Field notes from Red Squirrel: a Friday night in Glen Coe

Full 5G, a picnic-table office, and cooking by the fire. Red Squirrel is my staging post for a Coast to Coast hire north of Fort William.

Jeremie

Notes from the pitch

·11 September 2026·8 min read

I am writing this from a picnic bench at Red Squirrel Campsite in Glen Coe, lamp on, stove going, laptop open. I love camping. I love driving. Put those together on the A82 on a Friday night and that is the whole point.

Tonight is a Cosy Canvas recce wrapped around a customer job. I am here a couple of nights as a base, because tomorrow I head just north of Fort William to pitch a hire for a RatRace weekend. One of the mattresses might have a puncture. Fort William shops, first thing.

The drive

The drive north was spectacular, as expected in Glen Coe.

Dusk on the A82 heading into the Highlands, mountains ahead — Dusk on the A82. From the Polmont side this is about two hours if you do not hang about.

Glenfinnan railway viaduct on the hillside from the car — Glenfinnan from the windscreen. Proper Highland miles. Not a Central Belt overnighter.

Two minutes to spare

I rolled in right on closing. Scot on the desk was delightful — friendly, unfussed, still had time for a late Friday arrival after what was clearly a long day. Friendly the next day as well. We got a proper catch-up. Exchanged war stories about dealing with the public whilst surrounded by Scotland’s magnificence. It reminded us why we were there. He said he would intro me to the owner, Matt, and made a point of doing so. Proper gent.

After check-in, I drove the site a couple of times. A couple of awkward five- and six-point reverses in the dark, trees where you did not want them, pitches already claimed. Found a spot in the end. Grabbed a picnic bench.

Two-person tent, stove and picnic table lit at night in woodland at Red Squirrel Campsite — The pitch. Woodland, bench, stove, tent up. Friday-night busy, but this clearing was enough.

The tent I actually love

I put up the Decathlon two-man pop-up. I absolutely love this tent. Up in two minutes. No guy-line ballet, no headtorch faff. On a night like this, that is the difference between being a nuisance in the car park and sitting down with a cuppa.

We keep a gear list of the products we actually use.

For Cosy Canvas DIY guests — an honest note. If you are in a rush after work on Friday to collect and hope to be on site in time to grab a spot big enough, it will not happen. Best to arrive early after checkout, while people are packing down. Or have us do it for you, with coordination from the team at Red Squirrel, to grab a scenic spot.

Decathlon two-man pop-up tent with the door open and a stove burning — Decathlon 2-man, door open, stove lit. Two minutes from bag to bed-shaped.

Close-up of a camping stove with a highland midge on the rim — A midge on the rim for authenticity. River woodland in September is still river woodland.

Staging for Coast to Coast

This stay is my staging post for the Coast to Coast Rat Race event. Five American customers have booked TCCC for the night on the event organiser’s pop-up campsite.

I am glad I chose Red Squirrel as my base. I have always looked at this site when picking a place to camp, longed to visit, but just never made it till now. I can see me and the family being here in the summer next year. I will be back in September at least, for Rat Race 2027 ;)

Picnic table, lamp and laptop beside the tent and stove at Red Squirrel — Picnic-table office. Cosy Canvas site on one tab, tomorrow’s kit list on the other. Full 5G. Not a detox.

Why it is on our map

Best for: Two people and a simple tent, DIY if you can arrive after checkout, or Deluxe with the Red Squirrel team to hold a scenic pitch
OS grid: NN 105 577
Drive: about 2 hours / 108 miles from the Falkirk container via the A82
Book: redsquirrelcampsite.co.uk

Red Squirrel has been camping ground since 1914. It is Glen Coe with a shower block, not a holiday park. Full 5G phone signal, friendly late check-in, and a picnic table I claimed as my desk. That is why it earns a pin on the campsites page.

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Not a digital detox

People talk about Glen Coe like you come here to switch off. You can definitely do that, but given the excitement of the day, I made full use of the phone signal.

I had full 5G on this pitch. Laptop is fine. Maps are fine. Studio tools are fine. For me, Red Squirrel turned into the perfect logistics base — close enough to tomorrow’s Rat Race job, wild enough that you remember why the canvas is worth dragging north, connected enough that we could run the business from a picnic table.

You can then close the lid and fall asleep to the sound of the river. Bliss.

Night pitch at Red Squirrel: two-man tent, stove, and a picnic table under a tarp in the woods — The office, closed. Tent, tarp, stove, river. Bliss.

Matt, the morning I left

I met Matt, the owner, the morning I left. Busy working with the team, getting the facilities cleaned and turned over. Leading from the front. We had a great chat. I explained who we are, what we are up to, and we agreed to keep the conversation going and that together we would make it a great experience for guests of Red Squirrel Campsite.