Best Highland Walking Trails

The Scottish Highlands offers some of the most stunning scenery you will ever be likely to set your eyes on. In today’s blog, we’ve listed just a few of the best Highland walking trails to explore:

Craig Phadrig Forest

The Craig Phadrig forest walk is a total distance of 2 kilometres. It takes approximately one hour to complete the walk, but in order to take in the sights to see and allow time for some photography, we’d advise to take your time and account for up to 2 hours exploring. The ascent of the walk is 75m and for any budding orienteering enthusiasts, the grid reference is NH6040449. This beautiful walk is rich in wildlife and scenery – we’d recommend taking a picnic along and making a day of it!

Caledonian Canal & Dochgarroch Lochs

This walk is for those who find calm in the open waters. This particular trail is quite a challenging walk of 12 kilometres and takes approximately three to four hours to complete at average speed. Proper walking boots are recommended for this scenic trail. The ascent of the walk is about 10m and the grid reference is NH657434.

Fort William to Gairlochy

The walk from Fort William to Gairlochy is approximately 17 kilometres and takes about four and a half hours to complete. The trees, nature and openness of this walk makes it enjoyable for those who seek serenity and enjoy a physical challenge. Waterproof gear is essential for this trail as the area is prone to precipitating profusely dependent on the time of year! The ascent of the walk is 40m and the grid reference for this walk is NN104742.

Drumnadrochit to Inverness

This walk is the longest of our selection, but certainly the most exhilarating and challenging! Can you complete the challenge of 29 kilometres? The walk can typically be completed between seven to nine hours, but it definitely not a walk to be taken lightly. The real challenge is that the trail is mainly uphill with an ascent of 480m. The grid reference for this walk is NH508299. Once you arrive at Inverness, the likelihood is that you either will want to stay in the city of Inverness for a few days or you’ll aim to walk your way back to Drumnadrochit the following day and allow for some rest and relaxation!

Exploring the best Highland walking trails

Are you planning to undertake any of our best Highland walking trails? Why not stay with us just outside of Inverness city centre, at our Highland Retreats destination, Achnagairn? Complete with five-star large luxury lodges accommodation and boutique bedrooms as part of our Achnagairn castle offering, take the time to rest, relax and escape the ordinary with one of our lucrative special offers.