Are you thinking about walking or hiking in Scotland? Here you will find useful tips to make the most out of your trip!
If you want to read about Scotland’s Long Distance Routes, click here. Have you ever heard about the Affric Kintail way? If not, click here to read more about our experience!
If you are interested in finding out about Munros, click here.
Here you can find some common questions and our answers:
What’s the best time to explore Scotland?
The best seasons to walk or hike in Scotland are spring and autumn. To be more specific, the best months are May, June and September. Why? Not because of the weather… the weather is changeable and unpredictable all year, so you just need to get along with that. It’s because of midges – small flies that gather all around you as soon as you stop moving – and yes, they do bite. To have a better idea of where and when they are, have a look at this website.
I can only visit Scotland in July or August, should I go anyway?
Yes, you should! Don’t let the midges win you! You can enjoy walking and hiking anyway but you need to carry some specific equipment:
- a midge head net
- and a repellent – we recommend “skin so soft” by Avon, a dry oil spray which will prevent the midges from biting you… they will literally drown in it and die on your skin.
What else do I need to bring?
Either you are going on a day trip or a longer one, you should bring:
- hiking socks – they need to be tight and light as well as easy to dry out, we have some from Decathlon and they work very well, so you don’t need to spend a fortune.
- hiking shoes
- walking poles
- waterproof jacket
- gaiters
- waterproof gloves
- waterproof poncho (if you are carrying a big backpack)
- waterproof trousers (for longer trips)
- water bottle
What if I want to go camping?
You can absolutely go camping in Scotland. You can go to an organized camping area – you need to book in advance due to cover-19 restrictions – or you can go wild camping in the middle of the nature. If you choose the latter, you need to carry with you everything to sleep and eat because there won’t probably be facilities nearby.
Here a list of things we recommend:
- waterproof tent
- lightweight sleeping bag
- lightweight sleeping mat
- insulated sleeping pad
- camping stove & camping (240g is ok for 3/4 days)
- stove windshield
- lightweight camping cooking set
- organic camping soap + sponge
- dehydrated / lightweight freeze-dried food (adventure food, instant Mac&Cheese, instant noodles, etc.)
- lightweight snacks (nuts, chocolate)
- water purifying tablets (e.g. micropur forte) – it’s always easy to get water from rivers or springs, just make sure it is not static or stagnant.
- plastic bag to carry home your rubbish
Scotland is gorgeous and having the right equipment will make your time there just perfect!
