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Best towns for first hiking trip to highlands

Best towns for first hiking trip to highlands


Postby geraty » Sun Oct 10, 2021 2:29 am

My buddy & I are looking forward to a 10 day May 2022 initial highlands hiking trip. We are scramble level hikers with significant experience in hiking in potentially adverse conditions (lived in Anchorage AK for years). We will have a car and mostly will be doing day hikes. Our tentative plan is to split our trip between a couple of different towns. We would like to find towns which in addition to having reasonable driving access to good hikes also have decent lodging opportunities and good bars/food/music. Many thanks for any help you can provide to us newcomers.
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Re: Best towns for first hiking trip to highlands

Postby Mal Grey » Sun Oct 10, 2021 11:13 am

Splitting into two areas makes sense to me, any more than that and you'll be spending too long travelling about.

Below are some of the key towns & larger villages I'd consider. I'd be spending time looking through the walks on this site to get a good idea of each region, then choose my two favourites.

The weather may play a part, sometimes its quite different in the east than west, but its hard to be flexible on accommodation booking.


Fort William - for Ben Nevis, Glencoe, the Mamores, Grey Corries, lots of low levels stuff. Plenty of pubs, some with music
Aviemore - Cairngorms, Monadhliath, Speyside, Rothiemurchus. Again, plenty of pubs.
Ullapool - centre for the wonderful North West, masses of more remote hills and lochs inc Fisherfield Forest, An Teallach. Several pubs, eg Ferry Boat Inn, The Ceilidh Place.
Gairloch - good for Loch Maree, and Torridon from the north with some of the best scrambling around. Smaller though, probably less of a "scene".
Lochcarron - also for Torridon from the south, the Strathcarron hills, Coulin Forest, etc. Couple of pubs, less going on.
Plockton - not quite as close to hills, but a lovely little place. Not sure on live music etc, but a couple of pubs. Brings Skye into the options as well as Torridon, but with longer drives for both.
Portree - Isle of Skye and the best scrambling at harder levels. Don't know on the music scene, but plenty of pub/food options. Further away from other areas if you need to move because the weather is poor on Skye.

With a scrambling itinerary, I'd probably be looking at Fort William and one of Ullapool/Gairloch/Lochcarron to get to Torridon or Fisherfield Forest.
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Re: Best towns for first hiking trip to highlands

Postby geraty » Sun Oct 10, 2021 3:24 pm

Mal, I appreciate your taking the time to write such a long and detailed response, and for correcting my "bars" reference to the more appropriate "pubs." What I call my neighborhood bar, is of course, a Pub in Scotland. We're both happily long married men and are interested in the "pickup bar" scene. Music would be nice, though.
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Re: Best towns for first hiking trip to highlands

Postby geraty » Sun Oct 10, 2021 3:26 pm

OOPs, I meant NOT interested in the pickup bar scene.
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Re: Best towns for first hiking trip to highlands

Postby davekeiller » Sun Oct 10, 2021 3:53 pm

One thing to be aware of is that the first and last Mondays in May are bank holidays in the UK, and as a result accommodation will book up, so make sure to plan ahead.
Personally, I think Fort William itself is a little bit run-down although the walking is excellent. Another option is Glen Coe which is a smaller village but with excellent walking.

If it was me, I'd consider splitting the time between Fort William or Glen Coe and Aviemore or Kingussie as this gives you time on both west and east. May is generally one of the best months for weather, although beware that snow can sometimes remain on higher tops well into May.
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Re: Best towns for first hiking trip to highlands

Postby Border Reiver » Sun Oct 10, 2021 4:43 pm

I believe that Scotland differs from the USA in that very few of the "trails / paths" are waymarked. There are many paths in the mountains and glens, but apart from tourist trails and national trails there are no signposts to help you find your way. A good map and navigation skills are essential.
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Re: Best towns for first hiking trip to highlands

Postby Tringa » Sun Oct 10, 2021 6:12 pm

I suggest Inverness and Ullapool.

Inverness is close enough to the Cairngorms. You are also within striking distance of the Fannichs and Torridon. Torridon is about an hour and half from Inverness.

Ullapool gives you access to Assynt and beyond, and the road from Inverness to Ullapool is excellent.

I suggest Inverness because the distance from it(on the east coast) to the west coast is the shortest anywhere north of Edinburgh and often the weather on the west and the east is very different - a truly horrendously wet day on the west and a pleasant dry day on the east is not uncommon, and vice versa, which gives you more options.

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Re: Best towns for first hiking trip to highlands

Postby ScotFinn65 » Sun Oct 10, 2021 6:42 pm

I started based in Killin with the Lawers range very close, which has several of the "easier" Munros. Loch Earn is also close, Ben Vorlich.

Some lovely low level walks too.

Nice village with excellent food in a couple of decent pub/restaurants. I really enjoyed the Courie Inn as a place to stay.
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Re: Best towns for first hiking trip to highlands

Postby simon-b » Sun Oct 10, 2021 6:52 pm

I second Killin. An attractive village with several nice pubs and good waterfall scenery, and a good centre for mountains and walks in the Southern Highlands.
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Re: Best towns for first hiking trip to highlands

Postby AyrshireAlps » Sun Oct 10, 2021 11:26 pm

Brodick. :clap:
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Re: Best towns for first hiking trip to highlands

Postby simon-b » Mon Oct 11, 2021 10:39 am

AyrshireAlps wrote:Brodick. :clap:

Or Lamlash if Brodick's accommodation is sold out.
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Re: Best towns for first hiking trip to highlands

Postby DrMagpie » Mon Oct 11, 2021 3:17 pm

Hi Geraty,

I can’t really add much to what Mal has said. I would have recommended exactly the same!

As you haven’t been before and like scrambling, I would recommend Glen Coe as somewhere to visit. The pandemic has changed a lot of the entertainment scene, but I think the Clachaig Inn in the glen still do live music on a Friday and Saturday. Unfortunately, like a lot of the Highlands it has become a bit pricey of late!
Fort William will also place you within easy reach of Glen Coe and the Nevis range.

Skye is unbelievably beautiful, with excellent scrambling. Portree or Broadford have plenty of places to stay. Of the two, I prefer Portree. It’s got a lovely harbour and some good restaurants.

We stayed in Inverness recently, which has good value accommodation and has good access to places like Torridon and Dundonnell to the west and Aviemore to the south and plenty to do in the evenings. Ullapool gives similarly good access and you can head into Caithness and Sutherland.

Whatever you plan on doing, I would book early. Next summer it should be easier for people to go abroad, but if this summer is anything to go by, the Highlands will be very busy!
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Re: Best towns for first hiking trip to highlands

Postby AyrshireAlps » Mon Oct 11, 2021 7:10 pm

Or Lamlash if Brodick's accommodation is sold out.
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Lamlash has better pubs, Brodick has walking from the door. Tough choice. 😆
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Re: Best towns for first hiking trip to highlands

Postby geraty » Wed Oct 13, 2021 2:08 pm

Thanks to all for the very helpful posts, including the ones about bank holidays and lack of US style trails. I hope I don't jinx us us by saying this, but my partner & I are moderately experienced off trail. We certainly are respectful of the challenges and try to be aware of our limitations.
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Re: Best towns for first hiking trip to highlands

Postby Sunset tripper » Wed Oct 13, 2021 2:29 pm

Fort William would be my first choice. Then Inverness, Aviemore and possibly Ullapool.

The bars are a bit dire in Kingussie, even by Scottish standards! :D

Definitely book accommodation early.

Fort William is the best base for the UKs highest mountain and many other fine walks.

Ben Nevis by the CMD arete - late May 2021
20210531_094114.jpg
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