Scotland
Scotland, with its magnificent mountains, heather-clad hills, remote glens, sparkling lochs, rugged coastline, magical islands, rich wildlife and turbulent history, has so much to attract the walker. Our hiking tours or walking holidays in Scotland include the Fife Coastal Path, Great Glen Way, Speyside Way, Rob Roy Way, Arran Coastal Way, Cateran Trail, St Cuthbert's Way, Borders Abbeys Way and the West Highland Way, a magnificent trek through the spectacular Western Highlands of Scotland from the outskirts of Scotland's largest city to the base of its highest mountain.
Here are our favourite walking holidays in Scotland:
West Highland Way - South to North / North to South
From Milngavie on the outskirts of Glasgow, the West Highland Way winds through some of the most spectacular scenery in Britain to the foot of Britain's highest mountain, Ben Nevis. The final stage of this spectacular trail crosses the Lairigmor pass to Glen Nevis and the busy little town of Fort William, with glorious views of Loch Leven, the pinnacled ridge of the Aonach Eagach and the vast bulk of Ben Nevis.
Great Glen Way - South to North / North to South
The Great Glen Way cuts diagonally across the Highlands of Scotland from the Atlantic Ocean to the North Sea through some of the finest scenery in Scotland. It follows the route of the Caledonian Canal which links the large lochs along the Great Glen to form a navigable passage between Fort William on the west coast and Inverness on the east coast.
St Cuthbert's Way links a number of places associated with the story of a 7th century saint who travelled widely on foot through Scotland and northern England spreading the Gospel and performing healing miracles. Beginning at Melrose in the Scottish Borders where the saint started his ministry and ending at Holy Island in England where he ended his days, the trail passes through scenery of great variety and beauty.
Named after Scotland's most famous outlaw, the Rob Roy Way meanders across the Southern Highlands from Drymen to Pitlochry through many places where the outlaw was active. Although the trail passes through some of the finest highland scenery in Scotland, it avoids the summits, keeping mainly to the glens, following old tracks beside rivers and lochs and over a few passes which provide wonderful views of the surrounding mountains.
The Arran Coastal Way combines coastal paths, forest tracks, roads and stretches of beach to encircle this enchanting island. Arran's rich and diverse wildlife is a special feature of the trail. Seals are often seen basking on the shores of the island and the coastline supports a wide variety of birds including eider, gannet, cormorant, shelduck, oystercatcher, red-breasted merganser, redshank, red-throated diver and fulmar.
Speyside Way - North to South / South to North
The Speyside Way follows Scotland's loveliest river from the Moray Firth to the foothills of the Cairngorm Mountains through the heart of malt whisky country. Following paths and disused railway trackbeds the trail passes through a beguiling mix of scenery: the wave-battered shores of the Moray Firth, rich farmland, mixed woodland, heather-clad hills and ancient Caledonian pine forests.
Famous as ‘Scotland’s only mainland island’, the remote Kintyre peninsula has all the usual Highland ingredients - magnificent scenery, abundant wildlife, a wealth of history and famous whisky distilleries - but with the added attraction of being one of the least explored corners of Scotland. The Kintyre Way begins at Tarbert in the north and criss-crosses this beautiful peninsula to end at Dunaverty Bay on its southern shore.
At the start of the 12th century, Scotland experienced a religious revival under King David I. In the Scottish Borders he founded monasteries for the Black Canons of the Augustinian order at Jedburgh, the White Monks of the Cistercian order at Melrose, the White Canons of the Premonstratensian order at Dryburgh and the Black Monks of the Tironensian order at Kelso. The Borders Abbeys Way is a circular route linking these four great ruined monasteries.
The Ayrshire coastline teems with wildlife. Seals basking on inshore rocks are a common sight. With luck you may also spot porpoise or an otter. Birdlife ranges from common species such as cormorant, curlew, gannet, guillemot, oystercatcher, razorbill, redshank, shag and terns to rare species like the great northern diver, red-throated diver and the red-necked grebe.
