Wild Camping on Loch Lomond: Is the Permit Area Worth It?

If you’re planning to hike the West Highland Way, you’ll need to know about the Camping Management Zone on Loch Lomond:

The Camping Management Zone On Loch Lomond

The National Park byelaws prevent wild camping on Loch Lomond between the 1st of March and 30th September, where a Camping Management Zone is in place to protect the environment.

For backpackers, this includes a section of 15 miles along the eastern shore between Drymen and Ptarmigan Lodge (NN 353 007).

The ban can make for a very long day, which can be a worry if you prefer to wild camp. However, there are alternatives including a designated permit camping area at Lochan Maoil Dhuainne, which is highlighted on the OS map below.

How To Get A Camping Permit For Lochan Maoil Dhuinne

Loch Lomond camping permits are available from Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority for a very reasonable cost of £4.50 (2026).

Lochan Maoil Dhuainne is the only wild camping permit area on the east side of the Loch on the West Highland Way. Spaces are limited to 6 tents, though you can stay up to 3 nights. You can only book 4 weeks ahead, so put the date in your diary and call as early as possible!

National Park wardens patrol the area to check for anyone wild camping without one.

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Other Campsites And Places To Stay on Loch Lomond

If you miss out on a permit, there are alternatives (listed from south to north) including:

To plan camping along the whole trail, use my full list of West Highland Way campsites, with map, contact details and reviews.

What’s It Like To Wild Camp At Lochan Maoil Dhuinne?

Now you know how the permit system works, you might be wondering whether it’s worth camping here.

I wild camped at Lochan Maoil Dhuinne while hiking the West Highland Way with my son, arriving late on a stormy September night. It was wild! Here’s what happened.

When A Storm Whips Up

I could feel the weight of our slow progress that day. My son was doing his best, but he was struggling with his new boots and lack of hiking fitness. I admired his determination, but my anxiety grew as we hiked late into the day. By the time we spotted the sign for the permit site at Lochan Maoil Dhuainne, it was past 11 pm and pitch black, with torrential rain and a strong wind picking up. The path down to the wild camping area was steep, with a mass of slippery, tangled tree roots — and we had no idea what was ahead.

At the bottom, we found ourselves in a patch of woodland beside the loch shore where I could just make out the silhouette of a tent through the trees. In the light of our headtorches, there didn’t seem any good spots left for us to pitch, and, worryingly, tall pines swayed dramatically above us. There were blowdowns around and gnarled roots stretching across the sloping ground. We cleared what little space we could find, kicking away fallen branches, and hoped for the best.

A Visitor In The Night

But hope isn’t the way to prepare for a night like the one ahead. Instead, it was one that reminded me of a few basic lessons — like how to store your food.

You know you’ve got it wrong when you open your tent fly and see a mouse tucking into your snack bag. And the lesson really stings when you discover its chewed through your tent to get to it. After scrabbling around trying to shoo it out without waking the neighbours, there was another issue to deal with: the water flooding my tent.

The gale-force wind was driving straight off the loch into the broadside of the tent and drowning it in biblical rain. It soon turned into a swimming pool and I spent hours continually mopping up, but it was a losing battle: I couldn’t find where it was coming in.

The prospect of floating away on my Thermarest by morning felt real enough, but what can you do? There’s a reason you don’t pitch broadside into the wind, and this was it, but sometimes the lie of the land gives you no choice.

And my son? Exhausted, he slept through it all.

In The Light Of Day

By morning, the storm had eased up a bit and I took some time to explore. In the light of day it was beautifully atmospheric. A heavy mist hung over the Loch, grey mountains still solid behind the shifting clouds and banks of heavy rain, the surface of the water ruffled like the hair on a cat when you brush it the wrong way.

Stood on the small pebbly beach, listening to the rain fall through the trees, I realised it would be possible to camp here in better weather. Facing west, a good sunset would be sublime — the perfect place to cook up an evening meal.

Where To Get Dry

A short walk from Lochan Maoil Dhuinne, is the Clansman Bar at Rowardennan Hotel — a Godsend for drenched and exhuasted hikers.

We were the first customers of the day to take advantage of the incredible drying facilities: a long hallway with benches and a radiator. By the time we left, it was strewn with drying tents, sleeping bags and soaking boots — I don’t think I’ve seen so many barefoot hikers in a bar before!

I highly recommend stopping here for a hearty pub meal and the opportunity to charge your electronics for a while. Whether you arrive like a drowned rat or not, a warm welcome and great atmosphere awaits.

And, in answer to the question “is it worth wild camping in the permit zone?” – absolutely. What’s wild camping without a bit of adventure?!

Thanks for reading — don’t forget to check out the other planning guides in the series linked below.

Will you wild camp Lochan Maoil Dhuainne? If you’ve camped here before, or at any of the campsites along Loch Lomond, share your experience with us below – I’d love to hear from you!

Happy hiking!