Walking in Scotland...how do you know where to go?

Gail-force

Gail-force

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OK, this may be the daftest question posted, but although I love going to Scotland, I always struggle to plan my walks (I usually whip out my trusty OS maps in England, but obviously can't for Scotland)...my question...how do you plan where to walk? Do you just park up somewhere and head off and hope you can find your van a few hours later?
 
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You can buy OS maps for Scotland,can’t you?????? Or have I misunderstood your post.
 
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i have used a couple of web sites that cover walks in Scotland and then either downloaded the route or screen shot the page. last one i did was for the forest trail area the North side of Ben Nevis.

example

www.mudandroutes.com

Walking in Scotland | Mud and Routes

There are few areas of the UK that can compare with Scotland for walking. The Scottish Highlands include the highest mountain in Scotland (and the UK if you’re that way inclined) – Ben Nevis, as well as 282 Munro Summits (supplemented by 227 Munro Tops). Each Munro is at least 914.3 metres in...
www.mudandroutes.com www.mudandroutes.com
 
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Ordnance Survey Maps - OS Maps for Scotland

The Ordnance Survey Maps offer a wide selection of scales and areas covered. These maps cover all of Scotland. From the more detailed Explorer Maps at 1:25,000 to the Landranger Maps covering a wider area at 1:50,000. These maps are ideally used for activities such as Walking, Cycling, Horse...
dash4it.co.uk dash4it.co.uk
 
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OS maps are available but it’s not as easy as, say, the Lake District as fewer made paths. Cicerone do some good books - plus online guides.
 
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Gail-force said:
OK, this may be the daftest question posted, but although I love going to Scotland, I always struggle to plan my walks (I usually whip out my trusty OS maps in England, but obviously can't for Scotland)...my question...how do you plan where to walk? Do you just park up somewhere and head off and hope you can find your van a few hours later?
Click to expand...
You can get land ranger maps and I believe you can download onto ph as well , also when you come to gods country, visit a tourist information shop they have maps of local walks etc , I would start at Aviemore , glenmore campsite , there are loads of walks from the site through some of the most fantastic scenery , glencoe is another place to visit for walking .
 
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As we wild camp a lot and never have a fixed plan we invested in a hand held Garmin with full UK mapping.
Not the cheapest option but now we can stop at any place and switch the unit on and see and plan walks immediately.

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Trout bum said:
You can get land ranger maps and I believe you can download onto ph as well , also when you come to gods country, visit a tourist information shop they have maps of local walks etc , I would start at Aviemore , glenmore campsite , there are loads of walks from the site through some of the most fantastic scenery , glencoe is another place to visit for walking .
Click to expand...
Thanks TB!
 
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Hi all, thanks for the helpful comments👍 I do have OS maps downloaded on my phone, which is great for topography and roads… I was just hoping for something that showed actual paths… but hey, spirit of adventure, I may just set off and get lost 😉
 
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Buy a guide book with written descriptions and maps or visit tourist offices or National Park Offices to start with...when you begin to feel like more of a challenge, sign up for a half or full day Map reading course....you then will be more ready to plan your own routes, judge times, distances and understand terrain...
Scotland is a wild and wonderful place, but needs a little caution when venturing off outside your comfort zone...marked routes maintained by Forest Enterprise are generally good fun, graded, time and distance is given.
 
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As well as buying the OS maps which cover the area you are visiting,it is worth buying a compass and learning how to use it,if you don’t already. Can be very useful if you are in the wilds and the weather/ visibility gets worse…as it can do very quickly sometimes.

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If you have internet access this planner is currently free to use
gpstraining.co.uk

Ordnance Survey Route Planner

GPS Training - free Ordnance Survey route planning software. Free OS maps for planning walks, running and cycling and export your planned route as a GPX files to put onto your Outdoor GPS Unit. If you can support GPS Training, which will enable this Ordnance Survey to continue to be FREE, it...
gpstraining.co.uk gpstraining.co.uk
You can create a GPX file and import to a GPS device
For anything more than a short walk you should still have a paper map
 
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I have had the same concerns. After years of using OS 1:25k maps in England and Wales (which clearly show all rights of way) it was a surprise to find maps of Scotland not featuring the same red dots and dashes. The right to roam in Scotland is an excellent facility but it is still difficult to plan.
I have found a great source of walks in Scotland in the free Walkhighlands website. walkhighlands.co.uk
It covers all regions and walks are sorted by length and difficulty. It is a superb resource and allows you to show the walk on a 1:25k map.
 
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There are fewer 'rights of way and fewer public footpaths. But there lots of trails that you can walk on. Are you thinking about hill walking, general hiking or just little walks in the country?

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As Gpat says It depends on what you want to do. Ordnance survey maps are great for low level walks. Just find one for the location you want to go to and you'll find loads of hikes which you can tailor to the type of walk you want to do. For more high level stuff such as munroes or corbetts then the Scottish Mountaineering Club book ( https://www.smc.org.uk/publications/hillwalking/munros ) gives excellent routes along with what map to use. There's also the long distance walks such as the West Highland Way and the Southern Upland Way (plus quite a few others) both of which you can do small sections of. You can be pretty sure that whatever you do once you are a mile away from the car park you will be pretty much alone for long sections in some fantastic scenery. The usual precautions are recommended such as decent clothes, map and compass. In my younger days I spent years walking the mountains of Scotland. My knees can't handle it now. Watch out though - you might get hooked!
 
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Lots of ideas in W A Poucher's books, still available I believe.

P
 
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When we are somewhere new we just go out and hope. We follow our noses, but Nick (manic) is good with direction, he calls it his pigeon head-homing pigeon. He also has an app that has proved quite handy.
 
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gpat said:
There are fewer 'rights of way and fewer public footpaths. But there lots of trails that you can walk on. Are you thinking about hill walking, general hiking or just little walks in the country?
Click to expand...
Hi GPAT, probs general hiking...usual distance is about 7-10 miles 3-4 hours and stretches where I can let my dogs off the leads

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Just ask... We very friendly up here and the local Info is better than any map you can read.
A good starting point is the barman you have just bought a pint in return for a freeby night in his carpark or the warden at the site you are at.....
Local Info is like gold dust.
 
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You might like to look at some of the Corbetts. You may have heard of the Monros which are all over 3000ft but the Corbetts are lower hills and mountains up to 3000ft, often less visited and less challenging walks.
Amazon product ASIN 0907521711
 
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poppycamper said:
Just ask... We very friendly up here and the local Info is better than any map you can read.
A good starting point is the barman you have just bought a pint in return for a freeby night in his carpark or the warden at the site you are at.....
Local Info is like gold dust.
Click to expand...
Good advice!, thanks
 
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Pausim said:
You might like to look at some of the Corbetts. You may have heard of the Monros which are all over 3000ft but the Corbetts are lower hills and mountains up to 3000ft, often less visited and less challenging walks.
Amazon product ASIN 0907521711
Click to expand...
Wow! never heard of a Corbett...jumping onto Amazon now to do some research...Thanks!
 
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gpat said:
There are fewer 'rights of way and fewer public footpaths. But there lots of trails that you can walk on. Are you thinking about hill walking, general hiking or just little walks in the country?
Click to expand...
In Scotland we have freedom to roam loads of footpath walks especially in Aviemore area .
 
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