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Regions - Trip reports, destination advice, recommended routes, etc. => Scotland => Topic started by: Lowlander on 14:12:22, 17/10/18

Title: Long distance Scotland Walk without any tarmac roads at all!
Post by: Lowlander on 14:12:22, 17/10/18
A long distance Scotland Walk without any tarmac roads at all!
Is it possible?
Title: Re: Long distance Scotland Walk without any tarmac roads at all!
Post by: jo90 on 15:42:49, 17/10/18
Look at the Cape Wrath Trail apart from a bit of that you divert to Ullapool it all avoids tarmac. I did it in 2014 and it a mind blowing walk. If Iirc  the Skype trail  also avoids tarmac roads too.
Title: Re: Long distance Scotland Walk without any tarmac roads at all!
Post by: jo90 on 20:24:42, 17/10/18
My apologies Lowlander.  I've just had a look at the route of the Skye trail and it does actually follow tarmac roads for a short section or two  But I think even as remote and wild as some parts of the highlands are there is at some point no avoiding a tarmac road to make a long distant route viable.
Title: Re: Long distance Scotland Walk without any tarmac roads at all!
Post by: snoopdawg on 19:46:49, 18/10/18
Second the CWT. Only short tarmac sections up Glenfinnan and from Rhiconnich hotel up to the path to Sandwood bay.

Could always plan a multi day Cairngorm walk.
Title: Re: Long distance Scotland Walk without any tarmac roads at all!
Post by: Bigfoot_Mike on 20:33:53, 18/10/18
Second the CWT. Only short tarmac sections up Glenfinnan and from Rhiconnich hotel up to the path to Sandwood bay.

Could always plan a multi day Cairngorm walk.


I was also going to suggest the Cairngorms. The Lairg Ghru and Lairg an Laoig can be combined over a couple of days. If you add in some of the mountains, the distance and duration could be extended.
Title: Re: Long distance Scotland Walk without any tarmac roads at all!
Post by: Owen on 12:38:51, 19/10/18
The Cape Wrath Trail is fantastic but you don't have to stick slavishly to the guidebook version there're loads of different routes you could follow, just make your own trail up.
Title: Re: Long distance Scotland Walk without any tarmac roads at all!
Post by: astaman on 16:19:28, 19/10/18
If you start your walk in Drymen then the West Highland Way has almost no road walking. You have to cross roads but you don't go along them except for the very short stretch from the Inveroran Hotel to the Rannoch Moor path and along the street in Kinlochleven and Fort William.
Title: Re: Long distance Scotland Walk without any tarmac roads at all!
Post by: richardh1905 on 08:50:54, 31/10/18
A multi day walk around the Cairngorms springs to mind. You could do a grand circuit taking in many of the high passes and some beautiful glens with very little road walking at all.
Title: Re: Long distance Scotland Walk without any tarmac roads at all!
Post by: Lowlander on 15:11:02, 27/11/18
Thanks everybody!
Title: Re: Long distance Scotland Walk without any tarmac roads at all!
Post by: jj99 on 20:56:59, 02/01/19
The problem with the West Highland Way is that while there are few sections of road walking the hordes of people walking the route make it feel like a motorway



quote author=astaman link=topic=37372.msg530011#msg530011 date=1539962368]If you start your walk in Drymen then the West Highland Way has almost no road walking. You have to cross roads but you don't go along them except for the very short stretch from the Inveroran Hotel to the Rannoch Moor path and along the street in Kinlochleven and Fort William.