Hiking/Walking in the Scottish Highlands

Quiraing on the Isle of Skye certainly was scenic. Challenging and wet, too, as rains came in after we’d gotten started. With proper clothing and boots, it wasn’t too much of a problem, but it got slippery, and we would up back in the car and driving back to our B&B on the west side of the island - the day got cut shorter than we’d hoped. With a short time, you hope for good weather but you take what you get.

Glen Coe a few days later in August was even rainier - the wipers on the car could hardly keep up. Glimpses through the mist made it clear that, on a good day, the hiking and walking in that Glen would be fantastic!

Check out Fife Coastal Path and Fife Pilgrims Way. Scenic and Historical Walk with a choice of Accommodations, closer to Civilization and more Pubs.

So, what level of hiker are you? There are some wonderful intense hikes/walks and at the same time some lovely laid back walks. Have you explored WalkHighlands? It is excellent. I've done several walking holidays in Scotland where I am based near to Inverness and we head out to day walks/hikes depending on where the weather is good. So one day we are in Torridon and the next in the Cairngorms. And if it is pissing down everywhere we go to Culbin Sands and if that is also rainy we throw in the towel and go shopping. :)

I've not traveled with Wilderness Scotland, but their trips look good and realistic. Sadly, the guide I have used no longer does walks or I would suggest her. I stumbled on Carol in the late 90s when the was subbing for Sandy whose last name I. have long since forgotten. We all (seven of us from the England, East Germany, the Netherland and me from the US) loved Carol and really didn't want anything to do with Sandy after having had her as our guide.

So I guess my best advice is to try and find a Carol. Look in the independent walking guides. What was so great about Carol is that she thought about the weather. She thought about our different levels of fitness. She thought about our interests. She is a friend to this day.

Pam

I was going to recommend you check out Walk Highlands -- which in turn, I probably learned about myself from Pamela! A great resource.

Hi -

Pam’s enquiry about what sort of hiking you planned to do was entirely appropriate and the suggestion to check out the WalkHighlands website a wise one. I might take issue with a couple of their gradings of walks (for instance the West Highland Way is only a ‘two boot-er’, which only reflects its comparative lack of altitude I think) but generally it does reflect what sort of hike you plan to take on pretty well.

As for your planned itinerary the Cairngorms is a vast upland area which you may need to narrow down a bit to specific areas/peaks, while Skye’s Fairy Pools is a simple, straightforward walk compared to the stuff going on around it. The Quirang walk isn’t huge and is relatively straightforward bar one awkward section of path near a waterfall/stream crossing it as I recall. We went in search of ‘The Table’ which involved some steep climbing of grass slopes to locate, but I confess we didn’t explore all approaches and my have made our route to it more difficult than necessary.

Glencoe has brilliant walking throughout the valley, but the better routes tend to be strenuous. WalkHighlands details the easier routes but as I recall even the easier walks involve stiff climbs and some care. For instance, on a fine day the view from the Pap of Glencoe is fabulous but the way up is steep and narrow with some ‘hands out of pockets’ walking towards the rocky summit. The ‘hidden valley’, Coire Garbhail, while not a huge climb from the road, has a potentially ankle spraining boulder field to cross at its mouth. Some reading up of the walks before setting out is recommended. And remember to visit the Clachaig in Glencoe - no visit is complete without it! The front bar is fairly sedate but the back bar, approached down an unpromising alley, is rammed full of sweaty hikers, feeding their faces and taking advantage of the heroic bar. On an evening there is often live music, but the place is always busy and tables at a premium. THE place to be though!

Ian

Another nod for the Clachaig, nearly always a stop off on trips to to West Highlands
If you get lucky could snag a place by the log burner

It’s apparently full of Yorkshiremen…..

Did not think anti English feeling ran that high 😉

As others have said the Walk Highlands website is a fantastic resource. As two of the walks you are considering are on Skye I will chip in with my thoughts as I live on the island.

The Quiraing and the Fairy Pools are two of the most visited spots on the island. While they are undoubtably scenic there are many, many other, equally scenic and perhaps more importantly, less busy places to walk on the Skye. Also both these walks can be very dangerous in poor weather. If it's misty/foggy then the Quiraing can be hazardous due to the steep drops and loose scree and there can be very slippery spots where water courses cross the path. The section up to The Table would be particularly dangerous in poor visibility. As one of the main reasons to go up there is the view, then I'm not sure why people head up in the fog, but they do and some come unstuck. As for the Fairy Pools, a spell of wet weather results in the main route to the pools being impassable as you have to cross a river. There are stepping stones and in dry weather it's just a stream, but after wet weather it can become a raging torrent. There are often warnings on social media to say the path is not advised due to water levels, but still visitors insist on trying to get there because it's their 'fairy pools day' and tomorrow they will be in Edinburgh or wherever. You don't say when you're coming to Scotland, but the weather is changeable all year round and even a nice sunny day can turn very wet and windy without notice when you're out on the hills.

All of that is a bit of a long winded way to recommend checking Walk Highlands, making a short list of walks you'd like to do, and then being guided by the weather and local advice when you get to Scotland.

Best wishes
Jacqui (Skyegirl)