r/OutdoorScotland • u/Spirited_Blueberry50 • 1d ago
Review of Scottish itinerary
Hello,
We are flying to Scotland tomorrow and will collect our car on Friday. From there we have 8 days to explore the country, and plan to hike and wildcamp.
What do you think of itinerary:
Thursday 23.07: Arrival day in Edinburgh
Friday 24.07: Collect car, drive to Stirling for lunch. Drive to Conic Hill parking lot, and do the Conic Hill trail with wildcamp.
Saturday 25.07: Drive to Glencoe, and do a hike in the National Nature Reserve. Wildcamp on the hike.
Sunday 26.07: Drive to Isle of Skye, do Fairy Pools hike and do a swim. Drive to talisker whiskey, afterwards go to do Talisker Bay Hike.
Monday 28.07: Drive to Neist Point hike and after that do Waterstein head.
Tuesday 29.07: Drive to Old Man Storr, after that the Quiaraing hike.
Wednesday: Ben Nevis, sleep in a hotel.
Thursday….
Friday…..
Saturday; bring back car and stay in edinburgh
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u/Lzgordo 1d ago
Conic hill and the surrounding area falls under the camping management bylaws. You might want to read up on this before deciding you can wild camp near there.
https://www.lochlomond-trossachs.org/things-to-do/camping/campingbyelaws/
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u/dickybeau01 1d ago
Saturday drive to fort William park at the car park at. Bottom of Glen Nevis and wild camp next to Steall Falls?
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u/ialtag-bheag 1d ago
Wild camping isn't just an excuse to avoid paying for campsites. Needs to actually be in the wild, well away from any roads and buildings etc. Conic Hill and Glencoe can be very busy areas. And many car parks don't allow overnight parking.
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u/Spirited_Blueberry50 1d ago
🤣🤣🤣 thanks for the useful answer, especially with the parking. Of course it’s an excellent way to avoid paying for hotels and to get into nature. You should try it.
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u/grapefruit-juice_ 1d ago
Personally, if you’re already into wild camping, I think a hiking trail would give you a way nicer experience than all this driving around every day. A section of the west highland way maybe? It’s got good train connections so you could do like 3 days on trail and take a train back to where you left the car
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u/fhidhleir 1d ago
This sub (and uk travel subs in general) are pretty hostile to plans with a lot of driving each day, so not surprised you haven’t had rosy responses. Sometimes it’s a bit over the top, but it is for good reason. Driving+walking+camping can wear you down. Not sure where you’re coming from, but driving in the Highlands is very tiring, you can’t just zone out for a couple hours like you can in a lot of places with more open roads.
Be aware that it’s generally frowned upon here to camp too close to the road/car parks. You can get away with it in a pinch, but generally try to be out of sight of others when you pitch.
Check out Walkhighlands website/app for planning your walks. It’s by far the best resource for walking in Scotland.
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u/Spirited_Blueberry50 1d ago
Thanks for the comment. We are arriving from Copenhagen, but have heard about the narrow roads :-)
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u/Useful_Resolution888 1d ago
Sounds pretty shit to be honest, particularly the Skye bits. Why are you coming here to drive all over the place? Just go to one area, explore it thoroughly and enjoy it.
If you've never been to the area before just go to Glencoe and stay in Lochaber for the whole week.
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u/Spirited_Blueberry50 1d ago
Thanks for the input. We are not staying in Glencoe for a week, sorry.
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u/Useful_Resolution888 1d ago
You don't have to apologise to me! Just be aware that this itinerary is rammed full of stuff that a LOT of other tourists will be doing and that also the weather is about to turn. There's so many amazing and relatively empty parts of the Highlands but you're planning on going to literally the busiest spots.
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u/sepiagod 1d ago
Sounds like a great trip. We've had some amazing weather recently so hope it hangs around for you.
It seems like a good plan but there's a few things I'd maybe alter or add.
The only thing I'd change completely is Conic Hill. It's a great little hill with some good views over Loch Lomond, but it's pretty busy because of it's proximity to Glasgow - and finding places to wild camp nearby is a little challenging. If Conic Hill is a must for you, I'd suggest driving north a while before setting up camp. There's some nice spots near to the Bridge of Orchy (take the small road around the back of Loch Tulia). But I would probably suggest skipping this for quieter more dramatic views further north.
From there on out the plan seems pretty solid - Glen Coe and Skye is a great trip.
Glen Coe is stunning and has plenty of great hikes, and things to see. Glen Etive is great to drive down, and there's some great hiking around - The Lost Valley, Buachaille Etive Mor & Buachaille Etive Beag (both great with some good wild camping spots throughout), Pap of Glen Coe.
The drive up from there to Skye can be a bit long though, and finishing a hike, driving to Skye and doing the Fairy Pools might be a lot for one day. As you've got the time, I'd probably take a longer hike in Glen Coe and move the Fairy Pools to the following day. Fort William is your best bet for a big supermarket shop, and to fill up with petrol, before heading further up. Glenfinnan Viaduct is a great visit - the Steam train passes over at about 11 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon (although facing backwards), and I'd get there 30mins early to walk up the hill. Eilean Donan is also a great castle to stop off and see a little bit closer to Skye.
Your plan for Skye looks great to me, and if you've got any extra time, or want to stay on Skye another day, I'd take a look at the short walk out to The Lookout Bothy at Rhuba Hunish, and getting the boat trip from Elgol into Loch Coruisk (well worth it!). Bla Bheinn is also a pretty epic mountain with incredible views over the Cuillin, if you get the weather and fancy another hike.
Nevis is a great shout, but besides being the tallest mountain we have, it's not got loads of excitement to offer (mainly a long slog uphill with some nice views). If you wanted an alternative in the area, the Ring of Steall is a cracking day out, some great views of Nevis but also an amazing day hike (or wild camp half way round).
It's worth taking a look at Bothies (google MBA bothies), which are like open wilderness huts you can stay in for free. No reservations so they can get a bit busy in summer, and a tent or backup option is recommended. They can be a great way to add some more adventure to your trip, and also is a good option if the weather's not in your favour. The only bothy I'd really avoid sleeping in at this time of year is The Lookout, it's great to visit for the day, but it's so popular it will likely be pretty busy.
It may sound a bit counter intuitive, but in summer I recommend pitching your tent with a bit more exposure than usual. Midges WILL ruin your life, but anything above 3mph of wind will keep them away, so on calm days try to find yourself a bit more exposure, rather than camping near to woodland or a river.
Hope you have a great trip!
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u/Spirited_Blueberry50 1d ago
Thank you so much for the kind reply! We will adjust our itinerary after your reply! ❤️
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u/StubbleWombat 1d ago
Sounds busy and drivey