Walks in Scotland

Scotland covers over 30,000 square miles and is much less densely populated than England or Wales, with diverse landscapes encompassing moor, mountain and lowland glens. Nearer the English border are the forest walks and valleys and hills of Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders.

Scotland has an effective ‘right to roam’ which is different from the neighbouring countries of England and Wales. While you can, within reason, walk anywhere this does mean that ‘rights of way’ are not marked on Ordnance Survey maps. It is less easy to know that you can make your way.

Many walkers head straight for the high mountains of the Highlands. However, the winters here can be harsh, attracting only mountaineers with experience of snow and ice. Even in summer the terrain can be incredibly remote, so navigation skills need to be up to scratch.

In 1891, Sir Hugh Munro compiled a list of Scottish mountains over 3,000ft high. The total, which is constantly being revised, sits at just under 300 peaks. The tallest in Britain, Ben Nevis, heads the list at 4,406ft (1343m), while the Cairngorm region further west is popular with walkers, mountaineers and skiers alike.

 The country is surrounded on three sides by sea, with lochs and firths weaving in and out of the jagged coastline. The many islands of the Highlands feature a remarkable array of plants and seabirds. Arran, off the south-west coast, is easily reached from Glasgow. Equally notable are the Isle of Skye, off the west coast of Scotland, with the spectacular Cuillin Hills and Orkney, with its extraordinary archaeological remains.

North of Glasgow Loch Lomond is Britain’s largest freshwater loch. Walkers in search of exercise head to the eastern shore to start the climb up Ben Lomond, another ‘Munro’ that rises to 3,193ft high or set off on the first leg of the West Highland Way.

Follow the links below to browse for walks in the regions of Scotland.

Scotland



    Help

    You can use these pages to browse for walks in specific regions, counties and areas. It is a good idea to narrow down your search to the most local area possible, as the list of walks for larger areas can be very long. An alternative way of searching is to use the Find a Walk tool.

    We would like to include a short article for each of the areas on these pages. If an area has no article and you can send us a few hundred words about the area, pointing out its key attractions and other useful information, we would greatly appreciate it.