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Long-Distance Walking Trails in Scotland (Beyond the West Highland Way)
Coming up: pilgrims, paving, outlaws, uplands, abbeys, Arran, signposted wanders, unmarked challenges, hikes you’ve heard of, hikes you haven’t, and the 16 best long-distance walking trails in Scotland.
🏴 You’ve all heard of the West Highland Way* 🥾
(*just in case you haven’t, it’s Scotland’s most famous long-distance hike. Measuring in at 96 miles (154km), it takes trekkers from Glasgow’s outskirts to the famous hiking hub of Fort William)
But what if you want something a bit lesser-known? A bit more adventurous? A bit more unusual? Some adventures where you might not see 100s of other hikers?
Well, we’ve got you covered: coming up, here are 16 long-distance walking trails in Scotland that you probably haven’t heard of. Slip into your hiking boots and come join the fun! 🥳
A quick note: why Scotland is PERFECT for long-distance hikes?
We’ve already covered why Scotland has the best outdoor infrastructure on the planet.
🤓 But, to sum up:
In short: if you’ve chosen to outdoor-adventure in Scotland, you’ve chosen an exciting, varied, accessible, and logical place to do it 🌻
… so, with all that said, here’s the complete list you’ve been waiting for:
The 16 Best Long-distance Walking Trails in Scotland
1. Ayrshire Coastal Path
How long it is: 100 miles (161km)
Where it is: the mainland west coast, just west of Glasgow
What makes it so special: this is a vastly underrated part of Scotland’s shoreline… and it’s very easy to reach
🚣 This one serves up ragged cliffs, working harbors, dramatic headlands, lots of seabirds, and a surprising lack of crowds. Even better, it runs parallel to sandy beaches for the majority of its route.
The southern half of this walk is much more remote than most people expect, while the northern half is full of urban beaches, little arcades, fish & chips, and lots of family-friendly fun 🐟
🖐️ The town of Ardrossan is around two-thirds of the way along the route—and this is where you can ride ferries to the Isle of Arran. Some Ayrshire Coastal Path hikers ride over to Arran for a few days, before returning to the mainland to finish off their walk. Lovely!
2. Great Glen Way
How long it is: 78 miles (125km)
Where it is: from Inverness to Fort William
What makes it so special: it runs from the Highlands’ most famous city, to the Highlands’ most famous town (and takes in many Highland highlights along the way!)
The vast majority of this takes you through the Great Glen (which means ‘the Great Valley’)…
… so even though you wander past loads of peaks, it’s a surprisingly-flat walk 🥾
Highlights you see along the way include Ben Nevis, Loch Ness, Loch Lochy, the Caledonian Canal, Fort Augustus, Drumnadrochit, and both Inverness and Fort William themselves. For iconic snapshots of some of Scotland’s most famous outdoor places, this is one of the best hikes on our list ♥️
3. The Mull of Galloway Trail
How long it is: 37 miles (60km)
Where it is: a southwestern peninsula on the mainland
What makes it so special: its strange geography
At its southern side, The Mull of Galloway Trail hits Scotland’s southernmost tip (the iconic Mull of Galloway lighthouse).
Heading north, most of the route then runs along the Rhins of Galloway, a hammerhead-shaped peninsula that’s curiously remote, and curiously underexplored.
Highlights along the way include sandy quiet beaches, small pretty houses, an RSPB reserve, and the super-charming Drummore (Scotland’s most southern village!) 🏘️
4. The Cape Wrath Trail
How long it is: usually around 230 miles (370 km)
Where it is: it heads to Cape Wrath (the most northwesterly point of mainland Scotland)
What makes it so special: it’s remote, it’s unmarked, and it’s as much of a puzzle as it is an adventure
Scotland’s most notorious long-distance hike, the Cape Wrath Trail is highly intimidating 😨
There’s no set route, there’s no set distance, and you have to be very tactical about how you tackle it. In a straight line, the route measures in at only 109 miles (175 km)… but because the terrain is tricky and mountainous, the navigation and trail-finding are much more difficult in practice 🧭
Only two things are for sure with the Cape Wrath Trail:
- You finish at Cape Wrath
- It’ll be a VERY big challenge (no matter how experienced you are)
Starting in Fort William, the Cape Wrath Trail is rough and rugged, and gets more remote the further you go. But this is the most beautiful part of Scotland—so if you’re up for the precarious task, you get MASSIVE rewards 😇
5. St. Cuthbert’s Way
How long it is: 62 miles (100 km)
Where it is: southern Scotland and northeastern England
What makes it so special: it’s a famous pilgrimage route… and it ends on a mysterious island
This one doesn’t all take place in Scotland…
… but it still ABSOLUTELY deserves a place on our list.
✝️ An ancient pilgrimage route, St. Cuthbert’s Way rolls through some of the most significant sites from St. Cuthbert’s life (he was a 7th-century Anglo-Saxon saint). It starts near a big ruined abbey, and it runs through rolling hills, remote towns, working farms, and little villages. You end your hike on the iconic Holy Island (which is only accessible when the tides are low).
And because St. Cuthbert’s Way is partially in the Scottish Borders (the southern-Scottish area bordering northern England), you learn lots about the history of this region…
… and that history is surprisingly turbulent and violent! ⚔️
6. The Arran Coastal Way
How long it is: 65 miles (105km)
Where it is: on a small-but-significant island, off the Scottish west coast
What makes it so special: cos it’s almost like a summary of Scotland
The Isle of Arran is sometimes referred to as ‘Scotland in miniature.’
🏴 That’s because—it serves up many of the things that Scotland is famous for:
- Friendly locals
- Incredible hikes
- Craggy shorelines
- Super-fresh seafood
- Remote quiet beaches
- Tiny towns and villages
- A proud culture and heritage
And get this: the Arran Coastal Way is a hike running around the entire perimeter of the island. So—there’s no better way to see many of the best things that represent Scotland. And for an entire-island hike, it’s (relatively speaking) surprisingly short 🎉
🌴 For much more on the excellent Isle of Arran, here are:
7. The John Muir Way
How long it is: 134 miles (215km)
Where it is: urban Scotland, in and around both Edinburgh and Glasgow (and much more)
What makes it so special: it’s named after iconic Scottish conservationist John Muir (who helped establish some of the USA National Parks)
🏭 Celebrating the nation’s cultural and industrial heritage, the John Muir Way mixes super-urban sights with some surprisingly-rural ones. For a real mix of EVERYTHING that past-day and present-day Scotland has to offer, it’s an excellent option.
Hitting the outskirts of both Edinburgh and Glasgow, it also features hills, industrial areas, underrated Dunbar, some of the places that influenced the life and work of John Muir, and parts of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park.
… but don’t be tricked by the centrality and urbanity of this route. It’s a long hike, with some surprisingly tricky (and some surprisingly-steep) sections 🥾
8. The Rob Roy Way
How long it is: 79 miles (127km)
Where it is: in and around some of central Scotland’s most iconic places
What makes it so special: it’s named after a famous Scottish outlaw (who was sort of like a Scottish Robin Hood)
We’ve already covered the Rob Roy Way in LOADS of detail here.
… but the route takes you from the famous Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, all the way to the southern outskirts of Cairngorms National Park (which, fun fact, is the biggest national park in the UK) 💡
Along the way, you pass a HUGE variety of stuff, including mountains, farms, waterfalls, valleys, lesser-known hills, and some underrated lochs.
It’s an interesting route because: it takes you to a well-trodden part of Scotland… but covers some not-very-well-trodden places in this part of Scotland 🌳
9. Loch Ness 360 Trail
How long it is: 80 miles (129km)
Where it is: Loch Ness
What makes it so special: it takes you around the entire perimeter of Loch Ness
Starting and ending at Inverness Castle, the Loch Ness 360 takes you to famous towns, little-known villages, parts of Loch Ness you’ve heard of, parts Loch Ness you haven’t, and some surprisingly-lofty areas (with excellent Loch Ness panoramas) 🦕
I often tell Scotland’s visitors that Loch Ness is overrated. And in most contexts, it is 😬
… but when you do this hike, you hike through underrated places, you dodge lots of crowds, you see places most people don’t, and you get a big understanding of the loch’s history, heritage, and significance. So: if you can do this hike, Loch Ness is ABSOLUTELY worth visiting!
For much more on Loch Ness (and some other lochs!), here are:
10. Borders Abbeys Way
How long it is: 68 miles (109 km)
Where it is: the Scottish borders (again!)
What makes it so special: it takes hikers in a loop, to four different historic abbeys
If you’re interested in the religious history of the Scottish Borders, you’ll love this loop 👼
Hitting the four historic abbeys at Kelso, Jedburgh, Melrose and Dryburgh, the Borders Abbeys Way has a big focus on the religious history of this part of Scotland.
Other highlights include stretches along both the Tweed River and the Teviot River, easy access (all the towns are reachable by bus), lots of farmland and countryside, and many rural independent pubs and cafes.
🏡 If you like mooching about in brick-and-cobble small town centers, this is the walk for you.
11. Forth & Clyde/Union Canal Towpath
How long it is: 63 miles (101km)
Where it is: between Edinburgh and a town west of Glasgow
What makes it so special: it takes you to and through Edinburgh and Glasgow (and beyond!)
For pretty much the entirety of this walk, you wander along two connected canal towpaths: the Forth & Clyde Canal, and the Union Canal 🚣
It’s flat, it’s easy, it’s urban, and it requires basically zero planning. You can expect boats, locks, towns, villages, pubs, lots of life, lots of people, and to be surprised by how charming this part of Scotland really is.
If you like outer-urban quaintness, you’ll love this. If you don’t, you’ll find it a bit unadventurous and boring 🤷
12. The Berwickshire Coastal Path
How long it is: 30 miles (48km)£
Where it is: north from Berwick-upon-Tweed, very close to the English-Scottish border
What makes it so special: it’s PERFECT for an easy-to-access weekend wander
Possibly the most underrated wander on our list, the Berwickshire Coastal Path is WAY more dramatic and atmospheric than hikers ever expect.
Although it lies relatively close to both Edinburgh and Newcastle, this part of the world is much more remote and rural than you’d think.
🏖️ One of the best coastal walks I’ve ever been on, highlights include cliffs, beaches, fishing villages, the family-friendly retro beachside haven of Eyemouth, the nesting seabirds of St. Abbs Head, one of the best descents into a cove you’ve ever seen, and the super-friendly folks of southern Scotland.
Overall, this one’s highly underrated and massively recommended. And because you can get it done in a weekend, it’s very easy to do!
13. Southern Upland Way
How long it is: 212 miles (341km)
Where it is: coast to coast, in southern Scotland
What makes it so special: it was the UK’s first-ever officially-recognized coast-to-coast route
🌳 Because this is in the lowland-heavy area of southern Scotland, people usually think this is a simple hike…
… but it isn’t.
While many long-distance hikes intentionally cut through valleys and lower levels, the Southern Upland Way chooses to run over lots of hills. You can expect moors, farms, underrated lochs, blustery summits, lots of mist, and some surprisingly-tricky tests of endurance and navigation.
🗺️ Basically, if you want the type of adventure you would usually get in northern Scotland… but without having to venture all the way up to northern Scotland… this is the hike for you.
15. The Hebridean Way
How long it is: 157 miles (253km)
Where it is: the Outer Hebrides, far off Scotland’s west coast
What makes it so special: it’s a REAL adventure, running along 10(!) different islands
🏖️ The Outer Hebrides (which you might also know as the ‘Western Isles’) is a west-coast archipelago made up of over 100 different islands (including the well-known Lewis and Harris), with only 15 of them inhabited.
The Hebridean Way hike (also available as a similar-but-slightly-different bike ride) takes you to 10 of those islands, and features two ferry rides, six causeways, and a whole load of Gaelic culture. This part of Scotland has a more unique culture (and accent and history) than most parts of the mainland. If you want to get away from all the touristy vibes, this is one of your best options.
🪧 Interestingly, the highest point along The Hebridean Way is only 270 meters (886 feet). But because much of the hike is peaty, boggy and remote, it’s still a very tricky (but very rewarding) challenge.
15. Skye Trail
How long it is: around 79 miles (128km)
Where it is: from Broadford to northern Skye (through some of the Cuillins!)
What makes it so special: it’s a self-navigated untouristy adventure… through one of Scotland’s most touristy places
Much like with the Cape Wrath Trail, this highly-adventurous challenge has no waymarks (and many sections don’t even have a path) 🫤
If you’re comfortable with a map and compass, this is the best way to get off Skye’s sometimes-irritating tourist trail—and you’ll see lonely peaks, hidden shores, abandoned villages, and places most locals never even experience. But if you’re not an experienced hiker, don’t even consider it 😱
For much more on the Isle of Skye, here are:
16. The Dava Way
How long it is: 23.5 miles (38km)
Where it is: between Grantown-on-Spey and Forres (close to Inverness)
What makes it so special: it follows an abandoned railway line (and for a long-distance trail, it’s actually very short)
🚂 Almost completely following the old disused Highland Railway Line, The Dava Way is super easy to follow, and you don’t need to navigate or deal with tricky terrain—but it’s surprisingly diverse. Highlights include moors, farms, forests, and the pretty towns of Grantown-on-Spey and Forres.
And because it’s so short, you can get it done in a weekend (or even in one big long day!).
Pro-tips on Tackling Long-distance Hikes in Scotland
Before You Go
So, there you go: these are 16 long-distance hiking trails in Scotland that you mightn’t have heard of!
If you can only choose three of them, our favorites are:
- The Rob Roy Way: it takes you from Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park to the outskirts of Cairngorms National Park—while hitting underrated parts of a well-known stretch of the nation.
- Forth & Clyde/Union Canal Towpath: it’s not the most adventurous hike, but it takes you between Edinburgh and Glasgow (and hits LOADS of underrated highlights along the way).
- The Cape Wrath Trail: a big intimidating remote beast, this is one of Scotland’s biggest outdoor-adventure challenges.
🏴 For more Scottish outdoor adventures, here are:
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