The Best Hikes in Scotland

Scotland’s greatest asset is its clean, green landscapes, where walkers can fill their lungs with pure, fresh air. It may only be a wee (small) country, but it has a variety of walks to rival anywhere in the world. As well as the splendid mountain hikes to be found in the Highlands, there’s an equal extent of Lowland terrain with gentle riverside walks and woodland strolls. The indented coastline and numerous islands mean that there are thousands of miles of shore to explore, while the many low hills offer exquis-ite views over the countryside. There’s walking to suit all ages and tastes. Here we highlight some of the best walks in Scotland, including several offering unusual sights and memorable experiences that you can recount to the folks back home.

Loch Leven, Scotland’s largest Lowland loch, is designated a National Nature Reserve because of its importance for wildfowl and nesting ducks. About 20,000 pink-footed geese roost here in winter—their dawn flight is an amazing sight. In summer, broods of ducklings shelter along the shoreline, and there’s a chance of seeing an osprey or white-tailed sea eagle fishing. All sorts of exotic migrants turn up here, including a spoonbill. The path runs around the loch, linking viewpoints and bird hides.

Set amid rolling farmland, Bennachie is a heather-clad range of hills with rocky summits. The most prominent top, Mither Tap (518m/1,700 ft.), is ringed by an Iron Age hill fort and has views to the North Sea coast. Path improvements have made progress much easier across the peaty ground.

As the highest mountain in the British Isles, Ben Nevis, at 1,344m (4,408 ft.), is an irresistible draw for hill walkers. It’s a hard slog to the top, but the sense of achievement is incredible. If clouds don’t obscure the view, you can enjoy a spectacular panorama over the west coast.

With miles of golden sand, this is a fantastic location for a summer walk and picnic. It has stunning views across the Firth of Forth to the Kingdom of Fife and is only 20 miles (32km) from the hubbub of Edinburgh. The rock pools and seals are a great attraction for children, and you can see Fidra Island, which is said to have inspired Treasure Island, the 18th-century classic novel by Robert Louis Stevenson.

These mountains are aptly named Alps, as they have an unusually rugged character for hills so far south in Scotland. They rise straight out of a sea loch in the western part of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. The Cobbler, at 881m (2,890 ft.), is the lowest but best loved of these peaks, with rock faces that played a significant role in the development of Scottish climbing.

For a three-dimensional view of Scotland’s capital city, climb the volcanic hill at its heart and look out over chimneys and spires to Edinburgh Castle and Leith docks on the Firth of Forth. The walk includes a stroll along Salisbury Crags for a bird’s-eye view of the Scottish Parliament building and Holyrood Palace, the Royal Family’s official residence in Scotland.

Scotland’s most southerly mountain also has some of the finest views, stretching on a clear day from the urban fringes of Glasgow to Ben Nevis in the north. A well-made path up Ben Lomond (974m/3,195 ft.) makes it one of the “easier” Munros (mountains over 914m/3,000 ft.) to tackle.

For sheer diversity of coastal views and wildlife, this walk is hard to beat. Wild goats live on Carradale Point, and you could see any size of marine mammal from a seal to a minke whale (the coast is also visited by basking sharks). The route takes in two beautiful and very different beaches—a vast stretch of golden sand and a perfect little cove with turquoise water—while the jagged mountains of the Isle of Arran are a constant presence offshore.

Head across to the southwest tip of Galloway for another rewarding cliff-top walk. This time you look out west to the distant coastline of Ireland. Starting from the picturesque fishing village of Portpatrick, this walk passes above cliffs with colonies of nesting seabirds on its way to scenically sited lighthouse.