The Affric kintail Way is a 44 mile long distance walk from Drumnadrochit to Morvich in the Scottish Highlands. I started from Inverness, along the Great Glen Way adding an extra 18 miles to the journey, covering approximately 62 miles (20 miles per day) through Thursday to Sunday. I carried all my gear and camped out every night before catching the bus home from Morvich on the Sunday morning. I completed the trail in late August 2015.
Date walked: 27/08/2015 Time taken: 3 days Distance: 99 km Ascent: 598m
The Southern Upland Way is Scotland's first and only official
coast-to-coast long distance route, running across the country from the
Atlantic Ocean to the North Sea. From Portpatrick on the west coast the
route runs 341 kilometres to Cove and Cockburnspath on the east coast.
This
stage is probably the longest and one of the most exposed sections of
the whole walk, much of it across open moorland. The rewards are fine
views and the feeling of remoteness and solitude. There are some minor
roads where vehicle pick-ups could be arranged.
A 26 mile weekend walk on the Southern Upland Way spending Friday night
at Newfield Farm in Dalry and Saturday night at Polskeoch bothy where we
had to share the bothy with a dutch couple. Walked in August 2015.
Date walked: 07/08/2015 Time taken: 2 days Distance: 41 km Ascent: 1033m
Just a very brief write up of the walk I did last year from Braemar to Aviemore.
So we caught the last bus to Braemar Friday evening and arrived in Braemar just before midnight. We immediately began walking in the dark towards the Linn of Dee, walking for about an hour before finding a small camping spot by the river.
On Saturday morning we set off bright and early about half past 8, making it to the Linn of Dee for about half past 9. We had a sit down at the car park and made a brew there before making our way deep into the Cairngorms.
It was a long day and we eventually reached Coylumbridge campsite (2 miles from Aviemore) at about 10:30pm.
The weather was reasonable for most of it, just one heavy shower as we approached Corrour bothy.
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 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
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
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
