Two other long distance walking trails in Scotland

Thank you for this! I’ve bookmarked it in hopes of visiting Scotland one of these days.

I'm not much of a long distance walker myself, but from speaking to others that have done the West Highland Way, or parts of it, it really is for the experienced hiker. The scenery can be quite bleak in parts and the going tough. It's in the part of the country most likely to get the most serious weather any time of year. It's probably not something I would recommend to north Americans experiencing Scottish terrain and conditions for the first time, unless they are pretty hardcore hikers already.

In the same area there is also

• St Cuthbert Way from Melrose to Holy Island (62.5 miles)

• Borders Abbey Way which links many of the Border towns and makes a good circular route and with a car, could be easily walked from a central base (68 miles)

Or for those wanting a longer trail, there is the Southern Upland Way that links the west and east coasts, starting at Portpatrick in Galloway and ending up at the tiny settlement of Cove (214 miles)

The southern part of Scotland is much under rated compared to the Highlands but there are some excellent opportunities for walking there.

The John Muir trail sadly a lot of pavement pounding my friend doing a multi thousand mile wander through the Highlands got shin splints on it.She had not one good word for it.

I will throw in the Skye Trail and for the ultimate UK hike, the Cape Wrath trail

The section of the John Muir (and Forth to Farne) trail I was on last week by unplanned chance near East Linton certainly isn't pavement pounding, and that was inspired this post.
Not everyone is capable of doing strenuous trails like the West Highland Way- and that includes me, I have now sadly passed the point in life when I could sensibly consider it. I am not incapable of it (probably) but it would be reckless of me to attempt it.
I can do reckless if it only involves me, but not if it might involve putting the safety of potential rescuers on the line.
On this forum the WHW seems to be the only trail known about (and I know the Cape Wrath trail makes the WHW look like a Sunday afternoon stroll in the park). It does concern me that some of the posters on here don't realise the nature of the WHW.

But I could sensibly consider the two trails mentioned here, and those by Wasley's (except the Southern Uplands). Everyone has their different abilities. Also it is a case of trying to get people to discover different areas of the country than the usual -equally interesting areas than the usual tourist round.

Also it is a case of trying to get people to discover different areas of the country than the usual -equally interesting areas than the usual tourist round.

Oh very true . So often people seem to be scared to do something different. There are so many wonderful places to discover in the UK.

I hadn't realised just how many long distance trails there are in Scotland and there really is one suitable for everyone...

We had a plan to walk parts of the West Highland Way in May, 2014. When I read of the John Muir Way, which was to open in April 2014, I looked into it as an alternate or addition to our trip. I have backpacked the entire 210 mile John Muir Trail in California, and I thought it would be fun to be one of the first to complete both.

But the more I read about it, the more it appeared to be better suited to cycling, maybe on a mountain bike. So I set it aside for a future trip, planning to invite family members who are avid cyclists. But we have not made time for it yet—-we keep going to Switzerland and the Dolomites for hiking.

Thanks for the reminder about this path. I should ask the kids and grandkids if they might be interested in a Scotland trip in 2025.

I found nice guide to bikepacking the John Muir Way, with videos:

https://bikepackingscotland.com/johnmuirway/