Day Hiking in Scotland in late March

Safe ,if you mean at risk from others unquestionably yes.

March is said to come in like a lion and out like a lamb weatherwise.
The MWIS, mountain weather information service should definitely be looked at if thinking of heading high.Snow should be expected to be lying on the Munro's

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Hi -

Have you any specific routes in mind? If we knew where you were planning to go, we might be able to offer more specific advice.

In Scotland in March, if you are climbing to any height at all you need all the relevant gear with you. Don’t skimp. The good thing is that the nights will be starting to get longer, which will give you more time. If you are confident hiking on your own normally you should be OK safety wise. But leave details of your planned route with your accommodation, check the MWIS daily and don’t go against local advice.

Scotland is fabulous at any time of year, I’m sure you’ll have a great trip.

Ian

I was planning to do:

• old man of storr
• kilt rock -signal rock and An Torr
• fairy pools hike on Isle of skye Nothing crazy, just day hikes but reading weather posts in this forum has me doubting myself. I hike all the time at home but no weather issues. I'm packing A LOT of gear for hiking bad weather though. Just in case.

Also, any good hikes near inverness anyone recommends?

Also, I am a woman. I haven't heard a lot of stories from people about any ruffians or stuff like that, but bow all my concerns are coming to a head.

Thanks for the support, you people are amazing!!!

Have a look at Meet-Up groups for the area you are going to be in, lots of walking /hiking groups around and they usually allow visitors to join you, some may chaege a £ or 2 to cover admin costs but you will most likely be welcome to join many groups,

The Old Man of Storr hike has a fairly new path, which is decent, and there will likely be plenty of other people around. Can be tricky in mist, high winds and when slippery.

Fairy Pools is straightforward as long as the river isn't in spate. If it is then the route in will be impassable.

Skye social media sites are usually full of up to date information on weather related issues and there are often warnings posted when it's not considered advisable to be out on the hills. The Official Isle of Skye Facebook group is one such page you might consider following. Locals will also respond quickly to any posts on that site, so if you ask for advice you will likely get some good answers on current conditions when you're up here.

As others have said, having the right kit, letting your accommodation host know where you're going and when you expect to be back, checking local weather conditions (XC weather is a pretty reliable site for Skye), etc is all good advice.

Hope that helps.
Jacqui (Skyegirl)

Many of the walks you plan are relatively low level, very popular and on good paths. I doubt that you’ll be entirely alone on any of them dependent on the time of day/year you do them.

That said, my earlier advice still applies. Check out also the www.walkhighlands.co.uk site which is often mentioned here if you haven’t already.

On the return from Signal Rock and An Torr don’t forget to scale the north face of the hikers bar at the back of the Clachaig Inn!

Ian

I lived next to Olympic National Park for several years. The saddest, and most frequent search and rescue operations were for solo hikers that were overdue and there was only a vague idea of where they were hiking. It was sometimes too late by the time they were found.

My son loves to hike solo in the mountains of Idaho. I bought him this for my peace of mind.
It is a very small gps unit that can send your position and emergency texts. I bought his when Costco had them on sale.

https://www.rei.com/product/140110/garmin-inreach-mini

My biggest concern for solo hikers isn’t “bad guys” but falls or other unexpected accidents. I realize this would be an investment, but it would also give you (and your loved ones) some freedom from worry.