r/OutdoorScotland is not a travel agency for un-researched trips, we cater in fine-grained info you cannot find elsewhere.

I need to film walking through an open forest (so, not dense commercial forestry) and I need to be able to walk for 3 or 4 minutes in a straight line.

None of it is to be on a path, even a mud path. Needs to look completely off piste.

I'm struggling to think of places.

Oddly, Pollok Park in Glasgow might be a good shout as there's a lot of open forest there.

I was thinking of Loch Lomond between Rowchoise bothy and the water - there's a beautiful open woodland there.

In both cases I am not sure I could get 3 or 4 minutes without hitting the edge of the woodland.

Any suggestions?

Ideally in and around Argyll/Loch Lomond

I would love to take my 14 year old dog on what is likely to be her last ever camping trip whilst the weather is good this weekend. We've done loads over the years but all my usual spots involve a fair bit of walking and she's just not up to it anymore. I've been having a good look on Google maps satellite which is how I usually scope out decent spots but it's hard to gauge the parking situation.

Could anyone recommend a decent spot to park up and camp fairly close by, preferably near water, to have a night away? I would be looking to go Saturday and come back Sunday but I know that this isn't really 'wild' camping and parking up is generally frowned upon so not wanting to piss off any locals! Ideally within a 2 hour drive of Kilmarnock. Feel free to DM any suggestions, much appreciated!

Hi, please remove if this isn’t allowed!
I met a wonderful guy in Inverie called Raphael from Italy, he was travelling along the Cape Wrath trail bringing his friends who are hiking it fresh supplies. We had great conversation on the ferry and over coffee and after we said goodbye I really regretted not exchanging contact information, I feel we still have so much to talk about and felt a great connection (:
If anyone runs into him on Skye today or in Morvich tomorrow, let him know I’m looking for him? 🤞

Anyone know if you can park overnight at the Ben Lawers Hotel car park? I know they charge £5 to park there for the day but not sure if they allow overnight. For our route it makes more sense to park there than the bigger NTS car park up the road (which I think does allow overnight parking) ⛰️ Thanks!

Edit: we will be camping not staying in the car overnight

Off here on Sunday and wondered if anyone had been? Is it a decent area with plenty space so all 4 tents allowed there aren't cramped together? Any pics? ❤️ cant wait! Just hoping if its full to capacity (4 tents) theres still enough space for some privacy, as we like to stay up til sunrise 👌 TIA! X

Hi everyone, I’m currently planning to do the Skye trail during the August bank holiday for 7 days. I did the coast to coast last year and the cape wrath trail in May this year (completed in 14 days) so I consider myself experienced on thru hiking, however I like to go into trails with as much knowledge of the trail. Is the trail itself difficult in comparison to the ones I’ve done and how is the weather/midges during this period? Many thanks :)

I'm currently in a 2 month break between graduating university and starting a new job, and I really want to do the Cape Wrath trail. I feel like this might be my only chance to do it given how long it takes.

However after I did the West Highland Way last August, I was riddled with bite marks from midges from head to toe, and they all turned into raised spots / pimples that took over a month to heal. My skin ended up looking like bubble wrap and it was an awful appearance, I really don't want to start a new job looking like that.

Is this a normal reaction to midge bites? I was wearing smidge, long sleeve trousers and t-shirt and a head net whenever I was stopped. It didn't seem to matter - I had like 5 bites per square inch over my whole body.

Doing a round-trip road trip of Scotland before some friends get married in Edinburgh. I know a fair bit of Scotland, but never been up in the north western part. Big fan of nature/hikes.

Any idea where the best hikes are in that area? We are staying near the coast where we can.

Level-wise: We are both from Bavaria, Germany and hike often, we are up for longer hikes as well. But most interested in awesome scenery, whether the hike is long or short :)

Hi everyone, I am planning for my trek on my Skyle trail (next week, I know, I am a bit late) and I decided to start in Bradford, follow the normal route to the top of the island (Rubha Hunish) and then go down to Uig to get the bus back to Glasgow.

I have 10 days to do the whole thing so I would like to do some more scenic route to get back to Uig instead of taking a bus or walking on the street but on all the sources I looked at there isn't any trail that cuts thought the inland to get there.

Do you know any source that I could look at with some trails? I was looking for stuff in that area and I saw there is the loch sneosdal which seems pretty cool but I can't find a single trail that goes there other than one that starts from the main road on the west side (so of I wanted to do that one I would still have to go most of the way on the road).

What do you think?

Btw of you have any recommendations on stuff to see or do I welcome anything.

I already gotten a filter bottle, and now I am planning the food schedule: I think I am going to get most of the stuff in Italy before flying to Scotland, then go to a decathlon in Glasgow to get the Gas tank for the stove, the go to Bradford and start walking until Portree, stock up on food there and continue walking.

Skill wise I would say I am decently trained and experienced since I hike and climb regularly (usually weekly) in the Italian wear Alps.

Thanks for the help!

Dear Outdoor Scotland Community!

I am not sure wether to go the Skye Trail or the second half of the Cape Wrath with a friend. We booked a B&B at the End of our Trip in Kinlochbervie. How about walking 5 stages of the cape wrath trail from south to nord to end in Knlochbervie? Is it beautiful?
Another Idea would be to do the Skye trail and then go to Kinlochbervie by Bus and have a few days to discover the two stages to the north and south of CWT from there.

Hi everyone,

I’m Aarika, a Master’s student at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh. I’m currently working on my dissertation research in collaboration with the Kyle & Lochalsh Community Trust, focusing on tourism and camping experiences in the Scottish Highlands.

I’m looking for people who have visited, explored, or are interested in the Highlands to share their experiences through a short survey. Your responses will help me understand visitor perspectives, tourism trends, and how future tourism development can better support local communities.

The survey should only take a few minutes to complete, and all responses will be used purely for academic research.

LINK FOR SURVEY

Hello Everyone, I'm looking for a 30-40km backpacking route in Scotland. Ideally with changing scenery, and being able to hide from the rain if needed :). Planning to camp. Will be travelling from London via train. Thanks in advance!

Evening, all!

My dad's recently retired and very active (he's currently on a four-day bikepacking trip including a couple of metric centuries slated in the American midwest, where he lives). We've long talked about taking a weeklong cycle trip together, and have been gravitating toward a Highlands loop, which I describe below.

The main point of the trip is the ride and the views; we're hoping to get my mom over for a week of straightforward tourism after the circuit, but having spent a good deal of time in Scotland thanks to some friends who live in Glasgow, I feel pretty okay sorting out that part of the trip.

We're currently looking at May as our timeframe to hopefully dodge the worst of the midges and have a chance at the occasional clear sky. Planning to mostly stay in hostels or cheap-and-cheerful B&Bs for our overnights - I know wild camping makes it dead cheap to bikepack in Scotland, but I have a feeling that we'll appreciate less weight on the bikes and the certainty of a dry roof at night.

What I'm more looking for here is a gut-check on the feasibility of the cycling legs I have sketched out, how worthwhile our planned overnights (and rest day) are, or any other advice particularly from folk who've taken the cycle routes we're looking at using. Any ideal stops along the way are greatly appreciated as well!

Day One: Pick up the cycle path at Bell's Bridge in Glasgow, ride National Cycle Route 7 up to Callander, overnight there (~50 miles)

Day Two: Callander to Pitlochry continuing on NCR 7. (~60 miles)

Day Three: Pitlochry to Aviemore still on NCR 7 (~60 miles)

Day Four: Rest day; either hiking in Aviemore or taking the train in to Inverness. Either way, likely ending the day in Inverness to give us more flexibility for kickoff on day five.

Day Five: Inverness-Fort Augustus on NCR 78 (~30 miles)

Day Six: Fort Augustus-Fort William on NCR 78 (~30 miles)

Day Seven: Fort William-Oban on NCR 78 (~45 miles)

Thanks in advance for any advice you may have!

Hey guys! a friend and I are doing the 3 day walk between Glenfinnan and Inverie next week. i’ve got experience of hiking a lot and staying in huts in New Zealand, but this is a first for us both in Scotland. We plan to stay in bothies, will take a spare tent with us just in case we need to wild camp, and are taking deet / head net to help with the midges, but is there anything else we need to think about? I’m conscious of the weather being quite hot and not sure how that will affect the presence of midges. Any advice related to midges or anything else to think about would be really welcomed!

There is no option to book, so I'd like to ask whether you saw somebody with a bicycle who was not taken because of a lack of space or whether there was much more space than bicycles in the summer? Was it a weekday or a weekend?

Other info about the line: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/north-scotland/aviemoreadventurer

Hi all, I’m excited to be visiting Scotland around October and I’m keen to check out some trails. However, I’ll be with my 9yo son, who is also a mountain biker, but not as confident. I’m seeking advice on where to go. It will be a highlight for my son (and me).
My son prefers flow tracks with gentle jumps. Nothing too intense but also still has to be decent single trail. Most of the tracks we frequent in Aus are very loose surface and poorly maintained, so we are looking for the opposite! He rides easy (green) and some intermediate (blue) tracks. We ideally need somewhere that will have bike hire, and we will be touring so will consider anywhere in Scotland.
We are excited to explore and appreciate thoughts in advance.

Hi all!

I was wondering: is it a good idea to hike the John o' Groats trail in Oktober and maybe go up to the Orkneys? Is the weather tolerable up there in that season? I'm okay with some rain and chilly nights, but would like to avoid extremes and slipping off a rock and dying, if possible. Any extra advice? I'm a moderately experienced hiker, but it would definitely be my most serious trip by far.

Hi All,
Looking for some info on camping in the Tomintoul area. I’ll be bikepacking the outer Cairngorms loop at the end of July. I’ll be leaving Rothiemurchus and aiming for the Tomintoul area to camp. There don’t look to be many options in the area beyond wild camping. Any tips for spots to put a single tent?

Thanks!!

I booked a tent pitch for this weekend, but only then realised that I hadn't bought anything to protect against insects. Looking at the forecast, it's supposed to be around 12°C with 15 mph winds, so it doesn't seem like ideal weather for midges or other insects. However, has anyone been camping there recently? If the midges are still bad, I'd probably change my booking to a different campsite (any suggestions are welcome)

Hi everyone,

We're planning to travel the second half of July in the West highlands and Skye. I have read that many (and maybe far too many) tourists come this time of year. Do we really need to anticipate everything and book campsites as we'll only have a small tent for 2? We usually wild camp most of the time but like to be on campsites with some facilities to rest.

Thank you :)

Hello,

Going to be going to corrour bothy in Cairngorms to complete the four munros. I have a water filter and was wondering if the water that flows by the bothy is always there or if it dries up at all? Filter will be useless if there is no water so wondering if I should forget the filter and bring a few extra litres with me.

Thanks guys

Hi,

Am planning on heading out next Sunday-Tuesday for some camping and to climb Ben Nevis. My goal is to do via CMD and the ridge but don't have a car so going to take the bus to torlundy. Was wondering if anyone knew of any campsites either near torlundy or near fort William town itself that would be good to pitch up. I've found the one in glen Nevis but it seems to be in the other direction.

Thanks!!

I do a 4-day backpacking trip every year in Scotland. I like to go around mid-April, because I enjoy the cooler temps, no midges and no crowds. However, this year I could not go in April, so I'm looking to do the trip in the autumn.

When is the closest equivalent to mid-April conditions? In particular I'm eyeing October 9-12 for logistical reasons (I live quite far, so I need to plan this well in advance). Is this too late in the year?

I don't mind the occasional rain, but would not like to spend the whole trip wet.

I only ever been to Scotland in the spring. What are some things that could catch me off-guard in the autumn? Will midges be gone by then? Will there still be plenty of water everywhere to drink (bit worried about the hot summer causing some droughts)?

I think the daytime hours will be shorter than in the spring, but I don't mind that too much, I typically like to pitch early (around 4pm) anyways.

Thanks!

EDIT: planning to go to the Loch Mullardoch area, if it makes any difference

Hiya!

I work in tourism in Edinburgh and I also have an interest in nature and walking.

I often get asked at work what is the best day trip to see the highlands from Edinburgh. I have to temper their expectations a lot - often people ask to go to Skye for the day which isn't a day trip at all.

I often recommend Pitlochry, Dunkeld and Callander. They are easy to get to on public transport from Edinburgh in under 2 hours.

But is there anywhere I am missing? I would say Aberfeldy but as far as I know there is no direct way and as a result would take about 3 hours to get there.

And I rarely have two days off in a row from work and would like to explore more on a day trip too so not just asking for work - I do get access to free coach tours but I love to walk and they spend a lot of time driving and not much walking!