The Trail of 7 lochs from Inverness

A 60 mile solo backpacking hike starting and finishing at Inverness, 3 days walking, 2 nights wild camping. The official trail is 50 miles long and starts on South Loch Ness, taking a circular route through remote areas of South Loch Ness and passing... 7 lochs. There is no official starting point so I started (and finished) from Inverness. Completed in June 2015. The plan was to camp for a third night but due to excessive rain, I lost interest on the final day and rushed back to Inverness to catch the train, skipping 1 of the 7 lochs.

The Cowal Way in May

The Cowal Way runs for around 90 kilometres along the length of the Cowal peninsula. It begins at Portavadie in the southwest, where the ferry runs from Tarbert in Kintyre, and includes forests, waterfalls, the shore of sea-lochs and hill-passes along the way to end at Inveruglas on the shores of Loch Lomond. It passes through rugged countryside rich in wildlife. From Inveruglas a ferry across the loch enables a link with the West Highland Way, so with the possible link to the Kintyre Way via the Portavadie Ferry, the Cowal Way could be one link in an epic walk through Scotland. Another option is to link from Arrochar with the Three Lochs Way which leads to Balloch. 

The route was devised by Jim McLuckie of Glendaruel and Colintraive Community Council.

Date walked: 23/05/2015
Time taken: 3 days
Distance: 80 km
Ascent: 500m

Skye Trail - Kyle of Lochalsh to Rubha Hunish

The Skye Trail is a challenging, unofficial long distance route through the stunning landscapes of the Isle of Skye.

The trail covers 128 km of tough terrain including spectacular mountain and coastal scenery. It follows much of the celebrated Trotternish Ridge and also passes under the very shadow of the jagged Cuillin, the finest mountains in Britain. There are remarkable but almost unvisited coastal cliffs, steep trails above high drops, and the haunting ruins of deserted villages destroyed in the Highland Clearances.

Skye Trail is the 11th long distance route I've completed in Scotland and it was my last long distance walk of the 2014 season. Plans to walk it had been discussed about a year earlier while walking the East Highland Way. Skye would be visited late summer 2014 with one or two others and would be an epic adventure, backpacking with all the camping gear, all prepared for a week in the wild.

Unfortunately for my Youtube followers, I did not make a video of the trail.  However you can view the photos here: Sky Trail 2014

Date walked: 30/08/2014
Time taken: 8 days
Distance: 157 km

Mount Keen from Aboyne with a 65L pack

I started from Aboyne at 10:30 am and headed out to Glen Tanar on foot, reaching Glen Tanar visitor centre an hour later. I continued walking using the Walkhighlands description as my guide, stopping at the Half Way Hut for lunch en-route.

I arrived at the base of Mount Keen at 3:40pm and began my ascent to the summit which took me about an hour 20 mins. Conditions were good, a little windy at the top. Came straight back down, had planned to camp on the grassy area at the bottom but there was a group of kids there so I just went back to the half way hut, had Supper and wild camped by the river Tanar. The following day I walked back to Aboyne and caught the bus back to Aberdeen.

It took about 11 hours in total, that included stopping for lunch for an hour and doesn't include the camping.

Munros included on this walk: Mount Keen
Date walked: 23/08/2014
Time taken: 11 hours
Distance: 33 km
Ascent: 795m

Ben Macdui from Braemar

 A day on the hills with Gary, Moray and Gavin, bagging Ben Macdui from the Linn of Dee.

I walked to the Linn of Dee from Braemar on the Friday evening and camped by Derry Lodge Friday night.  In the morning I met up with the others as they passed Derry Lodge.  We bagged Ben Macdui, Derry Cairngorm and Cairn na maim. A 19 mile hike. My 12th munro.

Munros included on this walk: Ben Macdui, Derry Cairngorm
Date walked: 09/08/2014
Time taken: 10 hours
Distance: 38 km
Ascent: 1068m

Ben Macdui and Cairngorm from Aviemore

A weekend in Aviemore, camping at Rothiemurchus. We caught the bus from Aviemore to the Ski-Centre Saturday morning. Climbed Ben Macdui and Cairngorm then finished back at the Ski Centre, caught bus back to the campsite.

Munros included on this walk: Ben Macdui, Cairn Gorm
Date walked: 19/07/2014
Time taken: 6.5 hours
Distance: 17.5 km
Ascent: 932m

The Moray Coast Trail - Sun, Sand & Seagulls

The Moray Coastal Trail is a waymarked long distance trail in north-east Scotland that covers almost the entire 50 miles of Moray's coast, linking the settlements (Forres, Kinloss, Findhorn, Burghead, Hopeman, Lossiemouth, Kingston, Garmouth, Spey Bay, Portgordon, Buckie, Findochty and Portknockie) between Forres and Cullen. My friend and I walked the trail over 3 days and 2 nights, staying overnight at campsites.

Date walked: 11/07/2014
Time taken: 3 days
Distance: 88 km