| Walking, Hiking and Trekking on City Breaks Guide |
The area covered with this page stretches from Fort William in the north to Oban in the south and westwards to the Isle of Mull. I found this area to be well suited for a two week trip of trekking and hill walking, if you want to discover some of the most beautiful, and sometimes most popular spots of Scotland.
The area will offer you everything you would expect from a short trip to the highlands: Ben Nevis, Great Britain’s highest mountain, Glen Nevis and Glen Coe, where e.g. Braveheart was filmed, and the beautiful Inner Hebrides, an awesome fusion of the sea and the mountains. But before you are heading there you should be warned: when the Midges come, the tourists come, too. The area, and most of all Fort William, will be crowded by the masses from June till late August.
Try to avoid both and visit the highlands in spring or autumn or, maybe even better, in the wintertime. Getting around in the Western Highlands is pretty easy, even if you don't have a car. Fort William is well linked with Glen Nevis, Glen Coe and Oban, but also with Mallaig and Loch Etive by local busses as well as by Scottish City Link. Bus schedules can be obtained at the Ft. William tourist information. The busses usually leave at the bus station next to the train station. But in remote areas, such as Morvern, busses operate less frequently. Sometimes only twice a week..... so make sure you know the relevant bus schedules before travelling there, unless you have plenty of time. If you want to go to Mull or other isles of the Hebrides, you can access many of them from Mallaig and Oban with ferries easily. Before I came to the highlands, I thought the best activity is walking on long distance footpaths and visiting some famous areas around Fort William. But now my strong belief is, you shouldn't do that.
Trekking and Hill Walking
are the most exciting outdoor activities in this area (maybe apart from alpinism...) and you should invest the time to exercise them. Trekking In Scotland, trekking is more or less walking through the highlands off trails. This can make your "highland experience" a lot more rewarding, as you can access remote areas where you'll hardly see anyone for a couple of days. And this is quite seldom, as the popular hiking trails (West Highland Way, Glen Nevis and Glen Coe/Lost Valley for example) are heavily crowded with tourists. But leaving the trails also means to walk on terrains, which are permanently wet and difficult to walk on. In comparison to many of the highway-like trails around Fort William, walking cross-country will be very strenuous, particularly for backpackers. I crossed the Isle of Mull underneath Ben More and although it was the toughest walk on my trip to Scotland, it was the most rewarding, too. Once you've walked three hours away from the road, nature embraces you. Deer, sheep and rabbits linger around, just a couple of metres away from your tent. And the views you have while walking on top of the hills are just incomparable. Perfect silence during the night and star spangled skies above you.
Hiking & Hill Walking Hill walking
is a typical Scottish understatement and simply means walking and climbing on the Munros (Scottish mountains higher than 3.000 ft. For more info follow the link to "the Bog" below). You wouldn't expect this to be exciting if you are used to the Alps or the Rocky Mountains. But promise, you will love it! Of course, 3.000 ft and more are not much, but it can be still quite challenging if you have to access the mountain from sea level. For most of Scotland, hill walking will ake you to the most beautiful areas of Scotland and can provide you the little extra dose of adventure the normal hiking in Scotland lacks sometimes. Although I don't recommend it, many mountains are also accessible by car and as hill walking only requires hiking boots, weather proof clothing, a good map (I recommend Ordnance Survey Maps 1:25.000), a compass, an altimeter and a rucksack with some food and water, Hill Walking can be part of any kind of trip. Unfortunately, I realized this option too late. The maps featured below show you my trips (red markings).
Marked with green you will find the optional and/or alternative walks on the hills..... but get yourself valid maps and trail descriptions before you start!
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