Isle of Skye and the Cairngorms National Park

Day of arrival: You’ll be met at your point of arrival whether that’s Aviemore station (by 2.45pm) or Inverness airport (by 3.30pm) or at Fraoch Lodge (from 5pm onwards)

Try to aim for arrival by 7.30pm so you have the opportunity to settle in and meet the other members of the group before dinner. After dinner, over tea and coffee by the fire, Andy will go over the planned itinerary.

Day 1:

Loch Ness – Glen Shiel – Ratagan Pass & the Five Sisters – Glenelg Ferry – Otter hide – mountain hike (Sgurr na Coinnich) – Skye Yurts

490m (1600ft) ascent on moderate and steep gradients. 6km (4 miles) across initially rough and then easier mountain moorland terrain. Approx walking time, excluding breaks: 2h 44min

Day 2:

Mountain hike: Sgurr na Stri – off the beaten trak and into the heart of the Black Cuillin at the head of Loch Scavaig, arguably the finest viewpoint in the UK

1000m (3350ft) of ascent on gentle, moderate and steep gradients. 10 miles (16km) mainly on vehicle tracks, footpaths but also some rough mountain moorland terrain. Appros walking time, excluding breaks: 6h 37min

Day 3:

Quirang – an early tart and an alternative starting point to avoid the crowds so we an fully appreciate the bizarre rock formations

990m (3260ft) of ascent on mainly moderate and gentle gradients, but also some steep ascent. 12km (7.5m) of mountain walking on paths and across mountain moorland. Approx walking time, excluding breaks: 5h 31min

Day 4:

No hiking – it’s a rest day!

Eilean Donan Castle – Plockton – Boat trip to see the seals – Lunch in Plockton Inn – Rogie Falls salmon leap – Fraoch Lodge

Day 5:

Mountain hike in the Cairngorms National Park: Creag a’Chalamain

590m (1950ft) of ascent on gentle and moderate gradients: 13km (8 miles) of walking on good footpaths but with a little rough moorland terrain. Approx walking time, excluding breaks: 4h 5omin

Day 6:

Speyside Cooperage – Mountain hike in Speyside (Carn Daimh) – Glenlivet Distillery – Whisky castle

430m (1400ft) of ascent on moderate and gentle gradients: 12km (7 miles) on tracks and paths: approx walking time, excluding breaks: 4h 11min

Day of departure:

What ever time your onward plane or train is, we will get you there for it. Most guests depart after breakfast leaving requests for Rebecca’s recipes

The yurt site on Skye

Comfortable interior of the water themed yurt

The yurts on Skye basking in the sunshine.

The Trotternish ridge on the isle of Skye

Eilean Donan Castle on the approach to Skye – one of the most photographed castles in Scotland

Piping in the tourists visiting Eilean Donan Castle

Looking into the Black Cuillin

Classic view into the Cairngorms from the Rothiemurchus estate

Nature’s bounty: handpicked chanterelles mushrooms

Discover the Cairngorms in all their natural glory.

A close encounter with the wild Reindeer roaming the Cairngorms National Park

Ascending Meall a’Bhucaille with 2 x 7 year olds and 1 x 4 year old.

Some of the high mountain wildlife frequently seen in the Cairngorms

Amazing meals at Fraoch Lodge

Dual based trip:

Skye Yurts: The Earth and Water themed yurts are comfortably furnished to accommodate up to 5 people (1 x double bed, 1 x double sofa bed, 1 x “z” bed. There is storage for your clothes and belongings. Lighting inside the yurts is by solar fairy lights and candle lanterns. The Yurts are cosy and comfortable thanks to an 8kc log burning stove and thick insulation.

The yurts share a utility building which includes an electric shower, kitchen, composting toilet block and dining area. The utility buildings have mains electricity (part supplied by solar power) and running hot and cold water.

Fraoch Lodge: 

Our main base and home in the Cairngorms National Park, Fraoch Lodge is a 5 star graded hostel, which we run with our son, Gregor (born in 2008). Full details of the facilities at Fraoch Lodge can be found on the Lodge page.

We have achieved Gold Star Awards from the world’s most highly respected green accreditation scheme, Green Tourism, and were awarded Highly Commended in their Green Star Awards 2013 for both Scot Mountain Holidays and Fraoch Lodge. We offer a Green Travel Discount of £15 to any guests who travel to us by public transport. Our primary aim is to minimise the carbon footprint of our holidays, and to this end we donate 1% of the price of our tours to the RSPB’s Abernethy Reforestation project.

It is a holistic approach we have to the care of the environment. Andy your adventure guide has a passion for the natural world – whether it’s the flora, fauna or fungi. He has a background in geology and a lifelong interest in natural history, as well as being a keen gardener.  He knows a Golden Plover from a Dotterel, a Green Shank and a Dunlin. He also makes no apologies to being very excitable upon spying a Golden Eagle!

For further information, please don’t hesitate to check out our Environmental Responsibility page, or contact us directly at info@scotmountainholidays.com.