Picture the same Highland week twice. In the first, you wake in a van parked above a loch near Applecross, boil a kettle while the mist lifts, and eat breakfast sitting on the back step. In the second, you wake in a warm room in Fort William, wander down to a cooked breakfast you didn't make, and leave the car parked outside. Both are good weeks. Both cost money, and the money doesn't fall the way most people assume it does.
The comparison isn't simply "van equals cheap, hotel equals expensive". It's about how many people are travelling, which month you go, and how many beds you need along the way. Work through the four cost blocks below and the answer usually becomes obvious.
The two trips you're really comparing
A campervan front-loads your spending. You pay a large sum for the vehicle before you set off, then very little per night afterwards. A hotel-based trip does the opposite: modest daily costs for transport, but a bill every single evening, whether you've had a good day or spent it sheltering from rain in a visitor centre.
That structure matters. The longer you travel and the more people you're moving, the better the van maths looks. The fewer of you there are, and the shorter the trip, the more a fixed base with a proper bed starts to make sense.
What a campervan week actually costs
Hire fees
This is the biggest line and the one that swings most. A mid-range four-berth van booked for a peak-summer week can run into four figures; the same van in late April or October may cost noticeably less. Ask about everything that isn't in the headline rate: mileage limits, one-way drop-off charges between, say, Edinburgh and Inverness, insurance excess and the deposit held against your card. Some firms charge extra for a second driver, bedding packs, or a bike rack.
Fuel
You'll cover more ground than you expect. Inverness to Ullapool is roughly an hour and a half; add Skye, Glencoe, Torridon and the Cairngorms and a seven-day loop comfortably passes 500 miles, more if you take detours to see anything worthwhile. Large vans are not frugal — think mid-twenties to low thirties to the gallon on a good day, and worse on single-track roads with hills. Fill up in towns; rural pumps are sparse and pricier.
Campsite charges and overnight stops
- Full facility sites: pitch with electric hook-up, showers and waste disposal. The most expensive option, and the one you'll want every few nights for a proper wash and a recharge.
- Basic sites and croft pitches: a tap, a toilet block, sometimes just a field. Much cheaper, often friendlier.
- Wild camping: free, and legal in Scotland for tents and lightweight camping under access legislation. For campervans the position is greyer, and parts of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs require a permit in summer. Always check local rules and signage.
- Lay-bys and car parks: tempting, frequently discouraged or banned, and increasingly enforced. Some councils publish guidance on where overnight parking is tolerated; read it before you rely on it.
The extras that add up
Gas refills, a cleaning fee if the van comes back grubby, ferry fares to Skye's neighbouring islands, and the small tax of buying dinner out because you couldn't face cooking in the rain.
What a hotel week looks like
Hotels and guesthouses in the Highlands are priced by the room, not the person, which is why couples often find this route surprisingly competitive. In peak season, expect to pay a premium in popular spots such as Portree, Ballachulish and Aviemore; shoulder season rates in Inverness or Oban are gentler. Breakfast is often included, which quietly removes a meal from your budget.
The catch is the car. Unless you're sticking to trains and buses — perfectly possible on some routes, limiting on others — you'll need to hire one, which brings its own insurance, fuel and parking costs. And you'll still be driving the same winding roads, just sleeping somewhere fixed.
Running the numbers for a week
Take two adults, seven nights in late May. Using illustrative figures only — get real quotes before deciding:
- Campervan: hire around £900, fuel around £180, six nights on sites at roughly £25 plus one night in a B&B for a reset, total somewhere near £1,250 before food.
- Hotel plus hire car: car hire around £250, fuel around £120, seven nights at roughly £120, total around £1,210 before food.
For two people, it's close to a wash. Now add two children. The hotel route needs a second room or a family room at a premium; the van doesn't, because the beds are already there. Four people travelling together almost always tilt the maths towards the campervan. A solo traveller or a couple on a short break often find the hotel route simpler and no more expensive.
Which option suits which traveller
- Choose a campervan if you're travelling as a family or group, you like changing location every day, you're happy cooking outdoors, and you don't mind driving something large on single-track roads with passing places.
- Choose hotels if you're a couple or solo, you want a fixed base for two or three nights at a time, you value a hot shower and a real mattress, or you're travelling outside summer when room rates soften.
- Consider a hybrid — a few nights in the van, a few in a hotel — if you want the freedom without a week of campsite showers. It's often the most enjoyable version of the trip, even if it isn't the cheapest on paper.
Before you book
Book both vans and Highland accommodation early for July and August; this is not a region where you can reliably turn up and find a room. Check your driving licence category: a standard car licence covers vehicles up to 3,500kg, and some larger motorhomes exceed that.
Pack for midges from June to August, especially on the west coast, and take them seriously. Carry cash or a card that works offline for remote fuel stops. If you're hiring, photograph the van thoroughly at collection and return it clean. And if money is tight, do the sums with real quotes for your exact dates rather than trusting a rule of thumb — the gap between the two options moves a lot depending on when you go and how many of you there are.
Photo: Donovan Kelly / Pexels
