Guided Hillwalking Holidays in the Scottish Highlands

The Scottish Highlands offer the finest hillwalking opportunities in the British Isles. North of Glasgow and Edinburgh, lies a vast area of spectacular mountains and glens, lochs and coastline.  Quite distinctive areas make up this highland landscape each with their own unique mountain architecture and ambience.  In the far north-west, beyond Ullapool, lie Assynt and Coigach, ancient lands where Nordic names proliferate and where the Earth’s geological history is exposed for all to see.  Here, the mountains rise up as individual shapely monoliths scattered amongst a lochan-filled landscape.  Further south, the Torridon mountains form castellated ridges of sharply tiered sandstone with precipitous sides;  pockets of ancient Caledonian pine forests add colour and texture to the wild glens. 

These majestic mountains give way to greener peaks which line themselves up into long ridges as you move south through Kintail and on to the rocky and isolated rough bounds of Knoydart.  Just off the mainland, the Isle of Skye provides the most strenuous mountain ridge in the UK where the rocky peaks of the Black Cuillin rise up from the sea and twist and turn for 7 spell-binding miles.  Lochaber, around Fort William, is home to high and rocky steep-sided mountains which rise to the highest point in the land on Ben Nevis (4406’) and hem in the deep trough of Glencoe.  To the east, the Grampian massif, particularly the Cairngorms, offer a completely different mountain experience.  Here the mountains are big and rounded but often edged by deep scalloped corries and vertical cliffs.  The majority are covered in heather except for the high tops where a sub-arctic climate promotes a unique ecosystem of rare plants and birdlife.

For 2008 Hillways has selected two of these Highland areas for exploration: Assynt & Coigach in the far north-west and Kintail and Torridon on the west coast close to the Isle of Skye.  Both areas are accessible by good roads and offer a range of comfortable self-catering accommodation options which Hillways utilises to good effect. 

Guided Hillwalking Holidays in Assynt and Coigach

Explore the far north-west of Scotland where Assynt and Coigach offer stunning peaks in remote country.  The light up here can be quite special and the sense of being somewhere unique and different is quite discernable.  An excellent network of old stalking paths afford easy access to model mountains, with spectacular views in every direction.  The mountains stand quite separately from each other and rise above the lochan-strewn baseboard of ancient rock into splendid individual peaks of character.

Here, size doesn’t matter and many of the more impressive peaks are quite modest in height.  Peaks such as Quinag, Suilven and Stac Pollaidh all fail to make 3,000ft above sea level and yet have more beauty, shape and character than many higher Scottish mountains.  The 6-day package offered by Hillways is designed to allow clients to climb as many of these wonderful little mountains as possible thus enabling them to gain a complete appreciation of the landscape.  Learn about the natural history of the area in the land of the otter and the eagle and walk amongst the oldest rocks on planet Earth – you will not be disappointed!

Guided Hillwalking Holidays in Kintail and Torridon

Between Kintail and Torridon lie almost 50 Munros and 27 Corbetts, together with a wide range of interesting lowland traverses for those days when weather conditions suggest we avoid the high tops.  The Torridon mountains are the finest in the land and Hillways provides a 6-day activity package which aims to put you on the summit of each of the 4 highest and greatest peaks.  Beinn Alligin, the ‘Jewel of Torridon’, mighty Liathach and graceful Ben Eighe all provide top class Scottish hillwalking days, whilst imposing Slioch stands high above beautiful Loch Maree.  Good paths take you up seemingly un-climbable sandstone terraces whilst on top, airy ridges carry you high above the valley floor with stunning views across to neighbouring peaks and into the mountainous heartland of the NW Highlands. 

Many of the mountains afford wonderful views of sparkling sea lochs and rugged coastal scenery and a famous west coast sunset will never be forgotten!  In neighbouring Kintail, the mountains are formed from metamorphic schists and this helps create shapely grassy peaks which form long ridges of 3,000’ mountains between which beautiful glens sweep down to the sea.  The Five Sisters of Kintail form a shapely, curving ridge high above Glen Shiel which surrounds itself with a total of 18 Munros! 

Guided Hillwalking Holidays on the Knoydart Peninsula

This three-day course aims at exploring the rough bounds of Knoydart - one of the remotest parts of the Highlands, accessible only by sea or long walk-in.  The main focus will be the ascents of Ladhar Bheinn, Luinne Bheinn and Meall Buidhe.  We normally take the passenger ferry from Mallaig and our main base will be near Inverie in a comfortable self-catering bunkhouse.