Wanted: a cheap, quiet place?

Question

I'm looking for a quiet and cheap place to spend two or three weeks on my own. I have a small campervan; basic facilities would be good but not essential so camping would be fine. I need some place away from people, almost anywhere but preferably south of the mid-Wales latitude would be best.
Any ideas?

Anyone who has a little land which is private and wouldn't mind a quiet and respectful presence would be ideal.

Would be happy to do a few jobs around the place in repayment.

Answer 1

Hello Roger,

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but you're going to find it very difficult to find anywhere that meets your requirements.

South of the Mid Wales latitude there are very few places that are away from people. Most places are close to towns and villages and the sparsely populated places such as Dartmoor, Exmoor and the Brecon Beacons are very popular with tourists.

You may find quiet little corners tucked away along dead end lanes but as soon as you leave your quiet little corner you're going to be in a throung of people or on a main road.

My suggestion would be to head up to Scotland, especially the Scottish Highlands. There are large expanses of open countryside where you can literally spend days without encountering another person. If you're able to ditch the campervan and load up a rucksack then there's no end of places you can go that will give you the peace and tranquility you're looking for. Many such places are no more than a short walk from the road.

One problem with this is that roadside parking in remote places isn't advisable - not so much because of possible theft of your vehicle but because vehicles parked and left in remote areas can cause concern that the occupants have taken to the mountains and run into difficulties. There have been instances of the Police and mountain rescue teams being called out on false alarms because of this. Better to park up at a guest house or hotel.

If you really want to escape then consider one of the Western Isles, the larger ones have regular ferry services and the smaller (and often uninhabited ones) can often be reached by payment of a bottle of whiskey to a local boat owner. The problem here of course is that you're restricted to a small island but maybe that's ideal for you.

My advice, and if it appeals I'm sure you'd enjoy it, would be to head for one of the Highland towns or villages, park up, catch a bus or post-bus to some remote spot and take to the hills. Spend a few days camping or staying in the mountain shelters and then move on to another spot. This isn't the place to go into detail about the mountain shelters but e-mail me if you want more info on them.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Kilvrecht Campsite, Kinloch Rannoch, Perthshire, Scotland. Quiet, not touristy. My favourite place in the world. Close enough to a small village for supplies but isolated enough to have quality alone time.

Sorry it's nowhere near Wales but I don't know that area at all!

Answer 3

dk ..