Walking and Hiking
Scotland offers some of the best and most easily accessible hill walking and hiking routes in the world.
You might be an experienced hill walker or a complete beginner, Scotland provides opportunities for hill walking, mountaineering, ice climbing, rock climbing and scrambling, all against the backdrop of the world’s most stunning scenery.
Scotland’s Munros
Scotland’s Munros, named after Sir Hugh T. Munro in 1896, are the collective name for the country’s highest mountains.
There are over 284 of them, all at least 3000ft high. At 4409 ft, Ben Nevis is the highest and the most challenging of Scotland’s Munros and at 3001ft, Ben Vane in the Arrochar Alps, is one of the smallest.
Munro bagging, where hill walkers try to reach the summit of each Munro, is a popular past time in Scotland, for Scots and international visitors alike.
The West Highland Way
The West Highland Way is a natural long-distance footpath that takes in some of Scotland’s most stunning scenery. The route is popular with hill walkers and begins in Milngavie, just outside of Glasgow, and ends at the foot of Ben Nevis in Fort William, some 96 miles later. It goes through Loch Lomond, Rannoch Moor and the Devil’s Staircase.
The route passes through some spectacular scenery, glens, cross ridges and hills. It’s become popular with walkers around the world. The path is divided into 13 official stages but there are no rules as to how you complete the walk. Some people decide to do it in stages; others do sections at a time.
If you’re considering taking part in the West Highland Way, make sure you’re equipped to deal with all sorts of weather. The Scottish weather can be extremely changeable, especially at high altitudes.
You don’t need to register to take part in the West Highland Way but if you do decide to do the route over a few days book your accommodation beforehand. Many guest houses and youth hostels line the route and they should be able to carry your bags ahead of you.
The West Highland Way is easily access from Glasgow via a train journey to Milngavie. Ferry services across Loch Lomond also allow hill walkers to pick different sections of the route to complete.
Being prepared and accommodation
The Mountaineering Council of Scotland provides comprehensive mountain safety information, for both inexperienced and regular hill walkers. They also offer winter safety information.
The Scottish Youth Hostel Association (SYHA) is Scotland’s largest network of tourist hostels and has 60 locations across Scotland, from Skye to Glencoe and Loch Ness to Crianlarich. Accommodation is often extremely close to Scotland’s most popular hiking and hill walking routes.
More on the Mountaineering Council of Scotland
The Scottish Youth Hostel Association (SYHA)
Walking Scotland