The Achray Forest (more commonly known as the Three Lochs Drive) is situated within Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, just off the Dukes Pass, on the way between Aberfoyle and Loch Katrine.
Paul did a fantastic short video, click here to watch it.
Autumn (October) is a great time to visit and to camp out, as the forest trees glow with beautiful yellows and oranges. The drive is only open to cars between April and October, after which it is only accessible on foot or by bicycle. A permit is required to wild camp from March to September, in October there is no need to get a permit, but you can still take your car which is useful for transporting your camping gear! There is a token charge of £2 for cars to drive the route. The entrance gate opens around 8.30am and the exit gate closes around 5pm. If you are staying late or overnight, a notice will be put under your windscreen wipers with the code for the exit gate. More information and details of short walks can be found on their website here.
The best wild camping spots are looking over or on the shores of Loch Drunkie. There are also some nice short walks around there (as there are throughout the drive) and great photography spots. Also some good access points for canoeing, though you would have to carry it for a bit to get to some of them.
For our Saturday night wild camp, we got really lucky with the weather – sunny spells and no rain at all, we were blessed! Of course, the good weather meant we weren’t the only people who had come to wild camp here. The first spot we liked (not to far from the parking space, looking over the loch (Drunkie) and with a picnic table, had people already setting up camp there. Of course, there may have been room for more, but we fancied some solitude, as quite possibly did the people who were setting up there, so we moved on. For reference, that spot (Area G) was about a kilometer before the main car park (which has toilets) and just before the fairly sharp bend in the road.
We also had it in mind that it might be good to be camped near the toilet facilities, however there were a few campervans / motorhomes already there, and no view over the loch, so we decided against it.
From a previous day trip, we knew there was a nice walk from this car park, which goes down along the loch side, with the option to either double back or make a loop through the forest. So we decided to do this short walk before looking further on for a camping spot.
Along this walk were signposted a few camping spots, though how you’d fit a tent into some of them (unless it was really tiny) we don’t know…
We continued this walk to the next small car park, then ventured from the car park along a trail to the lochside, where we found the most perfect spot. There was already a couple there sitting by the loch, and we asked them if they were camping overnight. They weren’t, so we decided to walk back, get the car and come here to set up camp. However, as we were leaving we saw a group of about 4 lads heading down that way with camping gear, so we guessed we were too late… A little bit dejected we sourced out a couple of other possibilities that weren’t too far from that car park, then we headed back to collect our car and drive up.
As luck would have it, on the off chance we walked back to the spot we had hoped to camp at, and with luck, it was still free! The group of lads had walked past it and chosen another spot a few hundred meters further along, leaving this idyllic spot just for us! We had 360 degree views from our little peninsula, 180 degree looking up both ends of the loch, and 180 degree into the forest.
We set up camp, it took us about 5 trips to the car to collect all our gear (we hadn’t realised that most of the camping spots, especially the scenic ones, were a bit of a hike from the parking places!) This one was probably around 300-400 metres (thought it felt like more!) In addition to our basic camping gear we had brought a gazebo (in case it rained), a toilet bucket (in case we didn’t camp near the toilets), coal & firewood, our camping chairs & picnic table and our electric blanket with Paul’s golf cart battery to run it off! It was a bit of a slog carrying it all down to our spot, but it was worth it.
It was probably around 4pm by the time we had set up our camp. We then just enjoyed the scenery and took some photographs, especially later as the wind stopped and the loch became like a mirror, followed by a beautiful sunset (albeit we didn’t see the sun actually set as it went down behind the forest)…
After sitting enjoying the sunset, we heated up our leftover Chinese takeaway for dinner, then Paul got a campfire going and we sat around it and toasted some marshmallows for dessert. With the campfire we were nice and warm, and the gazebo trapped some of the heat, though we had to keep it back from the fire so it didn’t keep the smoke in as well!
Finally, sometime after 10pm we headed to bed, plugged in the electric blanket and snuggled into our sleeping bags. The electric blanket ran for around 2-3 hours from the golf cart battery before it died. After that, it got rather cold and I ended up sleeping with 2 fleece jumpers on! The wind picked up overnight and our gazebo blew down, we found it down the slope and lying on its’ side in the morning.
In the morning we put breakfast on, some rolls and sausages and a couple of mugs of tea to warm us up. It was another beautiful day. The sun was out and wind had died down, with just the occasional gust.
After breakfast we packed up all our camping gear, and with another 5 trips, got it packed up into the car. Paul carried our inflatable canoe down, pumped it up, and we went out on the loch for a wee paddle.
After our canoeing, we continued along the rest of the drive, stopping at Loch Achray for some great views over to Ben Ann.
Finally leaving the Forest Drive, we made a couple more photo stops on the Dukes Pass, including a stunning one overlooking Loch Drunkie and the forest from a height.
It had been an excellent weekend, with a perfect and romantic spot for camping, and stunning views all round. The Three Lochs drive is great in all seasons, but Autumn is our personal favourite. Go for a day trip in the car or by bicycle, or overnight as we did – enjoy!
Please also click the links below to read our blogs on two overnight camps we have done since… Area G by the loch and Area I overlooking the loch.
To book a camping permit (March to September) click here.
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