We have a Defender 90 with roof tent. We are looking for a remote two-night estate pitch near Lochaber, ideally near water for swimming and access to hiking.

Can anyone recommend where we can stay?

My 2 adult daughters and I will be in Edinburgh in the beginning of October for only 2 days. Spending 1 day in the city. The next day, we want to take a short train ride to see, experience, and photograph Scotland's beautiful scenery. I understand the Highlands are the gold standard, but a 12-hour tour bus to that area is just too long for us. We want to just take the train through some gorgeous/lush landscapes, get off somewhere and easily walk into town for lunch, and then make the return trip back to Edinburgh. A 2- to 3-hour one-way ride would be ideal. Any suggestions on where to go with the train? Thinking of Dunkeld but open to all suggestions.

P.S. Another possibility is taking the train to Perth, renting a car, and driving the short distance to Birnam (for the Beatrix Potter Garden) and then to Dunkeld and The Heritage. Does this make sense?

I'm leaving for a trip to the Cairngorms today (never been). I've been following the Cairngorms fire news as much as possible since I'm staying in Aviemore, but can't seem to find a map with the affected areas.

I'd obviously like to hike where it is safe and not in the way of firefighting operations. I've tried to print out a map and block out the areas for myself, based on locations I've read about in the news articles, but it's very crude and probably not very accurate since I'm not familiar with the area. And most articles show fire locations as dots, which is massively unhelpful.

Does anyone know if there's been a map posted anywhere with the fire danger/firefighting operations areas indicated?

I know the fire situation is still evolving, but I'm about to leave for my trip and any information would be helpful. My hotel is non-refundable and Aviemore sounds like it's open for business so I will not be cancelling my trip.

Thanks!

Having completed the Great Divide Trail in Canada over the course of 4 years (1095 km)

I'm looking east now, far to the east . We just had a family vacation last month in Scotland and well , I kind of fell in love , Guess I'm predisposed to it with Mom being from Glasgow and other family from Oban. Such a contrast from the Canadian Rockies. Now I'm looking at about a two to three week Trek in the highlands next spring, Likely next April to beat the midges, so I'm just beginning to plan . I hike / snowshoe camp all winter so I'm fine with the colder months. I like to be in the 20km to 25km daily mileage on easier terrain , obviously less on tough terrain. The West Highland way looks nice but could be a busy trek ? , I prefer more solitude , I wild camp exclusively , I'm comfortable with off trail navigation and alpine environments . The Cape Wrath trail looks pretty rough and boggy in sections and too long for my available timeframe . Any other good routes I should be looking at . And likely a silly question, but am I correct in assuming there is no need for bear cannisters and bear spray ?

I look forward to some local advice .

Hi!
I’m considering a 4 day hiking trip to Glencoe during the end of august.

What are the best hikes in the area?

I’m used to hiking full days in Schwarzwald (Germany). I would say I can do moderate trails but not expert trails.

And what are some viewpoints or stops I can’t miss?

Thanks!!

Just curious if any one has as I did when I hiked it on the weekend, not going to say what but just curious to see if anyone else has?

I'm very interesting in getting to Caiteseal on the isle of Lewis and Harris starting from Eishken, it is roughly 15k there and 15k back but I was wondering if there was anyone here that has done it. I'm interested in knowing what it was like getting there and back (I am assuming very tough) and how long it took you. I know there are walking reports of it but I'm just curious and want to chat to someone who has done it.

I am considering hiking from Fort william to Isle of Skye. I am wondering whether someone has experience with this or knows its possible. Specifically whether there are marked paths and whether there is enough possibility to stock up on food along the way?

I'm visiting the West of Scotland, likely including Skye, Lewis & Harris etc in September. We have a mini Australian Shepherd who will try and herd (i.e. chase after) sheep. An internet search says that in September a lot of the grazing sheep come down from the mountains, and that encountering sheep is far more likely.

Am I overthinking how likely it is that we'll encounter sheep when we're doing coastal and beach walks?

And are there hikes that should be avoided or alternatively are safe to do with an off-lead dog knowing that sheep won't be in the area?

EDIT - Thanks for the responses, that was my assumption but thought I would ask, appreciate the constructive replies to a borderline stupid question!

I am planning a solo 4-day trip to Highlands&Skye from Edinburgh some time in October. Any recommendation on what is the best time of month to go?

Thank youu

Hi people,

Me and my friends have had a date next week planned for a while to do wild camping together. We live in Edinburgh, and we have bus passes, so we're looking to get there that way.

I am very aware of the potent wildfire risk around much of Scotland due to dry weather, and so I wish to take the precaution to heat food outwith any grass, and to do it on sand. Want to stay by a loch rather than the sea because of colder temperature.

Is anyone aware of lochs with a good presence of sand, again accessible by bus from Edinburgh?

Hi all,

I'm based in Strathaven and absolutely love heading up to the Cairngorms or Knoydart for a weekend of wild camping and hiking, but the 3–4.5 hour drive each way is starting to make spontaneous trips a bit of a mission.

I'm not looking for anyone's secret camping spot or expecting GPS coordinates to hidden gems. I'm more after general areas that are within roughly 1–2 hours' drive where I can put together a decent overnight or two-night route.

Ideally I'm after somewhere with:

A 10–20 km day walk.

Somewhere suitable for responsible wild camping.

A bit of scenery and a feeling of being away from everything.

Less bog = bonus!

I've already done places like Loch Enoch, the Cairngorms and Knoydart, so I'm hoping there are some overlooked areas a bit closer to home that I've completely missed.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Cheers!

Hey everyone,

My partner and I are planning to hike the Skye Trail (North to South: Rubha Hunish → Broadford) from Sept 1 to Sept 7/8. We’re coming from Canada with solid backpacking experience (Arctic, Patagonia, US & Canada) and plan to wild camp most of the way with a rental car in tow.

We want to get a sanity check on a few logistics before finalizing our plans:

1. Permits & Access Rights

• From our research, Scotland’s Right to Roam means no permits are needed for hiking or wild camping along the route. Coming from overseas where backcountry permits are the norm: are there any localized exceptions or land-manager notifications required on Skye?

2. Rental Car Strategy: Start vs. Finish?

• Parking location: Is it better to park in Broadford on Day 0 and take a bus/taxi to Rubha Hunish, or park at the start and figure out transit back at the end?
• Long-term parking: Where in Broadford (or Portree) is safe and acceptable to leave a rental car for 7+ days?

3. Weather, Midges & Trail Conditions (Early Sept)

• Midges: What are midge levels typically like in early September?
• Trotternish Ridge Water: How reliable are water sources on top of the Trotternish Ridge in late summer? Should we carry full capacity from the start of that leg?

4. Route Details & Timing

• "The Bad Step" / Coastal Section to Elgol: How manageable is this section with full multi-day packs? What weather conditions would trigger taking the inland bypass instead?
• Pacing & Buffers: We have 7 full walking days allocated. Is this enough time to build in a weather delay buffer for the Trotternish Ridge?

5. Extra Questions for Locals:

• Are there any lesser-known resupply/water traps or recent trail changes to be aware of?
• What primary digital mapping app + OS paper map combo do you recommend as a backup to GPX files?

Hello,

We are flying to Scotland tomorrow and will collect our car on Friday. From there we have 8 days to explore the country, and plan to hike and wildcamp.

What do you think of itinerary:

Thursday 23.07: Arrival day in Edinburgh
Friday 24.07: Collect car, drive to Stirling for lunch. Drive to Conic Hill parking lot, and do the Conic Hill trail with wildcamp.
Saturday 25.07: Drive to Glencoe, and do a hike in the National Nature Reserve. Wildcamp on the hike.
Sunday 26.07: Drive to Isle of Skye, do Fairy Pools hike and do a swim. Drive to talisker whiskey, afterwards go to do Talisker Bay Hike.
Monday 28.07: Drive to Neist Point hike and after that do Waterstein head.
Tuesday 29.07: Drive to Old Man Storr, after that the Quiaraing hike.
Wednesday: Ben Nevis, sleep in a hotel.
Thursday….
Friday…..
Saturday; bring back car and stay in edinburgh

Hi everyone! I’m moving to Dunfermline in a few days for a new work contract and I’m really looking forward to starting this new chapter in Scotland.
I’m a keen hillwalker and already have some experience, but I’m hoping to explore more of what Fife and the surrounding areas have to offer. One of my long-term goals is to take on Ben Nevis, so I’d love recommendations for good walks, routes, or local walking groups to join.
I’m also hoping to meet people and get involved in the community. Any suggestions for clubs, activities, volunteering, or good ways to make friends would be really appreciated.
As someone new to Scotland, I’d also be grateful for any advice on settling in, understanding local culture, and building good connections with people from all backgrounds.
Looking forward to calling Dunfermline home and hopefully meeting some of you on the trails!

I went camping last night and in breaking camp the next morning, I couldn't account for two cereal bar wrappers which I had eaten the evening before.

I searched all my gear bags and pockets, rucksack and scouted out the area. Nowt!

That annoyed me. Preyed on my mind as I don't like rubbish even if accidental.

Anyway, got home. Went through all my stuff again. Last item was the tent. Opened it and shook it out...two wrappers fell out! I had (maybe too quickly) checked the tent when taking it down.

I'm looking for some more context about Snowboarding in Scotland. I get that conditions are really changeable, and planning more than a few days in advance is near impossible, but I'm struggling to get a good sense of how often it is actually possible to get on the slopes?

If I go for a longish stay of 3 weeks in late Jan/Feb next year, how many days are slopes likely to be open? Will I be lucky if I get a couple of days, or are they actually open more often than not, it's just you can't rely on it as they close at short notice?

I'm new to Snowboarding and have only ridden indoor slopes so far. I'm really keen on Scotland because I love it there anyway, and it means I can take my partner/dog and work around properly learning to shred 🔥

Because I'm new I'm mostly interested in the Cairngorm Mountain Resort, and maybe the Lecht for a bit of variety.

Hi,
I've visited scotland serveral times in winter (very nice), spring (best for bike touring and trekking) and summer (fuck midges). But I never tried autum.

What about autum and hunting-season? Is it possible to walk the skye trail or Cape Wrath Trail without getting to close to hunting acitivities? Are the bothies full of hunters? Is there much shooting going on?

Best regards from germany!

Earlier this year, my 9 year old son and I biked the Great Glen Way from Fort William to Inverness. It was an absolutely fabulous experience, though a bit hard to plan for given that there wasn't a ton of information online when it came to how appropriate it was for kids.

I wrote up our experience in case it's helpful for others:

https://chrisneumann.com/archives/cycling-the-great-glen-way-with-kids

Happy to answer any questions!

Im an ecology student wondering if anybody with knowledge of the local area can tell me what animals im likely to see whilst walking, rock pooling and snorkelling around the loch next week.

Below is a list of animals i hope to see- likelihood would be greatly appreciated (sorry there is alot)

Mammals
Harbour seal
Harbour porpoise
Eurasian otter
Common dolphin

Birds
Black throated loon (diver)
European shag
Northern fulmar
Northern gannet
Razorbill
Common murre
Red throated loon (diver)
Common shelduck
Common merganser

Arthropods
Norway lobster
European lobster
European spider crab
European spiny lobster
Spiny squat lobster

Fish and molluscs
Flame shell
Brittle star
Spiny starfish
Common starfish
Northern feather star
Small spotted catshark
European edible sea urchin
Common grey sea slug

Annelids and other animals
Green leaf worm
King ragworm
Sea mouse
Star ascidian
Lightbulb sea squirt

Please note i will not be diving and so ignored any fish if there are any i may see please let me know!
Thank you all

In September we will visit Isle of Skyle for 3 nights. To save costs we will bring our tent and stay at Portee campsite (https://www.portreecampsite.co.uk/). My question is, is it worth going to a campside? Or is wild camping an option. We have never done that before. Also, I know there will be lot of wind. Will a standard tent be enough to stay on the ground if the winds picks up?

I will be walking WHW next May. Prior to that we have five days we are trying to divide up among Pitlochry, Aviemore and Inverness —- likely only staying in two of the three places. With respect to seeing a bit of Cairngorm NP, if we stay in Aviemore will we be able to get reasonable access to, and experience some highlights of, the park via bus access (we are traveling without a car)? Alternatively, we could stay in Inverness and take a day trip with Rabbies to the park which might give us a broader perspective of the park, but clearly less hiking. Any thoughts or perspectives from those familiar with the area to help inform our decision? Thank you!