Under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 and the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, you have a right to camp in most unenclosed land — hills, lochsides, glens, forest. Not gardens, not crops, not within sight of houses. Not in the Loch Lomond bylaw zones in summer.

That's it. No permits, no fees, no booking. The trade is simple: behave like the ground belongs to no one because it belongs to everyone.

• Pitch late, leave early. One night per spot. Tent up after the light goes, down before breakfast.
• Out of sight. Off the road, behind a rise, away from cottages. If a farmer can see your tent from their kitchen, you've picked wrong.
• No fires. Use a stove. Peat smoulders for weeks underground; whole hillsides have been lost to a careless campfire.
• Pack out everything. Including the things you'd rather not. Especially those.
• If asked to move, move. Politely. The right exists because people respect it.

The high lochs of Assynt. The forest tracks above Glen Affric. The empty bays of the Ardnamurchan peninsula. The Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park — where the Milky Way still casts a shadow.

Avoid the famous lay-bys. They've been hammered. The good spots are a ten-minute walk from the road, where almost no one bothers.

The Outdoor Access Code is written for tents on foot. Vans, campers and roof-tents fall into a greyer area — legally fine on most public roads and forest tracks, but not a right. Use designated stopovers (the Aire network is growing), small campsites, or ask a farmer. A bottle of something usually closes the conversation.