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Scottish Coast to Coast Walk

11 Days & 10 Nights 4.7 Read 22 reviews
  • Walk across Scotland through ever-changing landscapes
  • Enjoy a fireside dram at the end of an unforgettable day
  • Finish at the foot of Ben Nevis - Scotland's highest mountain
  • Traverse the incomparable Rannoch Moor
  • Enjoy hearty dinners at cosy Highland hotels
Traverse Scotland from Coast to Coast on foot. Take on a classic journey from Perth to Fort William across the moors, mountains and rivers of the central Scottish Highlands. The Scottish Coast to Coast walk visits charming highland towns, remote hotels, quiet glens and wide open moors. All touched by history, people and stories. The Scottish Coast to Coast Walk starts in the elegant city of Perth and follows the River Tay to Dunkeld and Aberfeldy. The route meanders to Kenmore before heading into the empty, and majestic, countryside of Fortingall, Kinloch Rannoch, Rannoch Station and Kingshouse. At Kingshouse you join the West Highland Way to Kinlochleven and then Fort William, the end of your Scottish Coast to Coast Walk. Whilst the incomparable scenery of the Scottish Highlands is the number one draw there are numerous other points of interest to explore on your journey across Scotland; prehistoric settlements, medieval churches, beautiful cathedrals, restored Crannogs, ancient clan battlefields and more. But the walking is only half the story. On your coast to coast journey you will also discover delicious locally sourced salmon, smokey whiskies, charming highland hotels and the warmest of welcomes. Download an elevation profile chart for this walk.
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What To Expect

This is a fairly tough walk through some very remote areas so is best suited to more experienced walkers who can navigate using map and compass. They will be rewarded with an unforgettable walk!

Trip Type:

Classic Routes | If you’re the active, outdoorsy type, who’s interested in taking on the great routes of the world or looking for a challenge, then our Classic Routes are for you. We’re talking the West Highland Way, Tour Du Mont Blanc and the Passau to Vienna Danube Cycle Path, to name but a few!

Activity:

Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&B’s, inns, and guesthouses.

Ideal if you have an interest in:

Off the Beaten Track, Accessible by Rail

As a guide, we would suggest that the minimum age of traveller this holiday would be suitable for is: 16 Years

Grade & Terrain

The route comprises of hill and mountain tracks through woodland and forests and also moorland. You will also walk on riverside trails, minor roads and highland paths, some of which can be indistinct and boggy. There are also some parts where you will walk in remote areas, so it's important to be vigilant on these sections, especially when it is foggy.

Navigation

This route is not way marked (with the exception of the last two stages, which are on the West Highland Way), and a few sections follow indistinct trails. We provide GPX tracks, on our free Macs Adventure smartphone app, which should be used for navigation alongside the route notes on this trip. You should be a competent navigator with map and compass, and if desired we recommend bringing maps as a back up to your phone for navigation. Alternatively, make sure you have a rechargeable battery pack with you for your phone, or that more than one member of the group has the maps and GPX tracks downloaded on their phone for navigation as an additional back-up. 

Accommodation Information

We specifically choose each nights’ hotel, inn, guesthouse and B&B to ensure that you enjoy every minute of your stay. They all offer a warm welcome to walkers, traditional hospitality and delicious local food. They range from remote highland inns with a history dating back hundreds of years to charming family run B&B’s. We aim to use three star accommodation as a minimum but some remote inns are either not graded or only two-star. Each night offers something different.

In both Bankfoot and Fortingall there is only 1 suitable accommodation. If they are full, you will spend 2 nights in Perth instead of 1 in Perth and 1 in Bankfoot and 2 nights in Aberfeldy, instead of 1 in Aberfeldy and 1 in Fortingall. Transfers to and fro are included in both scenarios. 

Single Rooms & Solo Walkers

Due to the remote nature of this trip, it is not available for solo walkers.  However, if you require single rooms these are available, although a single supplement is payable. Single rooms in remote inns or small B&B’s may not have en-suite bathrooms.

Meals

A delicious breakfast is included each morning. Most accommodation offers a full Scottish Breakfast as well as a continental option. You won’t start the day hungry!

Lunch and dinner are not included so you are free to choose from the available options. Most of your accommodations will more than happy to provide a packed lunch on request and this can be booked on arrival. Dinner is available either at your accommodation or nearby pubs and restaurants.

Included
  • 10 Nights in B&B's, guesthouses and country hotels
  • 10 Breakfasts
  • Baggage transfer
  • Dinner on day 7 at Moor of Rannoch Hotel if overnighting, otherwise complimentary transfers to your alternative accommodation will be provided instead of the included dinner
  • Information pack, route notes and detailed mapping on our free Macs Adventure smartphone app
  • 24/7 Emergency telephone support from our office
Excluded
  • Travel to Perth / from Fort William
  • Lunches, dinners, snacks and drinks
  • Personal equipment
  • Travel insurance (required)
Extras
  • Additional nights along the route

When To Go

The Scottish Coast to Coast Walk is available from the end of March to October. You can start your walk on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays or Saturdays, but not on Wednesdays, Thursdays or Sundays. This is limited due to the fact that some of the accommodations are closed on certain days of the week.

Getting to the Start

Perth is a major transport hub and easily accessible from Glasgow and Edinburgh by road, rail or coach. The train from Glasgow takes 1h20 and 1h15 from Edinburgh.

Getting from the End

Regular trains (3 per day) and buses (4+ per day) run from Fort William to Glasgow. The journey takes 3 hours by bus and 4 by train, although the train is more scenic.

Visit www.travelinescotland.com to plan your journey by public transport.

Baggage Transfer

Your bags will be transferred from your accommodation as per your itinerary. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg per person.

At Macs Adventure, we work in partnership with many luggage transfer providers who set a limit on how many bags/suitcases they will transfer per person, and also the weight of the bag/suitcase.  Your booking includes transfer of 1 bag per person.  It is very important that you read the luggage information specific to your tour before departure. If you do not adhere to these limits, there is a great possibility that you will be charged locally both for extra bags or if they are too heavy. This limitation can be a challenge, especially as airlines generally have limits that are higher. However, our luggage providers have reasons for these limits (usually due to the Health and Safety of their employees), which we must respect.

General Information

The distances and ascent/descents are approximations of the recommended routes. Please be prepared by packing all necessary items, for example, proper rain gear (jacket and pants), sun hat, sunscreen. Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots or shoes, warm and waterproof clothes for the cooler months and lightweight clothing for summer, and a day pack.

Equipment

Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots or shoes, warm and waterproof clothes and a day pack.

Travel Insurance

It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable travel insurance which covers you for the activity and emergency evacuation and hospital care.
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Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive Perth Day 2 Perth to Bankfoot 13 miles / 21 km Day 3 Bankfoot to Dunkeld 9.5 miles / 16 km Day 4 Dunkeld to Aberfeldy 19 miles / 31 km Day 5 Aberfeldy to Fortingall 13 miles / 21 km Day 6 Fortingall to Kinloch Rannoch 11 miles / 18 km Day 7 Kinloch Rannoch to Rannoch Station 17 miles / 28 km Day 8 Across Rannoch Moor 12 miles / 20 km Day 9 The Devil’s Staircase to Kinlochleven 9 miles / 15 km Day 10 Kinlochleven to Fort William 15 miles / 24 km Day 11 Onward Travel

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