Advice for an Australian to walk in Scotland

[davidmorr]

I am a bushwalker from Australia planning to visit the UK next year for some walking with friends. I have done long distance walks in England in the past, and spent a week doing day walks in the Cairngorms once.

This time I am interested in the wildness and scenery of Scotland, and am looking for suggestions for about a month in Scotland to see some of the different landscapes and history. This will not be camping, but staying at B&Bs or pubs each evening.

I must admit that my knowledge of the different parts of Scotland is slim. So far I have been looking at the Trossachs, maybe the West Highland Way although it is very popular. That said, some friends who did it said they hardly saw anyone else in May, the most popular month.

I have also been considering some of the islands too, like Skye, and even remoter places like Orkney.

So what I need is suggestions of long distance walks (6-7 days) or areas with local day walks that will give me a good overview of Scotland.

From what I have read, early in the year is better, to avoid the midges. It seems May is probably the best month, but perhaps it depends on where you are?

And another factor is that I am gluten and dairy free. What are the chances of getting suitable food in these walking areas?

[Holly]

The Skye Trail perhaps? I would check though on availability of accomodation as it can get pretty busy. May is generally a good time but never guaranteed

[Essan]

Yeah, May is probably the best time of year, both weatherwise and to avoid midges (obviously good weather isn't guaranteed though!)

The problem with the more popular trails, like the WHW and Skye Trail, is that accommodation is limited, so unless booked well in advance you might have problems. Obviously, not so if you were camping.

An alternative would be to base yourself in Fort William and make the most of the West Highland railway line and local buses?

[davekeiller]

May and September are generally the driest months in Scotland. May has the advantage of being closer to the summer solstice and thus having longer days. Although there may still be snow on the higher peaks, it's generally fairly soft and not too much of a problem.
As a general rule, you'll probably find that the further you are from towns and cities, the harder it will be to find food that's gluten and dairy free in pubs and B&B's etc.
One option would be to follow the railway lines. The East Higland line goes from the central belt north via Dunkeld, Pitlochry Blair Atholl, Dalwhinnie and Aviemore - all places where there's good walking. From Aviemore you could get the train to Inverness and take the line that goes to Kyle of Lochalsh. From there, you could get a bus across to Skye and work your way to the south of the island. You could then get the boat to Mallaig and work down the West Highland line (Fort William to Corrour station is a good walk) perhaps stopping off at places like Fort William, Corrour Station, Tyndrum and Crianlarich.