Hillwalking in Scotland

Scotland is a walker's paradise. Throughout the country there are numerous marked trails, ranging from short walks to long-distance treks from one side of the country to the other. Whatever your taste or level of fitness and experience, you'll find plenty of opportunities to get off the beaten track and explore the countryside.

The best time for hiking in the mountains is usually from May to September, though in the more low-lying parts, April to October should be safe. Winter walking in the Highlands requires technical equipment such as ice axes and crampons and a lot of experience. July and August are the busiest times, though only the most popular routes, such as Ben Nevis, get really crowded.

Another problem during these months are midges. May to mid-June is probably the most pleasant time overall, as the weather can often be fine and the midges have yet to appear. September is also a good time, though it can be a lot colder.

Access
Scotland has a long tradition of generally free responsible access to mountain and moorland. This free access, of course, relies on walkers behaving responsibly and recognizing that the countryside is a place of work as well as recreation. Most land in Scotland is privately owned and at certain times of the year, such as the main shooting seasons, walkers may be asked to respect certain restrictions on access.

The main deer stalking season runs from mid-August to 20 October and the grouse shooting season is between 12 August (referred to as the 'Glorious Twelfth') and 10 December. For more information on this, see Heading for the Scottish Hills which is published by the Mountaineering Council of Scotland (see below) and the Scottish Landowners Federation and gives estate maps and telephone numbers to call for local advice. There may also be restricted access during the lambing season (March-May).

It is not an offence to walk over someone's land in Scotland but, especially during the stalking and shooting seasons, you may be asked to take a different route, though this rarely happens. At the time of writing there are two new national parks proposed; one is the Cairngorms National Park due to open in early 2003, and the other is Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, which is due to open in April 2002.

Furthermore, there is free access at all times of the year to areas owned by the National Trust for Scotland. These areas include Torridon and Glencoe. There is also free access to most land owned by the Forestry Commission, and there is good public access to land owned by the John Muir Trust, Scottish Natural Heritage, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Woodland Trust, though these areas are not marked on Ordnance Survey (OS) maps.

Also not shown on OS maps are Rights of Way, which are signposted by the Scottish Rights of Way Society's green metal signs. The society publishes maps of rights of way, many of which follow ancient 'drove roads' through the hills.

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