thanks for your response desert rose, but the ODC have not allowed camping for several years, although i did stay there a couple of yeasr ago in their barasti "hits" and it was beautiful.
the place i am thinking of is, if you are heading towards muttrah from the ODC you come to the fisheries place, then a posh marina, then there is another marina, down a steep hill - this is the one.
do you know it - maybe called greater muscat municipal marina, or greater muscat marina - something like that anyway.
