site's opening season directly, ask whether facilities such as the bar or pool run reduced hours, and pack for cold nights inland even when the forecast looks mild.