The best hiking trails in Scotland

Along Scotland's long distance walking trails, you can explore the best of Scotland's nature and landscapes and experience a wealth of history and culture. Discover some of our unmissable walking routes here:

• West Highland Way
• The Whithorn Way
• John Muir Way
• Loch Ness 360 Trail
• Fife Coastal Path
• Southern Upland Way
• The Great Glen Way
• The Cateran Trail
• Borders Abbeys Way
• Kintyre Way

Don't forget to scroll down and see the full list of long distance route options below.

Looking for an epic route for your first challenge? Discover long distance walking routes for beginners.

Breathe in refreshing salty air, immerse yourself in dramatic seascapes, explore quiet coves and bays and see some spectacular marine wildlife, with this collection of sublime coastal trails.

JOHN MUIR WAY

• Start: Helensburgh, Argyll
• End: Dunbar, East Lothian
• Length: 134 miles (215 km)
• Timing: 7 - 10 days

The coast to coast John Muir Way celebrates John Muir as the father of National Parks and global conservationism.

MULL OF GALLOWAY TRAIL

• Start: Mull of Galloway
• End: Glenapp
• Length: 35 miles (56 km)
• Timing: 2 - 3 days

The Mull of Galloway Trail runs from Scotland's most south-westerly tip, through Stranraer and on to Glenapp, linking with the Ayrshire Coastal Path.

WEST ISLAND WAY

• Start: Kilchattan Bay, Isle of Bute
• End: Kames Bay, Isle of Bute
• Length: 30 miles (48 km)
• Timing: 2 - 3 days

Explore the beautiful beaches, moorland, forest and farmland of the West Island Way on the Isle of Bute, in the Forth of Clyde.

BERWICKSHIRE COASTAL PATH

• Start: Cockburnspath, Scottish Borders
• End: Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland
• Length: 28.5 miles (45 km)
• Timing: 2 - 4 days

The lovely Berwickshire Coastal Path in the south of Scotland takes in some of the UK's most spectacular cliff and coastal scenery.

MORAY COAST TRAIL

• Start: Findhorn
• End: Cullen
• Length: 50 miles (80 km)
• Timing: 3 - 5 days

The Moray Coast Trail follows the Moray Coast with views across coves, beaches and skerries to the vastness of the Moray Firth and North Sea.

If it's wild and wonderful you want, then these trails have this in abundance. Pack your rucksack (or - for the Great Glen Canoe Trail - load your canoe!) and experience some of the finest and most dramatic mountain and loch scenery to be found anywhere in Europe.

WEST HIGHLAND WAY

• Start: Milngavie, near Glasgow
• End: Fort William
• Length: 96 miles (153 km)
• Timing: 6 – 8 days

Scotland’s most popular long distance route, the West Highland Way takes in some of Scotland's most iconic scenery.

GREAT GLEN WAY

• Start: Fort William
• End: Inverness
• Length: 79 miles (127 km)
• Timing: 5 – 6 days

The walking/biking equivalent of the Canoe Trail, the Great Glen Way threads its way through stunning mountain and loch scenery.

THREE LOCHS WAY

• Start: Balloch, Loch Lomond
• End: Inveruglas, Loch Lomond
• Length: 34 miles (54 km)
• Timing: 2 – 3 days

Taking in Loch Lomond, The Gareloch and Loch Long, the Three Lochs Way is the perfect option for immersing yourself in sublime scenery.

THE LOCH LOMOND & COWAL WAY

• Start: Portavadie, Cowal
• End: Inveruglas, Loch Lomond
• Length: 57 miles (91 km)
• Timing: 3 – 5 days

The Loch Lomond & Cowal Way passes through stunning Argyll scenery via waymarked forest and hill tracks, quiet roads and serene shorelines.

Follow these routes from their source to coastal end, stopping along the way at some remarkable visitor attractions. Don’t forget to keep your eyes peeled for timid riverside wildlife or simply enjoy a picnic on a peaceful river bank.

SPEYSIDE WAY

• Start: Buckie
• End: Newtonmore
• Length: 100.6 miles (162 km)
• Timing: 5 – 6 days

Linking the Moray Coast with the Cairngorms National Park, the Speyside Way passes through whisky country and leads into the UK’s largest National Park.

CLYDE WALKWAY

• Start: Partick, Glasgow’s West End
• End: New Lanark World Heritage Site
• Length: 40 miles (64 km)
• Timing: 2 – 3 days

Connecting Scotland’s biggest city with a UNESCO World Heritage and the Falls of Clyde, the Clyde Walkway takes in history and wildlife along the way.

RIVER AYR WAY

• Start: Glenbuck Loch, East Ayrshire
• End: Ayr, South Ayrshire
• Length: 44 miles (70 km)
• Timing: 3 – 4 days

Passing through historic landscapes and areas rich in wildlife, explore tranquil East Ayrshire before reaching the seaside town of Ayr along the River Ayr Way.

ANNANDALE WAY

• Start: Devil’s Beef Tub, near Moffat
• End: Annan, Dumfries & Galloway
• Length: 55 miles (88 km)
• Timing: 4 – 5 days

Heading through delightful Dumfries & Galloway countryside, with steep climbs and rough ground at times, the Annandale Way is a long distance route to savour.

Step back in time with these fascinating historical trails. Follow in the footsteps of pious monks and a saint or learn how less saintly Roman invaders, marauding cattle-rustlers and the notorious Rob Roy MacGregor left their indelible marks on today’s landscapes.

CROSS BORDERS DROVE ROAD

• Start: Harperrig, Pentland Hills Regional Park
• End: Hawick, Scottish Borders
• Length: 52 miles (83 km)
• Timing: 4 – 5 days

The Cross Borders Drove Road follows ancient routes once used for moving livestock to the old markets at Falkirk and Crieff.

ROMANS AND REIVERS ROUTE

• Start: Ae Forest, near Dumfries
• End: Hawick, Scottish Borders
• Length: 52 miles (83 km)
• Timing: 4 – 5 days

Step back in time along the Romans and Reivers Route and discover old Roman roads and trails used by the notorious Border Reivers (raiders).

BORDERS ABBEYS WAY

• Start: Jedburgh
• End: Jedburgh – though you could start and end at any of the towns along the route
• Length: 68 miles (109 km)
• Timing: 5 days

The circular Borders Abbeys Way links the four great ruined Borders abbeys at Jedburgh, Melrose, Kelso and Dryburgh.

ST CUTHBERT'S WAY

• Start: Melrose, Scottish Borders
• End: Lindisfarne/Holy Island, Northumberland
• Length: 62.5 miles (100 km)
• Timing: 5 days

Dedicated to St Cuthbert, a seventh century monk, bishop and hermit, the St Cuthbert's Way is a great route for revitalising body and spirit.

Explore easy-going long distance routes that lie along some of our former railway lines, canal towpaths and quiet country roads, where the attractions and scenery will take your breath away.

CALEDONIAN CANAL

• Start: Fort William
• End: Inverness
• Length: 60 miles (96 km)
• Timing: 5 days

An engineering marvel, built by Thomas Telford, the Caledonian Canal runs through Neptune's Staircase and past lochs Lochy, Oich, Ness and Dochfour, before meeting the Moray Firth at Inverness.

DAVA WAY

• Start: Forres
• End: Grantown-on-Spey
• Length: 24 miles (38 km)
• Timing: 2 days

The Dava Way, through Speyside and the Cairngorms National Park, follows the old Highland Railway line, climbing from sea level to 1050 feet at Dava summit.

FORMARTINE & BUCHAN WAY

• Start: Dyce, near Aberdeen
• End: Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire
• Length: 40 miles (64km) - with 13-mile (21 km) spur option from Maud to Peterhead
• Timing: 3 - 4 days

Passing through some lovely Aberdeenshire countryside, this route runs along the old Formartine & Buchan railway line.

UNION AND FORTH & CLYDE CANAL TOWPATHS

• Start: Bowling, West Dunbartonshire
• End: Edinburgh
• Length: 62 miles (100 km)
• Timing: 4 - 5 days

Cutting Scotland in half between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde, the Union and Forth & Clyde Canal Towpath route follows marvellously engineered and flat towpaths.

THE LOCHS & GLENS WAY 

• Start: Glasgow
• End: Inverness
• Length: 215 miles (346 km)
• Timing: 5 - 12 days

The Lochs and Glens Way long distance cycling route runs through some of the finest central belt and Highlands scenery and crosses through Scotland's two national parks.