Scotland’s top 5 hiking trails

What Scotland may lack in sunny weather it more than makes up for in scenery. Craggy coastal cliffs, snow-capped mountains, extinct volcanoes, and silvery lochs, the Highlands and surrounding wilderness offer sublime views and the best way to access the more remote places is on foot.

In order to make the most of this weather-beaten ancient landscape, set off on one of Scotland’s top five hiking trails.

Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh

This extinct volcano in the middle of Edinburgh offers some of Scotland’s most magnificent views. See the city laid out before you, the Castle cutting a dark silhouette against the moody sky, Holyrood Park and Palace, and the Firth of Forth leading out towards the choppy North Sea.

The walk to the top of Arthur’s Seat and back down takes approximately two hours, but there are several trail options to choose from depending on the incline or length you’re after. Hotel Ceilidh-Donia is a homely, family-run hotel only a short walk from the start of the route.

Glen Etive, Glen Coe

If it’s good enough to form the backdrop to James Bond’s Skyfall, it’s surely good enough for a hiking holiday. The jaw-droppingly beautiful and remote mountain, Glen Etive, offers various hikes through woodland, past waterfalls, and up into the clouds.

While enjoying the sunset over Loch Etive from the summit, try to spot deer on the surrounding hillsides and if you’re lucky, you’ll have brought a cask of good Scotch whisky with you to toast the view. Glencoe House offers spacious, luxurious suites in a large mansion, each with their own outdoor jacuzzi.

Ben Nevis, Inverness-shire

As Britain’s highest mountain at 4,409ft, Ben Nevis will be a tempting prospect for avid hikers and the fact that it takes about nine hours to scale and descend, at a leisurely pace, makes it a great day trip during a visit to Scotland. Although novice walkers are advised to avoid attempting the route between November and May, and instead wait for the kinder temperatures and blue skies of the summer months.

The early sections of the climb feature rocky paths and panoramas of untouched Scottish wilderness – silver lochs and craggy hills covered in velvety-looking green moss. Towards the summit, you’ll be crunching through mid-summer snow as you rise with the mountain into the mist for the most rewarding views of all. Just a 20-minute drive from Ben Nevis, you’ll find comfort and killer views at Lochview House.

Ben Alligin, Wester Ross

On a clear day the views from the mountain of Ben Alligin stretch as far as the Outer Hebrides, with the eerily beautiful Torridon region in between. The peak’s Gaelic name translates as the ‘Mountain of Beauty’; suffice to say the scenery in this part of the Scottish Highlands is easily some of the country’s most extraordinary. A highlight of the trail is the Horns of Alligin – a huge cleft in the middle of the mountain.

Well-located for climbing Ben Alligan, The Torridon is a grand country house hotel with castle turrets and period features.

Sandwood Bay, Sutherland

Right at the north-western tip of Scotland, Sandwood Bay is so remote it takes a four-hour hike to get to but it’s remoteness is really what makes it so wildly beautiful. Totally unspoilt, the beach has white sands and azure seas that feel more like the Caribbean than Scotland, were it not for the considerably brisker temperatures.

The mile-long beach is backed by huge, windswept sand dunes and flanked by cliffs, plus a dark stone sea stack jutting out into the waves. Highland Holiday House is a charming home in Durness, not far from where the hike to Sandwood Bay begins.