Northern Scotland Northern Scotland Scotland This guided hiking tour of Northern Scotland takes us to the remote North Highlands. From the low country of Caithness in the north-east to the spectacular mountains of Torridon and Sutherland in the north-west. You can’t wish for a more scenic Scottish hike in the most spectacular and varied scenery. There is an abundance of archaeological and historical sites and excellent hiking. We’ll never be far from the coast with spectacular sea lochs, high cliffs, and rocky bays, caves and arches. Always something new to draw you on around the next corner. Scotland at it’s best! Tour Highlights - Walk along Dunbeath Water with numerous ancient monuments and a spectacular gorge - Camster long and round cairns, Caithness - View across Loch Torridon - Hike on Bealach Na Ba, Applecross - Geology of Assynt and view from Knockan Crag - Ruins of Ardvreck Castle, Loch Assynt - The ever changing shape of Suilven - Walking among the stunning scenery of Sutherland Walking Tour Meeting: Inverness Airport: Inverness Transfer: Inverness Airport Riders: Min 5 riders Max 12 riders Trip Brochure (PDF) Trip Rating

Packages and Options

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Transfer and Other Charges:

On Day 1 of the program, pick up is scheduled from Inverness airport for 11:00 am.
On the last day of the program, drop-off at Inverness airport for 5:00 pm.

Sample Itinerary - subject to changes

Day 1: Arrival
We will meet you in Inverness and travel to our accommodation in Helmsdale where we’ll stay three nights.
Overnight: Helmsdale, Sutherland
Meals Included: Dinner

Day 2: Dunbeath Strath
The first walk of our tour will be in Dunbeath Strath along Dunbeath Water. The path runs along a gorge through ancient woodland and then reaches open ground. We will see many interesting sites along the way, including an old mill built in 1850/1860, the site of a monastery, an Iron Age broch (fort), a deserted settlement from around 1800 and various chambered cairns. We will visit the Dunbeath Heritage Museum after the walk. On the way back we’ll have a short walk to the remains of the Badbea clearance village, where people that were cleared from their land in the 18th century were forced to live.
Walking Distance 6 miles / Elev gain 825 ft.
Overnight: Helmsdale, Sutherland
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 3: Caithness
Drive farther north into Caithness to explore the wealth of archaeological sites in this part of the north Highlands. Most of Caithness is now uninhabited, but the remains show that this area was highly populated in the past. There are a large number of Neolithic and Iron Age sites. Short walks will take us to some of them, including the Grey Cairns of Camster: two Neolithic tombs (a long cairn and a round cairn) built more than 5,000 years ago, and the Hill o’Many Stanes, consisting of about 200 small stones arranged in rows running down a low hill. They were placed about 4,000 years ago, possibly for gatherings and religious ceremonies. Large arrangements of stone rows like this are rare.
Walking Distance 5 miles / Elev gain 730 ft.
Overnight: Helmsdale, Sutherland
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 4: Loch Damh
We will leave the east coast and travel to Torridon on the west coast. Here we’ll do a very scenic walk south of Loch Torridon offering stunning views across the loch to the Torridon mountains and down to the sea.The walk starts with going round a peninsula covered in Scots Pine forest. We continue inland along the river Balgy to the Falls of Balgy where the river drops down in a powerful cascade. Our route continues upstream to Loch Damh, surrounded by mountains. From here we will walk down a track back to the road.
Walking Distance 4.75 miles / Elev gain 575 ft.
Overnight: Achnasheen, Wester Ross
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 5: Applecross peninsula
We drive onto Britain’s most spectacular pass, the Bealach Na Ba. Weather permitting, our first hike on the peninsula will be from the highest point of the pass into the Applecross peninsula. From here we’ll walk up Sgurr a’ Chaorachain 2600ft/792m. Our walk starts at 2000ft/600m, so it is a nice short hill walk with spectacular views into the surrounding corries and mountains, getting better with every step. On a clear day the views are all the way to the Isles of Raasay, Skye and Rum. We will visit Applecross after the walk, another pretty village, where we’ll have a number of walks to choose from, including a walk to the Coral beaches.
Walking Distance 7 miles / Elev gain 1790 ft.
Overnight: Achnasheen, Wester Ross
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 6: Torridon
We have a number of options around Torridon from coastal walks to hill walks. There is a very nice coastal walk from Diabeg to the bothy at Craig or if we are up for a hill day, we could walk up Beinn Damh, offering a stunning introduction to the mountains of Torridon or we can walk into the spectacular Coire Mhic Fhearchair.
Walking Distance 5-9 miles / Elev gain 985-3215 ft.
Overnight: Achnasheen, Wester Ross
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 7: Lochinver
We’ll travel north to Lochinver. Our journey will take us along the scenic coastal route with spectacular mountain and coastal scenery. Suilven, the showpiece of Assynt dominates the landscape north of Ullapool. This is a hill of many shapes. From the south it is a long, drawn-out sugarloaf, with an obvious depression in the middle, from the east it can look like the Matterhorn, rising from its bedrock plinth of Lewisian Gneiss to a narrowing spire. From the north it forms a huge, rounded bastion of quartzite capped sandstone. There will be short walks along the way and since we will be in the Northwest Highlands UNESCO Global Geopark some of the walks in Assynt are geology themed, starting with the Knockan Crag interpretative geology trail on our way north.
Walking Distance 4.5 miles / Elev gain 770 ft.
Overnight: Lochinver, Assynt, Sutherland
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 8: Kirkaig Falls & River Inver
Two walks today, starting with a hike up along the river of Kirkaig to some spectacular waterfalls and beyond. The first walk starts in a beautiful, wooded glen with hazel and birches. We soon leave the woodland and continue on open moorland. As height is gained mountains begin to come in view. The falls plunge 20 meters down the gorge. After having admired the falls, we continue along the glen for even better views of the Assynt mountains. Back in Lochinver we’ll walk through mixed woodland beside the fast-flowing River Inver which rushes over rocks with many small waterfalls.
Walking Distance 7 miles / Elev gain 770 ft.
Overnight: Lochinver, Assynt, Sutherland
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 9: Old Man of Stoer & Clachtoll Broch
On our last day, we’ll do a rough walk to the Old Man of Stoer, a spectacular sea-stack. The return walk is across the moor and a low hill with fantastic views in clear weather up the Sutherland coast backed by Foinaven mountain and inland the mountains of Assynt – Quinag, Canisp, Suilven, Cul Mor, Cul Beag and Stac Pollaidh. On our way back we will stop at Clachtoll for a short walk to the beach and the remains of Clachtoll Broch.
Walking Distance 6.5 miles / Elev gain 1300 ft.
Overnight: Lochinver, Assynt, Sutherland
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 10: Departure
After breakfast we will travel back to Inverness where the tour ends.
Meals included: Breakfast

                                                Ullapool area

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Average High Temperature (°F)	44	45	48	53	59	63	66	65	61	55	48	44
Average Low Temperature (°F)	34	33	35	38	41	48	51	50	46	42	37	33
Average High Temperature (°C)	7	7	9	12	15	17	19	18	16	13	9	7
Average Low Temperature (°C)	1	1	2	3	5	9	10	10	8	5	3	0
Average Precipitation (days of rain)	20	17	19	15	14	13	15	16	18	20	21	20

Source: NOAA


Seasons
Scotland’s climate is quite moderate though changeable. As the old Scottish saying goes, 'there's no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes!'
One of the most surprising things about Scotland's climate is how much it varies from one place to another. It's often the case that you can drive for 20 minutes and find the conditions are different.
The unpredictable nature means it's not uncommon to experience all four seasons in one day!

Spring
A beautiful time to visit, this season sees daffodils, bluebells, cherry blossom and rhododendrons bursting into bloom. With sprightly wildlife and a milder breeze in the air, there's plenty of activities to enjoy.
Even if you do experience an April shower or two, there is a fantastic range of galleries, museums and other attractions to keep you entertained all year-round, regardless of the weather.

Summer
Scotland's high latitude means that we enjoy lovely long summer days and often an extended twilight. In the north of the country, Lerwick in Shetland has about four hours more daylight at midsummer than London.  And, with the extra hours of daylight, you can pack a lot into your summer holiday.

Autumn
The colors of autumn are eye-catching and vibrant, as the trees change from green to fiery reds, oranges and yellows. It's a perfect time of year to snap some photographs as you take an invigorating autumn amble through the forest.

Winter
The average number of days with snow falling in Scotland ranges from 10-20 days. However, the peaks and mountains of the Highlands experience around 40 days of falling snow.

We travel from one location to the next on a comfortable LDV mini-coach with 14 high-backed seats (rarely filled to full capacity so there is plenty of room to spread out). The height of the vehicle allows for excellent views over hedgerows, stone walls, etc. Your luggage is stored inside, not on a roof rack, so there is no risk of it getting wet. We spend from one to three nights in each area and walk the best parts before moving on to our next stop. When we travel between locations we make plenty of allowances for "comfort" stops and coffee / tea breaks. Our vehicles are fitted with stereo systems so you may like to bring along a music tape or two for the driving journeys.

The following items are essential:
- Good strong waterproof hiking boots
- Waterproof jacket
- Comfortable hiking trousers (jeans are not recommended at all as they are too hot in fine weather and too heavy if they get wet)
- Small day rucksack for lunch, drinks, coat etc.
- Water Bottle
- Gloves (even in summer it can get really cool in some hilly and coastal areas)
- Warm Hat
- Personal toiletries and medication
- General warm clothing such as sweaters, track suit bottoms (sweat pants), fleece jacket, etc.
- Sun cream / sun block / after sun cream
- Spending money in Euros (due to the remote nature of our accommodations, it is sometimes difficult to get to banks and cash machines).
- Credit cards are accepted everywhere.

The following items are suggestions:
- Shorts
- Waterproof trousers
- Camera
- Binoculars
- Flask (Thermos)
- Walking pole / stick
- Torch (flashlight)
- Book
- Alarm clock
- Drawing / painting equipment
- Swimsuit
- Insect repellent
- Your favourite remedy for blisters. (I highly recommend a product called “Compeed” which is available in most pharmacists. In the USA and Canada it may be sold under a different brand name. It is manufactured by Johnson and Johnson) 

(Note: Only one suitcase per person please) 

 
Cell phone rental is available and can be pre-booked through www.rentaphone-ireland.com 

If you are travelling from the USA you may wish to check out unlocking your cell phone to use and Irish SIM card. Check out www.unlockitfree.com or  www.bilemo.com/unlock  

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Accommodations
This is a progressive tour so nights will be spent in different locations.

Description
All our accommodations have been carefully selected. We have chosen locations of outstanding natural beauty, so that you can enjoy the best of Irish rural life and scenery. You will enjoy top quality accommodation in small, family run guesthouses and hotels whilst being charmed by the hospitable and friendly hosts.
We stay in small hotels, guest houses, farmhouses, B & B's and occasionally castles.

Accommodation Itinerary - subject to changes based on availability
Night 1, 2 & 3: Accommodation in Helmsdale
Night 4, 5 & 6: Accommodation in Achnasheen
Night 7, 8 & 9: Accommodation in Lochinver

Room Occupancy
All rooms are en suite twin, double or single. Singles are available on request for a small supplement.


Meals:
All meals are included in your package.

We take packed lunches for our lunch breaks during our walks. These are provided from our accommodation or from local delis.

Our evenings are a time for reviewing the day's activities and shared experiences on the hills. Evening meals are taken either in the places where we are staying or in local restaurants. You will be pleasantly surprised at the fine quality meals you will enjoy on your tour.

Tack:
Horses:
Pace:
Level:		(0 out of 5)
Riders:		Min 5 riders	Max 12 riders

Passports
Passport valid for at least three months beyond length of stay required by all nationals referred to in the chart except:
1. EU nationals holding a valid national ID card.
Note: EU nationals are only required to produce evidence of their EU nationality and identity in order to be admitted to any EU Member State. This evidence can take the form of a valid national passport or national identity card. Either is acceptable. Possession of a return ticket, any length of validity on their document, sufficient funds for the length of their proposed visit should not be imposed.
Passport Note
(a) A passport is not required for travel between Great Britain and Ireland, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man. (b) Passengers transiting the UK destined for the Republic of Ireland are advised to hold return tickets to avoid delay and interrogation.

Visas
Not required by nationals referred to in the chart above for stays of up to six months.
Visa Note
(a) Nationals not requiring visas are advised to be in possession of either a return ticket or, if arriving on a one-way ticket, proof of sufficient funds to accommodate and support themselves for the duration of stay. (b) Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements

This information is not being updated on a regular basis. Hidden Trails does not take any responsibility for the accuracy of the above information. Please, consult the embassy or consulate for updated info.