When I’m not in the hills, I’m usually thinking about when I’ll next get to them. Here are a few of the places which are on my mind at the moment.
Half day or evening escapes:
If I’m after some time in open spaces but only have a few hours or don’t feel like travelling too far I love to go to either Gleniffer Braes or Doughnot Hill. Both offer a bit of a climb, rewarded by beautiful views, and I can reach them both from Glasgow in 30 minutes by car (or a bit longer by public train).
Gleniffer Braes to the south of Glasgow, near Barrhead, has lots of good farm tracks and paths, and highland cows as well. Once you get a bit of height you can see right over the city to the Campsies, Kilpatricks and Southern Highlands to the north. I’ve even caught a cloud inversion one December morning.
Check out this route and this one in the adjacent Fereneze Braes.
Doughnot Hill is to the north west of Glasgow, at the western edge of the Kilpatrick Hills which stretch between Dumbarton in the west and Milngavie to the east (and include Cochno, Duncolm and the Slacks). From the summit one can see the Highland Boundary Fault which marks the divide between the Lowlands and the Highlands as it crosses Loch Lomond, and the southern highlands stretching northwards. It really feels like you’ve escaped the busy city.
There is a regular bus service from Glasgow through the West End which stops in Milton. It’s then a 35 minute walk up a quiet lane to Overtoun House from where the route in this description begins.
Great days out:
Isle of Arran
Some of my favourite mountain days have been on Arran. I totally love the place! It’s fully accessible by public transport (train+ferry take 2 hours from Glasgow’s city centre), the mountains are properly spectacular, and you can get chips on the ferry home.
I like to get the first train from Glasgow Central and arrive on Arran around 10am. The bus service on the island is excellent and connects with the ferries. You can either walk or bus a few stops and head up Glen Rosa for a lower-level walk in a stunning glen, or head up to many of the mountains. Goatfell from Brodick Castle is probably the easiest. Or for a longer and more adventurous day (with a touch of scrambling) get the bus to Sannox and return to Brodick via North Goatfell, the Saddle (a bealach or mountain pass), or Caisteal Abheil and Cir Mor.
Lots of walk options can be found here: https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/arran/north-arran.shtml
The Mamores
I’ve only recently started getting to know the mountains north and south of Glen Nevis and I feel a bit obsessed with them, spending a lot of my spare time planning various epic routes.
The ridges are so good, there is lots of easy scrambling, and it’s possible to visit multiple peaks in one outing.
There are many circular routes which can be done from Glen Nevis or Kinlochleven.
Scroll down to no. 12 to find some options: https://www.stevenfallon.co.uk/routescentral.html
Weekends away:
The Isle of Skye
This is not an original suggestion. Everyone knows that Skye is stunning. In many ways it’s too stunning for its own good and some parts of the island are far too busy for my liking. But there are several routes which are far away from the tourist hotspots of the Fairy Pools and the Old Man of Storr.
The Red Cuillin are tamer than their famous Black counterparts, but that does not make them genteel: steep slopes, lots of scree and rocky terrain bring their fair share of exciting hill walking or running. These circular routes are excellent: Glamaig and Marsco; Beinn na Cailleach.
For a shorter walk, Ben Tianavaig is perfect, with no compromising on sensational views.
The Cairngorms
Epic in their size, it’s possible to wander around the Cairngorms for a few days without seeing a road or human made structure (other than paths, cairns and bothies). There are Scots pine woods, huge glens, high plateaus, hidden lochs, monumental corries, and mountains as far as they eye can see. Each time I’ve visited the Cairngorms I have felt small; these are proper mountains which can throw proper weather at you. I’ve had thunderstorms, torrential rain, mighty winds, hail, snow, and blazing sunshine (all in summer).
Depending on where you’re coming from there are lots of routes of all shapes and sizes from Glen Feshie in the west, from Linn of Dee near Braemar in the south, or Aviemore in the north.
Join me!
If any of these locations or routes have now made it onto your bucket list and you’d like a guide, remember that I offer bespoke guiding as well as women-only group activities in many of these locations.