Walking Holidays
Scotland

West Highlands Way and Skye

Your independent walking holiday is a great mix of multi-day trekking along one of the UK's best trails and day walks on the stunningly beautiful and rugged Isle of Skye. Despite crossing the highlands, this West Highland Way, is a relatively straight forward route which stays at low altitude. You'll join the West Highland Way at the Bridge of Orchy, where the highland scenery really begins to show its true savage beauty. You'll cross the vast expanse of Rannoch Moor, a remote and desolate part of the trail with little sign of life, except for fellow walkers.  At Glen Coe the scenery changes once more to dramatic mountain terrain, dominated by the impressive Buachaille Etive Mor which stands as a sentry to this stunning glen. Glen Coe is often considered one of the most spectacular and beautiful places in Scotland.

From Glen Coe your trail climbs the Devils Staircase, a 259m ascent to the highest point on the West Highland Way (548m) with great views over the peaks of Glen Coe and Ben Nevis which can be seen in the distance North over the Mamores. The trail then descends back to sea level at Kinlochleven. The path runs along the mountainside with spectacular views over the Mamores and miles of open wilderness stretching away to the East. After a final climb your route descends to Glen Nevis and Fort William at the foot of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK.

The Isle of Skye is the largest and most northerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The coastline of Skye is a series of peninsulas and bays radiating out from a mountainous centre dominated by the rugged and wild Cuillin hills. You'll explore the southern headlands, mountains and bays of Skye. Areas such as Strathaird have dramatic coastlines close to the Cuillin hills which form a beautiful backdrop. There are also a number of small crofting communities. The amazingly beautiful Loch Coruisk surrounded by imposing mountains will take your breath away.

More information about the highlands & islands of Scotland

Holiday Profile

7 nights, 3 days walking the spectacular northern sections of the West Highlands Way & 3 days exploring the island of Skye

Dates

Everday of week subject to availability during 2 April to 15 October

Walking Profile & Grade

Walking on tracks and paths, distances 14-22km through mountain terrain.  Skye walks – paths along the coastline can be rough and narrow at times. A choice of walks available to allow for different levels of experience and ability. Ascents up to 700m during the day. Suitable for regular hill walkers, as well as fit and healthy novices.

This walking holiday is graded moderate challenging. You should have some experience of day walking and be in reasonable health. See more information about walking grades.

Accommodation & Meals

7 nights B&B in ensuite 2 person rooms (double or twin) in good quality Guest Houses or Hotels.  Some locations have very limited choice.

When to Travel

Our self-guided walking holiday on the West Highlands Way & Skye is available from April to the mid October. The climate of Scotland is temperate and is influenced by the Gulf Stream and Atlantic weather systems. Summers are rarely hot with an average maximum of 18°C and the overall weather could be classed as changeable. Weather systems tend to pass through reasonably quickly. The weather can be very localised due to the effect of the mountains with some areas experiencing heavy rain, whilst the adjacent valley is in sunshine. Mid July average day time temperatures are about 19°C, with temperatures dropping to about 12°C overnight. Temperatures will decrease with altitude. Depending on the prevailing winds, temperatures could vary from the low teens to the mid twenties. You can expect an average of 4-6 hours of sunshine per day and on average you could expect some rain every other day. Rainfall totals are greatest closest to the highest mountains, with Fort William being particularly wet. Scotland is exposed to westerly winds from the ocean. Inland valleys locations of the highlands are somewhat protected from these winds. Windy conditions may make it feel decidedly cool in poor weather. The above are just averages and you may experience conditions which are much colder, warmer, drier or wetter than these averages. Please ask your hosts to check the weather forecasts for you, so that you are prepared.

Navigation, Walking Notes & Maps

Most of this walking holiday follows the long distance Highlands Way which is signposted along its entire length. The symbol for the trail is an acorn and these are often shown on signposts ccompanied by the words coastal path or a particular direction and the distance. The walking follows clear paths, tracks and minor roads for its entire duration. The walk will use other footpaths to access accommodation, villages or local sites. Our walking notes are very detailed (more information here) and include intermediate distances for sections of the trail. They also include information about the sites which can be explored along the route. We supply one walking guide per person on this holiday. As well as the detailed walking notes we supply official walking maps produced by OS at a scale of 1:25,000.

Luggage Transfers

On this walking holiday your main luggage is transferred between guest houses so you only have to carry a day rucksack with picnic lunch (supplied by the guest houses and included in the holiday price), water and spare clothes, waterproofs, camera etc. On this holiday a local company is responsible for transporting your main luggage. Please limit the weight of your bags where possible to 20kg. We only use hotels and small guest houses in historic buidlings and some of the rooms are accessible by stairs.

Travel Info

To get to Scotland and Skye

By Train

Train travel to Bridge of Orchy from Glasgow Queen Street and the return from Mallaig is included in the price of your holiday.

Trains run regularly from London and other UK cities to Glasgow Central rail station. Bus service 398 available at the station takes you to Queen Street station, as does the Glasgow subway.