Guest Post: Advice for Fellow Americans Hiking in Scotland

Scotland’s outdoor pursuits are extremely popular and finding accommodation in the spring and summer can be tough. Book your trip as soon as possible. We confirmed our May 2017 adventure with Wilderness Scotland in February 2017, which caused a bit of a scramble for accommodation close to the trails. We stayed in a few B&Bs in villages off the West Highland Way, which was a lovely, more personal introduction to the locals. One of my favourite aspects were talking with the hosts who made us breakfast and hearing their stories and recommendations!

• Book now – our trips are popular so book early before spaces fill up.

And speaking of people: invest in a guide. We chose the self-guided option for the West Highland Way because the trail is very well marked, but we took advantage of Wilderness Scotland’s excellent guides for our foray into Skye. Fran Pothecary, our personal guide, was so kind, knowledgeable, and attentive. She tailored hikes to fit our interests, taught us the history of the Isle, and made sure we were well cared for. Beyond that, however, she was just fun, and we felt like we’d made a lifetime friend by the end of our trip. This was money very well spent. Wilderness Scotland has many guided adventures to choose from including a fully guided version of the West Highland Way.

• Meet the Wilderness Scotland guiding team. They really are the best in the business.

If you race to the end of each day’s miles, you’ll miss the marvellous sights, sounds, and smells that belong only to Scotland. Thanks to the longer daylight hours in spring and summer (the sun often rose before 5:00 a.m. and set close to 11:00 pm) you really don’t have to rush. I’m no marathon runner, and I lingered at streams, old ruins, and fields of playful lambs. Even on the longest day, which we hiked in about 8 hours, we still had plenty of daylight to burn once we reached our accommodation.

What is the point of coming all the way to this ethereal place if you don’t enjoy the open vistas, smell the sweet air, or allow yourself a moment to linger in the grass next to a waterfall, in awe? Give yourself this gift.

• Long summer days are amazing but shorter autumn days increase your chance of seeing the northern lights in Scotland

Brandi Willis Schreiber: Lambs on Skye

We hiked the canyon systems in West Texas and took to the treadmill a few times a week before our trip. Completing several hikes of 5 – 8 hours in length will give you a good idea of what to expect. While the West Highland Way is not difficult, it is long and requires endurance. The same goes for some trails in Skye. I can honestly say that although my feet were tired at the end of each day, my body did not hurt like I expected it to, and I attribute this to training in advance.

• Check out Wilderness Guide Gill’s top tips to get fit for a long distance hike

Because we used Wilderness Scotland’s luggage transfer service on the West Highland Way for our big suitcases, all we had to bring on daily hikes was a daypack. Here is where I went a little overboard, however. Anticipating everything from a horrible bug bite to falling off the trail into a ravine below (neither happened), I overstuffed my daypack.

Learn from my mistake and carry just the essentials: water, snacks/a packed lunch, pre-cut moleskin patches with a few large, flexible strip Band-aids (in case a hot spot or blister does develop), sunglasses, sunscreen, your phone/camera, an extra pair of socks, a fleece, light rain jacket, waterproof backpack cover, and collapsible walking sticks (if you use them). Be sure that your daypack is constructed of lightweight material and has good shoulder support. I made the mistake of using a canvas backpack, which was heavier.

• Read Wilderness Guide Gills’ top tips for self-guided walking

Because we used Wilderness Scotland’s luggage transfer service on the West Highland Way for our big suitcases, all we had to bring on daily hikes was a daypack. Here is where I went a little overboard, however. Anticipating everything from a horrible bug bite to falling off the trail into a ravine below (neither happened), I overstuffed my daypack.

Learn from my mistake and carry just the essentials: water, snacks/a packed lunch, pre-cut moleskin patches with a few large, flexible strip Band-aids (in case a hot spot or blister does develop), sunglasses, sunscreen, your phone/camera, an extra pair of socks, a fleece, light rain jacket, waterproof backpack cover, and collapsible walking sticks (if you use them). Be sure that your daypack is constructed of lightweight material and has good shoulder support. I made the mistake of using a canvas backpack, which was heavier.

• Read Wilderness Guide Gills’ top tips for self-guided walking

Scotland is a hiker’s dream, and Wilderness Scotland helped make it a dream come true for us. To plan your own outdoor adventure, contact one of their adventure consultants. Kirsty Duncan helped us plan our adventure from start to finish and patiently answered all of our questions!

Rain soaked and loving It

Explore the adventure holidays that inspired Brandi:

• Hike the famous West Highland Way
• Explore the beautiful Cullin mountains – The Isle of Skye hiking adventure
• Check out our all our activity holidays that run in the Skye and Inner Hebrides area