Scottish Wild Country Backpacking: 30 weekend and multi-day routes in the Highlands and Islands

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From the base of Beinn Challum, I must follow the West Highland Way for a few miles to the delights of Crianlarich. The very Scottish rain has now set in – a persistent drizzle that soaks in almost imperceptible way. The trail wends through pine forests with little view and little to relieve the tedium of walking in the rain. Yet a constant flow of walkers passes by, bound northwards on the West Highland Way. I give up exchanging greetings such are the numbers – 84 in total on this three mile stretch. I am not sad to leave the official trail and camp alone above the village. West Highland Highway - the Summit-Level Alternative

Renting a car is a great way to see the country in even more detail. A car gives you freedom to really get into what you want.For those who aren't aware, a bothy is a basic building which is free for use by walkers for shelter or to stay one or two nights. Most don't have toilets and no running water so is basically a step up from a tent. Many are ex-miner cottages and have a historic story to tell and many are in places with fantastic views. Most are in Scotland but there are a few in the Lake District, Northumberland and Wales. The majority of Bothies are maintained by the Mountain Bothies Association are were relatively secret until a few years ago.

Tourist visas for citizens of many countries can be easily obtained on arrival at all of the ferry ports and airports. As of early 2018, members of all EU countries and EFTAmember statesstill have freedom of movement privileges and don’t require any visas. Jura contains some of Scotland’s wildest coastline. Glacial cliffs, white-sand bays, and remarkable geological features are found throughout this tough – but rewarding – 3-4 day walk along the island’s entire northwest coast. It's not often a book comes along that adds a whole new dimension to your time in the hills but The Book of the Bothy could do just that... A great book that made me want to head to the hills immediately."Foinaven (clumsily translated from Gaelic as 'Warty Mountain') has a vast footprint. The long north-south ridge overlooks wide, talus-filled corries to the east, divided by subsidiary spurs. Great curtains of ghostly grey-white Cambrian quartzite scree cover the slopes, giving the mountain the air of an enormous, disintegrating skeleton, the remains of some mythical leviathan – beauty and brutality petrified in mid-collision. Treating campfires as an occasional luxury rather than a necessity – which it seldom is – already goes some way to making them more sustainable. Being considerate and safety conscious reduces the risk of a fire getting out of control