AUTUMN WALKING BREAKS
Autumn is a fine time of year for walking in Scotland. The ingredients are all there - enough daylight for a full day's walking, temperature neither too hot nor too cold, no midges, and glorious autumn colours in the trees and countryside. And a warm Scottish welcome of course too!
Walking in the Scottish Highlands is not all about climbing and Munro Bagging. Yes there are 283 mountains at least 3000 ft high called Munros, but there is also a huge choice of lower level walks which often give better views of the wonderful landscape and scenery. Many of the best views in Scotland are of the hilltops, not from them! And Scotland is thinly populated, with hundreds of square miles free from roads or houses - high or low, the Highlands offer the visitor a sense of remoteness, mystery and openness found in few other countries.
It's not difficult to avoid the most touristy places, and indeed in autumn Scotland is much less busy anyway. This is a particularly good time to visit the west coast, from Bute north to Oban. With quiet roads, unspoiled bays and stunning sea views, there's every opportunity for the walker to get away from it all, well off the beaten track. This part of Scotland offers the walker a marvellous combination of wonderful seaward views in one direction and beautiful glens waiting to be explored in the other.
Autumn is also a wonderful time to walk some of the more accessible Scottish islands. From the isle of Bute the wonderful wide seascapes of the lower Firth of Clyde can be enjoyed, and the isle of Arran has a terrific combination of wild mountain, lowland and sea, from which its description as "Scotland in miniature" derives. Further north towards Oban the island of Kerrera is charming indeed - a small passenger-only ferry gives access to a delightful walk round the south end of the island to dramatic Gylen Castle and grand views across the Firth of Lorn.
Lochsides too are tempting for walking at this time of year, and there is no shortage of Scottish lochs to explore. Loch Ness and Loch Lomond are famous in many ways, and they have much to offer the walker, including a fine section of the West Highland Way up the more remote east side of Loch Lomond. But there are lochs all across Scotland, some very remote, but very many with tranquil walks around their shores, offering a sense of being at one with nature.
And with fewer other visitors around, you will have no problem in finding welcoming and friendly accommodation, with the promise of fine food and drink after a wonderful day's walking in Scotland
