Campervan Hire in Glasgow

Compare campervans, motorhomes and RVs to hire in Glasgow, listed by private owners and local hire businesses. See prices, photos and reviews for campervan hire in Scotland, then book online with insurance included.

Campervan hire in Glasgow works well for a west-coast trip, because Loch Lomond, Glen Coe and the Arran ferries are all a day's drive or less from the city. Vans are listed by private owners and local hire businesses and booked through our partner Outdoorsy, with insurance and payment protection on every booking. Motorhome hire in Glasgow covers everything from 2-berth campers to family-size 6-berths, so search campervans near Glasgow to see what is free on your dates.

Glasgow campervan and motorhome hire: quick facts

Where to pick up a campervan near Glasgow

Listings cluster in three places. The first is around Glasgow Airport at Abbotsinch, beside Paisley, which sits at junction 28 of the M8 and is about 8 miles west of the city centre. The airport has a frequent express bus link to the centre, so it works for a fly-in start. The second is inside the city, mostly the West End and the Southside, where owners usually hand over from their own street. The third is the wider belt of Renfrewshire, Lanarkshire and Ayrshire, useful if you want to start on the Ayrshire coast without crossing the city.

Ask each owner about two things before you book:

• Delivery. Some owners will bring the van to a hotel, a campsite or the airport for a fee. Others only hand over at their own address.
• One-way hire. Dropping a van off in a different city is only possible when the listing says so, and it often costs extra. If you plan to finish in Inverness, say, put that in your message before you pay.

If your trip is mainly the North Coast 500, Glasgow is a long way from the start. Inverness is about 170 miles north, around three and a half hours, so collecting in Inverness saves you a day at each end.

Routes from Glasgow by campervan

Distances below are approximate road distances from the city centre, and times assume no queues. Allow longer in a motorhome.

Loch Lomond and the Trossachs

Balloch, at the southern tip of the loch, is about 20 miles and 40 minutes away. Tarbet on the A82 is about 40 miles, just over an hour. The Trossachs lie east of the loch, around Aberfoyle, about 30 miles from Glasgow. This is a good two-to-three-day first trip, and any size of van copes with the main roads. Camping management zones and permits apply from March to September, so read the Scotland guide before you plan a lochside stop. Stirling is the other natural base for the eastern side.

Glen Coe and Fort William

Glen Coe is about 90 miles from Glasgow, roughly two and a quarter hours, and Fort William is about 100 miles, nearer to two and three-quarter hours with a photo stop at Rannoch Moor. It is busy in summer, so leave early. Fort William has its own overnight restrictions, which the page lists. The full route onward to Mallaig and Skye is in the west coast and Skye guide, and Skye itself is around 200 miles and five hours from Glasgow.

Isle of Arran by ferry

Arran is the classic short island trip from Glasgow: about 30 miles to Ardrossan or 35 miles to Troon, then CalMac to Brodick. CalMac lists the Ardrossan crossing at 55 minutes and the Troon crossing at 1 hour 20 minutes. Sailings switch between the two ports at times, for example while Ardrossan harbour was closed for works. When the chartered MV Alfred runs from Troon, CalMac says it cannot take motorhomes over 6 metres or vehicles towing a caravan, so call CalMac before booking a larger van. Your booking confirmation names the port, so check it before you set the satnav. See CalMac's Ardrossan to Brodick route page for the current timetable and notices.

Book the vehicle space as soon as your hire dates are fixed, and give the full length of the van. The Scotland guide covers the length bands. Check that the owner allows island trips. The island's ring road is about 55 miles and narrow in places, so a 2 or 4-berth is easier. The Ayrshire page covers the coast on the mainland side.

Argyll and Kintyre

Inveraray is about 60 miles from Glasgow, around an hour and a half, by the A82 and the A83 over the Rest and Be Thankful pass. Campbeltown is about 135 miles, a drive of a little over three hours, and the Mull of Kintyre lies beyond it. The roads narrow as you go south, with more single-track. The A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful can close after heavy rain, when traffic is diverted onto the single-track Old Military Road, so check Traffic Scotland before you leave and allow slack in your schedule. Allow three to five days.

West coast and Skye, and the south-west

For a longer loop, the west coast and Skye route starts in Glasgow and runs through Loch Lomond, Glen Coe and Fort William. Heading south instead, Dumfries is roughly 75 miles away by the M74, and the South West Coastal 300 loops around Dumfries and Galloway, with the Dumfries page for local pickups. If the North Coast 500 is the plan, read the NC500 guide before choosing a van size.

Driving in Glasgow

The low emission zone

Glasgow's low emission zone covers the city centre, roughly the area between the M8 on the north and west sides, the River Clyde to the south and Saltmarket and High Street to the east. Enforcement began on 1 June 2023 and the zone operates 24 hours a day. The national standards are Euro 4 for petrol and Euro 6 for diesel, which the Scotland guide explains for all four Scottish cities.

A camera-detected breach brings a £100 charge notice, reduced to £50 if paid within 14 days. The charge doubles for each repeat breach by the same vehicle, up to £480 for cars and light goods vehicles, and resets after 90 days without a breach. Notices go to the vehicle's registered owner, which for a hire van is the owner or hire business, so ask how the listing handles fines. The exemptions are narrow, mostly vehicles used by disabled people plus emergency and historic vehicles, so assume none applies to a hire van.

Ask the owner for the registration, run it through the mygov.scot vehicle checker, and read Glasgow City Council's LEZ information. A van that fails does not need to be ruled out, because nothing forces you into the centre. Collect from outside the zone, and use the motorway network, not the city streets, to get north or west.

Parking, height limits and bus lanes

Most city-centre multi-storey car parks have height-restriction signs at the entrance. The council's list gives the Cambridge Street car park as 1.98 m, which rules out most van conversions with a roof vent or a high top. Look for the sign before you drive up the ramp. A better plan is to stay at a campsite on the edge of the city and take the train in.

Bus lanes and bus gates in the centre are camera-enforced, with a £100 charge, or £50 if paid within 14 days. Read the signs for hours. Scotland has no road tolls, so there is nothing to pay on the motorways or the Skye Bridge. Built-up areas are 30 mph unless signed lower.

Events that fill the city

Piping Live and the World Pipe Band Championships bring crowds to Glasgow every August. The championships fill Glasgow Green over two days in mid-August, at the end of the Piping Live week. Celtic Connections fills the city from mid-January for around two and a half weeks. Campsites near the city fill first at these times, so book your pitch with your van.

Where you can stay overnight near Glasgow

Access rights do not cover sleeping in a campervan, so a campsite is the simplest answer near the city. Three well-established parks take motorhomes and campervans, according to their operators:

• Strathclyde Country Park Club Campsite, Bothwell. A Caravan and Motorhome Club site south-east of Glasgow, open all year and welcoming non-members. It has 107 touring pitches with hardstanding and electric hook-up, a drive-over waste point and a motorhome service point. The maximum outfit length is 9 m.
• Red Deer Village Holiday Park, Stepps. On the north-east edge of the city, just off the A80. It lists 27 hardstanding touring pitches with electric hook-up for caravans and motorhomes, with buses and trains into the centre. Ask the park for opening dates.
• Lomond Woods Holiday Park, Balloch. A short walk from Loch Lomond, open all year, with touring and motorhome pitches. Its campervan pitches take vehicles up to 7 m and have no room for an awning.

Check each park's own site for current prices and pitch rules. For lochside stops, permits and the rules on lay-bys, see the Scotland campervan hire guide. Treat a council car park as parking, not camping, unless a sign says otherwise.

Costs and when to go

Prices follow size and season. A 2-berth van runs about £50 to £90 a night in low season, £70 to £125 in shoulder season and £90 to £180 at peak, and a 6-berth costs about £70 to £130, £100 to £190 and £130 to £270. A compact 2-berth week comes to roughly £490 to £875. Excess is typically £500 to £2,500, and a security deposit is about £500 to £1,500. See the cost guides for campervans and motorhomes.

The best months are May, June and September. Daylight lasts until late evening, the loch roads are quieter and midges are fewer than in high summer. Scottish schools break up in late June, earlier than most of England, so peak pricing starts earlier than many visitors expect. Book three to four months ahead for July and August, and four to six months for school-holiday weeks and larger vans. For midges, see the notes in the Scotland guide.

Winter hire is cheaper, but short days, closed seasonal campsites and snow on high roads mean you should plan each night. A standard category B car licence covers vans up to 3,500 kg, and the licence guide explains heavier motorhomes.

How hire works in Glasgow

1. Search. Enter your dates and a Glasgow pickup point on the search page, then widen the radius to see Renfrewshire and Lanarkshire owners.
2. Compare. Check size, sleeping layout, dog policy, mileage allowance, excess and the owner's reviews. Pet owners can start with the dog-friendly campervan hire page.
3. Book through our partner Outdoorsy. Insurance and payment protection come with every booking. 24/7 roadside assistance is an optional extra.
4. Collect and set off. Ask for a walk-through of the heater, water system and toilet, and confirm the registration for the LEZ check.

First-timers can follow the Scotland campervan hire guide from handover to return. For vehicle types, see the pages on campervan hire and motorhome hire.

Glasgow campervan hire FAQs

How do I get from Glasgow Airport to my pickup?

First Glasgow's Airport Express 500 runs between the airport and the centre, a short ride of roughly 20 minutes. Many private owners prefer daytime handovers, so ask first.

Where can I park a campervan in Glasgow for the day?

Choose a surface car park or a park-and-ride, rather than a multi-storey, if the van is taller than about 1.9 m. Several city-centre multi-storeys have limits close to 2 m, and a van that fails the LEZ check should stay outside the zone.

Which Arran ferry port should I use, Ardrossan or Troon?

Use whichever port your booking names. Ardrossan is the shorter crossing, at about 55 minutes, but sailings have moved to Troon at times, which takes about 1 hour 20 minutes. CalMac asks vehicles to check in at least 30 minutes before departure.

Is Glasgow or Edinburgh the better place to collect for the west coast?

Glasgow, by a distance. Loch Lomond, Glen Coe, Argyll and the Arran ports are all closer from Glasgow. Edinburgh suits the East Lothian coast, Fife and the A9 north, as the Edinburgh page explains.

Can I collect in Glasgow and return the van somewhere else?

Only if the listing offers one-way hire, and the owner may charge for it. A one-way trip to Inverness or Fort William is the most common request. Message the owner before you book, and get the return location and any extra fee in writing.

Ready to go? Search campervans near Glasgow, or read our guide to campervan hire in Scotland.