Hiking in Scotland

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scalba123
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Hiking in Scotland

Post by scalba123 »

A friend and I are thinking about hiking in Scotland next year. Can anyone who has been there recently can recommend hikes with great views? Any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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painless4u2
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Re: Hiking in Scotland

Post by painless4u2 »

Climb Ben Nevis! Super views if it isn't rainy or foggy. And highest point in the U.K.
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arasca
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Re: Hiking in Scotland

Post by arasca »

Anything in the Cuillins! I did a loop up Bruach na Frithe earlier this summer. It was a steep and loose hike up to a saddle with breathtaking views the rest of the way to the summit. Then a fun downclimb scramble along a ridge with more amazing views on the other side. In terms of difficulty, I'd place it with Blanca or Castle, but there are also several peaks for climber looking for something more technical. I think Sgurr nan Gillean is one of the popular technical ones. They also substitute mountain goats with sheep. Lots and lots of sheep.
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Alpine Guy
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Re: Hiking in Scotland

Post by Alpine Guy »

Not sure what your travel plans are but if I were going back, I'd plan a stay at the Sligachan Hotel on Skye. When my wife and I honeymooned on Skye 20yrs ago, that was ground zero for adventure activity in the Skye/Cuillins area. I'd also like to explore Ben Nevis and the general area around Fort William someday. We drove from Glasgow to Fort William on the way to Skye but the train route looks like a neat alternative.

The Cairngorms National Park is another wild and remote area worthy of exploration. Just be aware that while Scotland is a small country, it still seems to take forever to move from one region to another - don't try to see too much unless you've got a lot of time.
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coneydogron
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Re: Hiking in Scotland

Post by coneydogron »

A couple years ago I spent about a week traveling through Skye. Tons of options up there and great site seeing places. I can't off hand remember the names of the mountains we climbed or if they even had names but it wasn't hard to find walk UPS or challenging scramble routes. Can't say enough about that place!
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AlpineStart
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Re: Hiking in Scotland

Post by AlpineStart »

We did the West Highland Way in 2010.. About 96 miles, and you can hike inn-to-inn if you want (most Brits do) so you don't have to carry a huge pack. There are also camping options. It positions you to do both Ben Lomond and Ben Nevis if you're looking to bag peaks. Bring good rain gear! Here's a little video of the hike: https://animoto.com/play/gWQRkIsVgFb31USxS9RQ4Q
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Re: Hiking in Scotland

Post by jrbren_vt »

This was my summer mountain vacation this year. I spent week 1 in the Cairngorms with Scot Mountain Holidays, run by a great couple in Boat of Garten. Fantastic job of hosting and guiding. You can get any level of guiding you want from them, from none (just use Fraoch Lodge as your lodging when in the Caingorms), to having them pick the routes for you that are most interesting based on what you are looking for, including finding the clearest weather, and providing allot of info on local flora and fauna and wildlife. Contact them for details if interested (Google to find their web page). I spent week 2 in the Torridon region with Wilderness Scotland. You of course do not need a guide to climb these peaks, it is just my preference to maximize my limited time there (16 days for me). Not to mention I would kill someone over there if I tried to drive to the trail heads. WS also did terrific work and I would recommend if you want that level of service. The Torridon peaks look to me like the Canadian Rockies in winter photos. They are much steeper them the Cairngorms overall, which are best characterized with huge summit plateaus, which are known for getting walkers lost when the fog rolls in. Right now these feel like the prettiest mountains I have ever been in, as I love greenery, mountain and water (lochs & sea coast) views. I saw lots of animals, sheep, herds of deer numbering over 100, wild goats and golden eagles for a start). It is tentatively right now my plan to return there in 2018, but I do have competing ideas for next years trip.

More info on peaks in the UK at
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/

My Torridon trip added to my bucket list rather then subtracted from it. Climbed a few Corbetts and 1 Monro there, and saw many other peaks that beconed me for a future visit.

Leave your self time to visit a castle or 2 (Edinburgh), RIB ride, coastal hike, kayak, or Culloden Battlefield (educational).
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Re: Hiking in Scotland

Post by MountainHiker »

We did Ben Nevis by the standard route when we were in Scotland back in June. It's a very well constructed trail to a country high point. As for views, there was the mist. In our driving around we enjoyed the scenery heading over the Glencoe Highlands. The West Highland Way hikes through this area. For history this was the setting for the infamous Glencoe Massacre. The previously mentioned Walking Highlands site also links to the ability to save & print topo maps with the British Grid (works the same as UTM).
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two lunches
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Re: Hiking in Scotland

Post by two lunches »

as always, this forum is a wealth of information. thanks for posting! this was exactly what i was looking for our trip in September.
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Re: Hiking in Scotland

Post by Sbenfield »

I’m no expert on Scottish Munroes, but I had a great time in Skye when I hiked Bla Bheinn in April 2019. My relatives who live near Glasgow recommended it to me and I was really happy that I took their advice!
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Klad24
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Re: Hiking in Scotland

Post by Klad24 »

AlpineStart wrote: Wed Sep 06, 2017 2:14 pm We did the West Highland Way in 2010.. About 96 miles, and you can hike inn-to-inn if you want (most Brits do) so you don't have to carry a huge pack. There are also camping options. It positions you to do both Ben Lomond and Ben Nevis if you're looking to bag peaks. Bring good rain gear! Here's a little video of the hike: https://animoto.com/play/gWQRkIsVgFb31USxS9RQ4Q
Seconding this. I hiked the WHW last October and it was a magical experience. The day after finishing I hiked up Ben Nevis, but it was completely socked in at the top (classic Britain).
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mtree
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Re: Hiking in Scotland

Post by mtree »

I stayed in the Glencoe area. Turned out to be a great place to hang and would love to return.
Not sure what I hiked, but the area is more rugged than I expected. It was very rainy and foggy so I had ZERO views of anything other than what was a few hundred "meters" in front of me. Guess that's not much help, but at least Glencoe was a GREAT home base. B&Bs were the way to go. Folks were great. Food was shockingly excellent. And much to my surprise folks weren't all that interested in Scotch whisky. Go figure.
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