So you’re considering going on a hiking holiday? Firstly; great choice. Not only is hiking extremely beneficial to your health and wellbeing. But it’s also a cheaper way to travel and allows you to experience the essence of a place. Hiking holidays are becoming increasingly popular, but there is the question, how to choose a hike in Scotland when there’s such a wide range available?
The first thing to consider is if you want to go on a hike or a walk.
Do you want or need a guide? Fortunately, Scot Mountain Holidays have a range of group hiking holidays, tailor made tours, and private guiding options available, so you’ll definitely find the right hike for you. But to ensure you’ve found the perfect hike you do need to consider certain aspects.
Are you intending to go on an inn-to-inn hike? Follow a long distance trail? Or do you want to get into the mountain wilderness areas and have a truly unique and off the beaten track experience?
Are you quite happy hiking on your own but you’d like some guidance on choosing routes, support with transport? Find out about Scot Mountain Holidays self-guided options for the more adventurous.
Tours with Scot Mountain Holidays range from weekend getaways to seven days long. With tours running throughout the year, all that is required is for you to decide on your availability.
Choosing a season is one of the most important decisions in finding the right hike for you. Spring and summer are the most popular hiking periods and also provide the most pleasant hiking conditions. Perfect for those with families or first time hikers. Autumn is a wonderful season for hiking due to the beautiful colours, the changing environment and lack of climbing traffic. Autumn is suitable for everyone, and ideal for those who prefer a cooler temperature. Winter is considerably more difficult to hike in, and we recommend winter hiking for those confident in their abilities. This is due to the additional gear required and the added challenges of often hiking through snow. Winter is however often a more rewarding experience, with the raw beautiful scenery, clear winter views and the satisfying sense of accomplishment.
Scot Mountain Holiday tours are graded on a level of difficulty from two to five, with five being the most difficult. When considering how to choose a hike in Scotland it’s important to take into account your own level of fitness and choose a tour suited to you. For an overview, refer to the Scot Mountain Holidays grading system.
All Scot Mountain Holidays tours are all inclusive. So, all you need to do now, is chose a hike. To ensure the experience pre, during and post hike is completed stress free for you, Scot Mountain Holidays will take care of the rest.
Narrowing down the destination for your yearly holiday can be difficult. Trying to decide between relaxation and adventure often leaves you straddling the fence. And factoring in whether you’re approach should be take it as it comes or plan ahead so you have a full day of activities can often be exhausting. So that leaves the question, what is a winning holiday formula?
Here at Scot Mountain Holidays we think adding a little of everything creates the perfect recipe. The best of both worlds, if you will. Our perfect formula incorporates relaxation time and adventure. Amazing food, but cooked in the homely style that makes you feel like you’re home away from home. And finally, the kind of holiday where you have plenty to do, but don’t have to plan or think about any of it.
Our fully catered walking, hiking or cycling holidays means there is no stress on you. Not only does it allow you to experience parts of Scotland not often seen and get really under the skin both culturally and historically. But you’ll also have the perfect balance of adventurous activity and down time. Based from the Cairngorms National Park, Fraoch Lodge, run by Scot Mountain Holidays, is the perfect base for your holiday. The national park will give you opportunity for serene country strolls, stunning views and quiet afternoons by the fire. And the guided tours will satisfy all your adventure needs with the added bonus of activity (hiking and/or mountain biking for the most part, though other options are available) and breathtaking scenery. Incorporate restaurant quality food served in a homely style we all love and you’ve got yourself the perfect holiday.
So take away the stress of planning and booking your holiday. Scotland no matter what the season is an incredible destination. And if you book with Scot Mountain Holidays, you really will have a winning holiday formula.
With September now behind us and autumn storms bearing down, summer days are now a distant memory. Daylight is shortening and snow showers are forecasted for the high summits. And although it might be a few weeks yet before the ground is cold enough for snow to settle. Now’s the time to consider what extra items you’ll be carrying in your rucksack to hike through Scotland’s Autumn Mountains.
1. Headtorch
If you haven’t been carrying one up until now, now’s the time. Firstly, make sure the batteries are fresh and you’re carrying spares. What might appear as batteries with plenty of charge in a warm environment can quickly diminish in the cold of the mountains. Navigating in dark hill fog you’re bound to be using a head-torch on the highest beam. You’ll find this drains your power very quickly.
If your torch isn’t very powerful it may be worth thinking about upgrading. Don’t underestimate how much difference a quality torch can make to your journey when having to navigate. Your fingers will also thank you, as there is nothing worse then trying to change batteries and dealing with gloves in bad conditions.
2. Ski Goggles
There is now the chance of precipitation in the solid form on the wind both on fine and not so fine days. Remember, the wind doesn’t have to be too strong for drifting to occur. Do not underestimate how unpleasant it can be walking into the wind when snow, hail or spin-drifts are hitting you directly in the face.
Ski goggles are something you don’t want to skimp on either. Being able to see properly is of vital importance so make sure you get a decent pair of anti-fog (double lens) goggles. In a damp mountain climate you’ll find cheaper goggles will quickly fog up if they aren’t the right spec. A decent pair will also keep your face so much warmer in the biting Highland cold.
3. A warm hat
A warmer hat than you might carry in summer is both common sense, and of vital importance. We recommend one that pulls down over the ears!
4. Warmer Gloves
If you have ever suffered from the pain of hot aches you’ll know investing in a pair of really warm gloves is a must-make purchase. A pair of light liners inside thicker gloves works well as there is a play-off between warmth and dexterity. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you can get the best of both worlds with just one pair of gloves.
Gloves of adequate warmth for the coldest of Scottish winter days won’t have much dexterity left. So, it’s a case of whipping your hands out for fiddly activities and then putting them back into those cosy mitts. The liners also help to keep the gloves hygienic, making the task of cleaning your gloves so much easier.
5. An extra warm layer
Carry an extra warm layer for when you are immobile. By far the best way of keeping warm is to keep active but there will be times when you have to stop. Even a relatively short break of just ten minutes can mean you chill significantly.
In our damp and often cold and windy mountain environment, hypothermia is often an ever-present threat. But donning an extra thick fleece or even better, an overlay jacket will save you from the threat of a chill.
6. Get you navigational gear organised
This can pay handsome dividends and will mean less time hanging around immobile getting cold and more time on the move keeping warm.
Navigational judgment can start to be one of the first casualties of being cold, so it’s important to have a map case. It not only protects the map but it also is a means you can anchor the map to yourself. Make sure you have a compass with a decent sized base plate…
More on this in a later blog!
If you’re in the Highlands on a business trip, and have a few days to spare here’s an idea for a personalised tour we could put together for you and your group.
Mary Jane Shankel and her son, Josh, were over in Aberdeen with her husband, who was unfortunately working so he couldn’t enjoy the same freedom to explore as them. They contacted us and we put together the following tour for them which Mary Jane has reviewed on TripAdvisor.
This trip took place at the end of April 2015 so don’t be surprised to see snow on the ground for the hikes – it wasn’t too much of a shock for the Shankels as they had come over from Canada.
The timing of Mary Jane’s trip was tight so their first day started late (around 11am – due to the travel time from Aberdeen)
Day 1: Hiking in the Aviemore area: arrive at Fraoch Lodge on the train from Aberdeen, via Inverness to Aviemore station, where Mary Jane and her son were met by Andy in our VW Caravelle. Andy brought the 2 Canadians back to Fraoch Lodge where they changed into hiking gear and chatted to him about the route for the day, the gear they needed and then they made up a lunch packet and set out for a half-day hike in the Cairngorms.
Ascent of Meall a’Bhucaille.
Mary Jane and Josh enjoying some predator free hiking in Scotland. In Canada, there are bears, wolves etc – serious predators to worry about. Here in Scotland we just need to worry about the wee predators (midges and ticks). On a day like this in the Spring, even they are not around, so hassle free hiking.
Day 2: A pub, a castle and a hill walk: Mary Jane had proposed in her first email to us that ideally she would like to include a pub and a castle in with the hiking as it was to be her son’s first experience of Scotland. By including this visit to Perthshire (a short drive from Fraoch Lodge – less than 2 hours) Andy hit all these highlights.
Mary Jane and Josh outside Blair Castle, Perthshire. The Duke of Athol is the only person entitled to retain his own private army.
On top of the world – an ascent of Ben Vraikie, Perthshire. A prominent viewpoint above Pitlochry.
The final tick – a pub complete with own brew and a log fire. What more could you ask for at the end of a busy day of culture (castle) and hiking (Ben Vraikie). The whole bucket list in a nutshell courtesy of Scot Mountain Holdays.
Day 3: a sad farewell – heading back to Aberdeen.
Here’s what Mary Jane had to say in her 5 star review of the trip:
“Andy and Rebecca are the most fabulous hosts, they made us feel like we were old friends on a short visit. We packed in really, really full days of hiking and sight-seeing. Being short of time, Andy skillfully managed our wish list of 2 half day hikes, a tour of a Scottish Castle and a trip to a traditional pub. Andy’s breadth of knowledge seems unbounded; Scottish history, geology and ecology kept us tuned in to the beautiful landscape and people of Scotland. Topping off the day with Rebecca’s wonderful cooking and wandering through their organic garden made the trip a seem like we had found a little piece of heaven. Weeks later we are still talking about it and planning a return trip…a longer one this time!”
Mary Jane and Josh enjoyed a private guiding package with Scot Mountain Holidays. They had no transport themselves so were able to benefit from our transport as well as Andy’s local knowledge. On their own and on their first tour, they would not have been able to complete their tick list. It’s only a shame that Mary Jane’s husband was not able to join them. Perhaps on a future trip they can tempt him to explore more widely when he is not as busy with work issues.
If you are short of time and want to pack in as much as you can on your visit to the Highlands, please contact us for a quote. Our trips are most frequently based from our own home in the Cairngorms National Park, but we can work further afield. Based with us you can access a wide variety of top attractions: a distillery, Loch Ness, beautiful scenery, castles galore, historic sites and boundless hiking opportunities as well as wildlife spotting.
Hiking Vacations across the Highlands of Scotland
Adventure vacation in Scotland for all the family
July and August are the height of our season and this year we’ve been busier than ever, which does of course have its plus points; the down side being that we have had very little time together and time to get our heads together to plan for the autumn etc. Still we are well stocked with mushrooms (see below) and will be adding some top chanterelle mushroom recipes to the blog, just in case anyone else has been equally blessed.
Slightly less well-blessed on the weather front this year which has also meant that the fruit bushes have suffered. For the first time ever, our worcesterberries have not overwhelmed us in quantity and we probably won’t be able to restock with wine this year and will have to conserve all the fruit for jam making.
Our jam and marmelade skills have been in constant use since May as the downside to making your own jam is that people seem to eat enormous quantities of it with their breakfast.
Below if a selection of the activities and scenery we’ve been lucky enough to experience this month. We’ve saved all the wildlife and flora pictures for a seperate post. Look out for some very impressive reindeer antlers and some amazing wild flower shots to come shortly.
Always happy to hear any comments.
Nature’s bounty – chanterelles galore in the Cairngorms
Photo caption: Mushrooming in the Cairngorms – August 2015 is the month of the chanterelle; obviously a cool, wet summer does them a lot of good. So glad there are some benefits to this summer’s weather. (The photo above proved a popular Facebook post.)
Photo caption: what a lot of snow for August. Looks like it will be one of those years in which the snow will survive until the next winter season. Many more of them and we’ll see glaciers back here.
Photo caption: this might not be resort skiing but if you’re keen …
Photo caption: Hiking through the heather with Andrew Bateman of Scot Mountain Holidays to experience the hidden delights of the Cairngorms National Park. This route is part of the Complete Cairngorms itinerary.
Photo caption: Snow bridge which has developped in the Cairngorms. It makes for quite a dramatic photo.
Photo caption: dinner by candlelit is not a problem in August as we still have a fair bit a light streaming in from outside. This is our Mountains and Malts group sitting down to a revised dinner menu. Impromptu revision forced on us as we had a power cut just as our dinner was due to go in the oven. Fortunately the courgette rolls didn’t need any cooking preparation.
The Cairngorms is an amazing destination for biking. Be it road biking or mountain biking, there really is something for everyone. Not only are we surrounded by purpose built trail centres, but we also have miles of natural tracks throughout the forests and up on to the hills. There is more than enough to do for repeated visits or at least a week.
Hiking vacations:across Scotland
Mountain biking breaks: self-guided biking adventures
Family Adventures: a taste of everything for groups or families
Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland
Visit Scotland: about cycling
Visit Cairngorms: about cycling
Glenlivet Bike Trails
Laggan Bike Trails
Monster Moray bike trails
Grantown bike park
Inverness bike park
Guided walking holidays in the Cairngorms National Park are our speciality. The one which was most popular in 2014 was Complete Cairngorms. It has attracted bookings from France, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Russia … and only goes to show that the National Park designation has its own attraction. Guests from all over the world are choosing to spend their hard earned vacation on a visit to the Cairngorms.
Photo Caption: Exploring the Cairngorms on foot
Photo Credit: Scot Mountain Holidays
This trip is a fully guided hiking vacation in Britain’s largest national park. National Park designation has attracted a lot more visitors over the past 10 years than previously when though the British were, to some degree, award of the Cairngorm mountain range and the Cairngorm Ski Centre; even they had no idea of the extent and breadth of the Park itself.
Photo Caption: Loch A’an – hidden deep in the Cairngorms this is a viewpoint you can only reach on foot.
Photo Credit: Scot Mountain Holidays
The Complete Cairngorms holiday takes place over a full week, but does have a rest day in the middle for clients to put up their weary feet or explore for a bit of retail therapy or souvenir shopping – if you’re lucky the trip might coincide with the summer sales in one of Aviemore’s multitude of hiking gear shops.
Essentially this is a hiking vacation with some culture, folklore and wildlife to enhance the hiking experience. A visit to the Cairngorms National Park would not be complete unless it took in the whole of the park. On this trip guests visit Glenlivet for the whisky and smuggler experience; Royal Deeside to walk on the Balmoral Estate (if the timing is right we may also visit the castle, though in August we may need to go to Braemar Castle instead – home of the largest Cairngorm Stone discovered) August is the Queen’s annual vacation which she spends at Balmoral Castle, so the castle is not open then; and of course we visit Cairngorm mountain itself and the surrounding estates of Glenfeshie & Rothiemurchus, with its wildlife hide, where we hope to see the elusive pine martens.
One of the rate nocturnal pine martens viewed from the Wildlife hide used by BBC Spring Watch programme
Photo caption: Pine Marten at the Speyside Wildlife hide in the Cairngorms
Photo credit: Scot Mountain Holidays
This holiday has attracted visitors from: Germany, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Russia, and Finland which only goes to show how much the National Park designation attracts visitors in its own right.
Further guided walking holidays
Information about Royal Deeside: http://visitroyaldeeside.com/
Official Cairngorms National Park website: http://cairngorms.co.uk/
Visit Cairngorms website: http://visitcairngorms.com
Ask what you might need in advance; don’t be worried if you’re not an experienced mountaineer as there will still be lots available to do; go for it!
Stunning remote wilderness scenery
Scot Mountain Holidays put a new trip together this year (2013): an exploration of Harris and Lewis. As usual, this was very well planned and the logistics carefully thought out. We departed their base at Boat of Garten, picking up clients at Aviemore and Inverness stations, before driving to Ullapool. There we boarded the ferry to Stornaway, for which we arrived in plenty of time. On the crossing, there was time to admire the receding scenery of the northern mainland mountains and the approaching islands silhouetted against the setting sun, as well as to enjoy a meal on board. From Stornaway we then took an interesting drive down to Tarbert, our base for the week in some well-equipped holiday cottages.
Andy had prepared a very varied itinerary, a pleasant blend of hill and coastal walking, with visits to many places of interest. As always, he was a mine of information on the geology, the geography, the flora and fauna and especially the bird life. Among other species, we saw lapwings, golden plover, cormorants, gannets fishing, a Great Northern Diver and, of course, at least half a dozen eagles ….
Beautiful white sand beaches of the Hebrides
On the midweek ‘rest’ day, we had the opportunity for a scenic drive around south Harris. We visited a prehistoric standing stone and also a visitor centre. I was intrigued to discover why Lewis and Harris have separate names, even though they are one landmass. In former times, there were no roads through the hills forming a barrier between the two, so all the traffic had to be by boat around the coast, effectively making them separate islands!
We also discovered that the island has become something of a haven for artists and photographers. There are quite a few studios dotted around, often with hospitable cafes! For the botanist, the coastal scenery is much enhanced by the ‘machair’ wild flower meadows.
There is much of interest too for the historian: the famous prehistoric standing stones at Callanish, an Iron Age ‘broch’ (chieftain’s house) in a well preserved state, and more recently the ruins, mainly just a chimney, of a former whaling station; there is even a present-day indication of long-established customs in that many people still cut and dry peat for fuel!
I have so far not mentioned the hillwalking, which can be very challenging even though the hills are not of the highest, due to the dearth of paths and tracks, giving one a real feeling of pioneering. And:
“These mountains don’t know they’re 2000 feet high, from the rock
Of the summit, where the clouds cling, down to the lap of the loch.
In their mist shawls they crouch, silent, by the side of the glen,
Indifferent to Man and the measures of men.”
Even dedicated ‘Munro-baggers’ would find much to enjoy here, since the terrain is very rugged, the ascents are often steep and one usually starts from sea level. Coupled with the remoteness of the island, this means that we encountered few other walkers during the week.
Probably my favourite ascent was that of Tiorga Mor. After an interesting walk up the valley track, we turned on to the mountain shoulder. This gave some superb walking up ‘boiler-plate’ slabs, with occasional delectable little scrambles, to the summit ridge.
From the top, we had extensive views over many islands, including Taransay (of TV’s ‘Castaway’ fame) and even St Kilda on the far horizon. Looking down on the white sand beaches and the turquoise sea-shallows it made me think of Greece, another country which I love. From the summit, we turned north to traverse Tiorga Beag and eventually started to get increasingly dramatic profile views of the north end of Sron Uladale; this is of particular interest to those of a rock-climbing bent, as it is the largest crag overhang in Britain. Some brave soul has even jumped off the top with a parachute!
Complementing Andy’s expert and informative guiding was the magnificent cuisine produced by Rebecca. After a substantial breakfast, we had a wide choice of fillings for our sandwiches. We assembled our own lunches with the fresh home-baked bread. On our return to base, we enjoyed the famous ‘Cake-o-Clock’: refreshing tea and home-made cake, before the excellent evening meals.
Apart from the main scenic delights, there were other intriguing little sights for those of a whimsical turn of mind:
a well-maintained tennis court miles down a single-track dead-end road, probably the most remote such facility in Britain, if not the world; and an optimistic ‘For Sale’ sign in front of a derelict cottage
On the return ferry there was of course sadness at leaving this unique place, but also compensation in the approaching views of the northern Scottish mountains across a sun-smeared sea.
Overall, this was a very interesting and enjoyable trip, underlining the Scot Mountain Holidays slogan: “A Sense of Place and Belonging” It is an expedition well worth repeating.
Mick Wansborough June 2013
Scot Mountain Holidays (Ltd),
Fraoch Lodge, Deshar Road,
Boat of Garten,
PH24 3BN
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