Walking in Scotland
By Dave Roberts
on May 10, 2020 No ratings yet.
Walking in Scotland
Where to go Walking in Scotland
About Walking in Scotland
There are few areas of the UK that can compare with Scotland for walking. The Scottish Highlands include the highest mountain in Scotland (and the UK if you’re that way inclined) – Ben Nevis, as well as 282 Munro Summits (supplemented by 227 Munro Tops). Each Munro is at least 914.3 metres in height and is usually a prominent mountain in their own right. These include classic mountaineering routes such as Cullin on Skye ( Sgurr Alistair) and Glen Coe’s Aonach Eagach ridge. Neither can you complete the Munros without climbing as The Inn Pinn – on Sgurr Dearg on Skye is a full on climb. Of course, there are mountains that are walkable by us mere hill walkers – with routes over The Mamores, The Grey Corries, Torridon and the Cairngorms to mention a few. And if you think the Munros are tough, the lowlier Corbetts are considered tougher as owing to their less visited nature, route finding is often tougher.
There are only two national parks in Scotland – Loch Lomond and the Trossachs and The Cairngorms. Loch Lomond features the classic hill walk up The Cobbler, the popular walk up Ben Lomond and the West Highland Way. The Cairngorms are unlike any other habitat in the country, classed as an alpine semi-tundra moorland environment and boasting unique wild life such as ptarmigan, dotterel, snow bunting, golden eagles, red deer, mountain hare as well as the UK’s only herd of reindeer. You’ll also find the second highest mountain in Scotland (and the UK) in the Cairngorms – Ben Macdui (Beinn Macduibh)– as well as five out of the six highest Munros including Braeriach and Cairn Gorm.
There are also easier walks in Scotland, with plenty of options from waterfalls (such as Steall Falls) to coastal walking on the countless islands. It should come as no surprise, that islands such as Skye, Rùm and Arran also boast tough mountain walking!
There’s also the more rounded hills of the Southern Uplands – with the highest hill being The Merrick at 843m in height. Further south, the Cheviot hills form part of the boundary of the Scotland/English border. Even England’s toughest LDP, The Pennine Way, finishes at Kirk Yetholm which lies just inside Scotland.
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