Hiking in Western Scotland

Check out the West Highland Way Trail.

There are lots of lovely walks (UK term for Hikes) in Scotland. Look into Glen Affric. This is a beautiful Glen. You can hike into and out on the road, or around the Loch for a ten mile walk. Look in the Loch Maree area. I will admit that we did this walk from the west to the southern side of Loch with a pick up. But look in that area. The hills above Ullapool have some nice walks. The views are wonderful. Inverpolly is another area to look at. Look too in the Torridon area. This is a beautiful spot. If you want more infor PM me and I can ask a friend for specifics. On Skye, we did the hike from Sligachen to a view of Loch Coruisk. It was a day trip and a great hike. You get a good look at the Cullins. BTW do bring good hiking boots. I don't think that running shoes are good enough. The trails can be very wet. They are rugged, and can be quite boggy or rocky, but it's worth it! I have rain gear--pants and jacket--that water proof not water resistant. Also, do have a midgie hat. Most of the time you don't need it, but when you do need it, you will really want it. Midges are more insidious than mosquitos. ; ) Pam

I'm doing the East Highland Way with a friend the end of April, beginning of May so I've been looking into hiking there. Here's an interactive site with the famous hikes on it. http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/long-distance-routes.shtml Most of these are longer, you don't mention how far you're looking to go, but have shorter sections if you look at them more closely. Many of these trails also can be broken up with nights or meals spent indoors at towns along the way if you decide you want a break. Have a great trip!
=Tod

It'd sure be helpful to have a bit more information: How far can you hump in a day? How far in a week? What's the most you've done before in a day, or a week, and where the roughest? Do you need to stay on the flats, or can you handle a lot of elevation change? How much time to you have? What kind of scenery are you looking for? What kind of accomodotions do you need? Will you use two cars, or do you need help to position one, or will you have to use public transportation? Do you need your luggage moved? Do you want to go for the gusto and take on Cape Wrath or cross the Firth of Forth and work on easy chunks of the Fife Coastal? Have we missed the whole point and all you're really interested in is little twenty-mile day circles? If you want to break from the usual and toss in something different - - think about Scapa Flow or Mull Head in the Orks or the area around the Callanishes and Loch Barraglom in the Outer Hebs. You need to be honest with yourself and your capabilites. I'm old as hell, fit as hell, and conceited as hell. The Cape Wrath is generally thought of as a three-week project. I figured I could easily do it in two with time to spare since it's only a couple hundred miles. It took me sixteen days and I was a beat-up piece of crap when I got done - - and I shouldn't have done it alone. Give us a bit more scoop and you'll get better answers instead of just shots in the dark.

Can I put in a word for the kintyre way? Kintyreway.com lots of coastal walking and a really lovely part of the country. May is a good month to choose, often the best weather of the year (no promises!) and generally too early for the dreaded midge. Really good walking boots for sure, it is guaranteed that whatever route you choose, there will be a lot of wet ground to negotiate.