Walking In The Highlands

Walking in The Highlands is an unforgettable experience. The spectacular landscapes of Scotland seem magnified in the Highlands. With staggering mountains, vast coastline and beautiful sea lochs, the region offers some fantastic walking sites and delivers on a grand scale. It’s not surprising that this glorious corner of Scotland is a favourite of walkers given the sheer range of routes to explore. Although varying in terrain, the Highlands are the most mountainous area in Scotland, popular with climbers and hill walkers alike. Many of the tallest mountains in Scotland can be found near the picturesque town of Fort William, which sits at the foot of the Nevis range. As the name suggests, it is the home to Britain’s tallest mountain Ben Nevis, which towers at 4,409 ft.

There are many available routes which give a flavour of what makes the Highlands what they are. Here is a small selection of the many walks you can partake in, in the Highlands.

Easy:

Coire Loch, Glen Affric
This walk has everything you’d want from a forest walk. The trail guides you through ancient Caledonian forestry, where you could even stumble across deer or the seldom seen capercaillie in the foliage, as well as providing views of stunning Glen Affric. To top it all, a dramatic waterfall thunders through a rocky gorge.

Glenmore Forest
Located near Aviemore, Glenmore Forest has some of the best preserved areas of ancient Caledonian forestry in the country. Stolen for industry, much of the area’s former woodland was destroyed but Glenmore retains many pristine pine, juniper and birch trees from the old forests. Enjoy the privacy and quiet as you roam among these proud trees.

Moderate:

Lost Valley Glencoe
A rough but breathtaking walk through history, this route takes to the concealed valley in Glencoe where the ill-fated Macdonald clan hit their rustled cattle. You will see why this wide, flat expanse of land tucked away from view was the perfect hiding place. The path is steep and rocky with some climbing required in some places.

Sandwood Bay
Arguably one of the most delightful beaches in the world, the walk to the sands of Sandwood Bay can seem dreary at first as you trek along moorland paths. The views of the bay when it comes into view are definitely worth the all the effort, so make sure to spend some time exploring the rocky sea cliffs and the sand dunes.

Tricky:

Ben Rinnes
Overlooking the landscape of Moray, the summit of Ben Rinnes is a recognizable sight to visitors of Speyside. There are a number of routes you can take to get to the summit of this 840m Corbett and is popular with hikers for the waterfalls and the many rivers which flow through it.

Five Sisters of Kintail
One of Scotland’s best ridge walks, the Five Sisters cut a unique sight bursting through the clouds. The ascent is hard going and very steep with some climbing necessary over rocky ground and along the linking ridge.

To find out more about what there is to explore when walking in The Highlands, check out our Things to Do page.

_{Photo by Grégory Tonon on Unsplash}