Two Canadians looking for a few good walks

[KevinRoach]

Hello,

My wife and I are planning a trip to Scotland in late May, and we would love to do some hikes/camping in the Highlands. We have done overnight and multi-day hikes before in Canada and the US at high altitudes in the Rocky Mountains. While we are not afraid of a little hard work, we will be very new to the country so I want to do my research!

We have 3-5 days in the North Highlands. We would love to do a overnight or 2 days hike where we could camp/stay in a cabin. A base town where we could get to hikes with relative ease might be nice as well. Since we are on vacation a large summit/technical climbing might not be a good idea.

I've been trying to do some research but I'm starting to get overwhelmed as there are so many amazing hikes to see!

What would you recommend? Any pointers would be fantastic!

Thanks

[GableNovice]

I'm going to the Highlands myself in late May/ beginning of June for 11 days

My hands on knowledge of the highlands is limited but I could give a few suggestions based on what I've got planned.

If you've never been to Scotland before one of the mountains that is probably on every tourist list (and probably alot of walkers) is of course Ben Nevis. Piece of advice though. Me and some friends tried it last year in August and found that the route is constantly packed in good weather (you'll probably never meet a busier mountain) so if you're competent and feeling up to it I'd suggest heading up from Fort William to the summit of Carn Mor Dearg and from there along the arrete up to the summit. There's a fair hold hike up from the CIC hut (I think it's roughly 1800-2000 ft but i may be wrong) which is fairly steep but not overly troubling if you don't stray too far to the right as you ascend.

Another area I'd suggest if you're competent on steep ground and ridge walking would of course be Glen Coe which despite the various dangers (as illustrated by last weekend's tragic accident) is in many opinions the most spectacular Glen in Scotland and contains many good walks such as Bidean nam Bian and Aonach Eagach, the narrowest ridge on mainland Britain.

The Mamores which sit at the southern end of Glen Nevis could also be worth a shot with both sloping and narrow ridges and a decent variety of terrain from what I've been told.

And if you really have a thing for castle-like mountains try venturing to Torridon which is choc full of spectacular climbs and airy ridges such as The Horns of Alligin, Liathiach and Beinn Eighe.

Finally, another popular area is the Cairngorms which unlike their western cousins are more sloping in shape but form a vast plateau with several of Scotland's highest peaks contained there including the second highest, Ben Macdui which I can personally recommend from experience as a delightful mountain in good weather (the little of it you'll find there anyway ).

As I said I'm only of limited experience having done two trips to Scotland (First being the Cairngorms and the second being Glen Nevis) so take my suggestions with a pinch of salt but I'm wherever you decide I'm sure you'll have a great time

[Cairngormwanderer]

Despite his avowed lack of experience (if indeed he's not a droll troll ), Gable Novice has given a pretty good thumbnail sketch of the highlands' main highlghts. (Although the Cairngorms are so much more than a plateau with some high tops! Pah! God's own hill country. )
Regarding accommodation for a two-day hike, you could look at the Mountain Bothies Association website, on http://www.mountainbothies.org.uk/ . The MBA maintains bothies across Scotland and you can check out locations here. Although you can't book places in them - it's first come first served - there isn't usually any problem and in any case a tradition of always making room for one (or two) more. And if some of them are basic, then on the plus side they're all free. Cairngorm bothies are, of course, the best of all.
Hope you enjoy your trip.

[GableNovice]

sorry CW I didn't do the Cairngorms justice with my description there they are strikingly beautiful and will always have a special place in my memories as where I did my first (and only at the moment) two Munros.

Kevin, although I was walking along the top I'd thoroughly recommend a day or two adventuring the area in and around Lairig Ghru, one of the grandest valleys I've ever seen

[Lenore]

Don't forget Kintail! So many ace walks, lots of ridges but also less challenging stuff (and a castle), all packed around glen Shiel, loch Duich and loch Cluanie. Good accommodation as well, whether tent or hostel (ratagan) or private rooms (cluanie inn for instance). And the rangers in kintail (located in morvich) are very helpful if you want suggestions on where to walk. Glen Shiel is smaller and narrower than Glencoe, but in my opinion that's what makes it so spectacular: its ridges rising up steeply on either side of the valley floor!

[KevinRoach]

Wow! Thanks for all the great info! We will definitely look at those before we decide.

One more question though, what is the best way to get into the highlands? Obviously we will be coming from a major centre such as Inverness, so will there be bus routes available for us? If we do rent a car, I'm worried about where I could leave it.

Thanks for any information!

[Lenore]

Wow! Thanks for all the great info! We will definitely look at those before we decide.

One more question though, what is the best way to get into the highlands? Obviously we will be coming from a major centre such as Inverness, so will there be bus routes available for us? If we do rent a car, I'm worried about where I could leave it.

Thanks for any information!

I've always traveled around the Highlands on public transport and it's very doable. You do need to plan it well beforehand and if you can buy tickets ahead of time as well as it's much cheaper. Busses/ trains don't service every area and they don't run very often except between the biggest towns (and there aren't many big towns...). Busses can occasionally be full if you don't book, which is very annoying if it's the last of the day! I use travelinescotland.com to plan. Normally end up using megabus (dirt cheap if booked ahead of time). However, the first few times I always took the train because it's relaxing and very pretty! The train from Inverness west to Kyle of Lochalsch is a superb ride. So is the train up from Glasgow to Fort William and Fort William to Mallaig. Glencoe, though, can only be reached by bus (I think).

Do check the bus schedule well as there always seem to be so many exceptions with days they run differently. The info you get on Traveline should be good, though.

I always fly in to either Glasgow or Edinburgh. I prefer the latter but will take whatever flight is cheapest. Inverness is the easiest access to Torridon and the North (and perhaps Skye?), but if going to Kintail or South of that (including Glencoe), you'd do better to get into the country at Glasgow and then bus or train to Fort William. For the Cairngorms you wouldn't even need to go to Inverness as you could go straight to for instance Aviemore from the Edinburgh airport. Inverness is further North.

I know of people who take an extra flight to Inverness, but I've never though it worth the money. A bus ticket from Edinburgh to Inverness just cost me 8 pounds as I booked early. 8! You can't fly for that...

Anyway, hope that helps a bit!

[KevinRoach]

That was a huge help! Thanks again!

[celt54321]

you could also base yourself in fortwilliam were if you hired a car you would have access to glencoe...30mins drive,the mamores...less than 30mins,and of course ben nevis which you could walk to.there is good camping right at the foot of ben nevis....at http://www.scottishcampingguide.com/lin ... evis.co.uk ,i have camped there many times and its a good base.another campsite nearby is http://www.scottishcampingguide.com/link.php?n=249&c=17 .this is a very scenic place to stay and offers easy accsess to glen coe.and just to put your mind at rest there are plenty safe places to leave your car overnight in these areas,just ask the owners of the campsites and they will put you right.lastly what ever you decide on i hope you and your wife have a nice time in scotland......and dont forget you midge repellent and net.

[RicKamila]

Three words. ISLE OF SKYE.

Superb island with the Cuillin's, Trotternish and plenty of walks to suit any weather. There's a Whisky Distillery too!! Would make a great day trip.

[lochussie]

The main determinant for me would be the weather, which can be great in one area and rubbish in another and then the complete opposite the next day. I would look into Skye, Torridon, Lochaber and Cairngorms and then, at the time, pick the one with best forecast (which is semi reliable a few days ahead). See here http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/uk_forecast_radar.html and http://www.mwis.org.uk/areas.php. For me, Torridon is amazing, unique mountains dropping to the sea. Most hills in Scotland are easy in a day, with nearby road and nothing higher than 1400m. The challenge is more in the rugged and exposed terrain on many hills. If you plan to camp then do it somewhere with wind (eg on the coast) to stop the midges. Enjoy!

[KevinRoach]

We've decided to rent a car in Glascow and drive to Fort William from there. We would love to take the train for the experience but the car will give us the freedom to move around if we need to due to weather, plus see some sights on our way back towards Edinburgh. Also dip into the Isle of Skye most likely. Despite the price, I believe it will give us the freedom we would like. A few hundred extra dollars will give our trip the boost. Don't want to waste this chance!

Now just to settle on a few walks/Bothy locations!

Thanks again!!

[GableNovice]

Good choice! You'll love the drive across Rannoch and into Glen Coe!