Scotland walking break
Glencoe & Ben Nevis

A long weekend hiking break to the Glen Coe and Fort William areas in the Western Highlands, Scotland featuring some of the classic walking routes on and around Britain's highest mountain, Ben Nevis.

Glencoe itself, our base for the weekend, is surrounded by some of the Scottish mainland's most awe inspiring peaks and is rich in history, being the site of the famous massacre of the Clan Macdonald in 1692.

Trip Summary
This 3-day hiking tour is based in the spectacular mountain areas of Glencoe and Glen Nevis and will feature ascents of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK and Buachaille Etive Mhor, one of the most beautiful, as well as lower level walking into the upper reaches of Glen Nevis. These glens have some spectacular scenery, being surrounded by mountains such as the Mamores range and the Grey Corries and have been the setting for several major films over the years including Braveheart, Highlander, Rob Roy and more recently, Harry Potter.

Glencoe itself, our base for the weekend, is surrounded by some of the Scottish mainland's most awe inspiring peaks and is rich in history, being the site of the famous massacre of the Clan Macdonald in 1692

Tour Itinerary
This holiday includes 3 days hiking  in the Glencoe and Glen Nevis areas, all transport to and from Edinburgh and 2 nights half board accommodation in the Glencoe area (your choice of Bed and Breakfast or Youth Hostel). Departure will be from Edinburgh at 8.30am on the first day of the tour.

We will have full day hillwalks on the Friday and Saturday, with a shorter day on Sunday. The hikes described below follow our usual itinerary for the weekend.

Day 1 (Friday) Buachaille Etive Mhor
You will be picked up from Edinburgh at 08.30am and travel north to Glen Coe for an ascent of Buachaille Etive Mhor ('Great Herdsman of Etive'). This famous mountain guards the entrance to Glen Coe and is reportedly Scotland's most photographed mountain! The ascent is by rough path and is fairly challenging but the effort is well worth it! The wide vista over Rannoch Moor is one of the most extensive in the country (740m/2430ft , 4m/6km, rough rocky ground, 6-7 hrs). After the walk you will travel onwards to your accommodation in Glencoe.

Day 2 (Saturday) Ben Nevis
Your second day of the weekend will be spent on a full day's ascent of Ben Nevis, Scotland and the UK's highest mountain. The walk is straight forward and keeps mainly to a well used path, but is always physically challenging. The view from the summit however, over the surrounding mountains and sea (when not shrouded in mist), is well worth the effort (1344m/4400ft, 6m/10km, good trail, 8-9 hrs). After this fine ascent and a good dinner there will be time for some well earned refreshments in one of Glencoe's legendary ale houses.

Day 3(Sunday) Glen Nevis
Today you will explore the upper reaches of Glen Nevis a breathtaking and dramatic walk, with its numerous waterfalls, picturesque gorge and legendary wire bridge crossing! (3m/5km, good trail, nominal ascent, 3-5 hrs).

As an alternative we may sometimes take a higher hike into the Hidden Glen of Glencoe - another classic hike to complete the weekend (200m/650ft, 2-3m/4km, rough path, 3-4 hrs).

We then return to Edinburgh to arrive early evening, between 7-8pm.

Accommodation and Meals
Your accommodation for this weekend is in homely bed and breakfast/guest house accommodation in the spectacular setting of Glencoe. Evening meals are not included for this tour however we will organise for the group to eat in one of the many local inns both nights, with perhaps a visit to Glencoe's most legendary ale house on the Saturday evening. All packed lunches are included.

Grading of Walks
The walking throughout this trip we class overall as “challenging” and will be suitable for people of good fitness who enjoy a full days' hiking but who needn’t necessarily have any previous Scottish hillwalking experience. Hikes on Friday and Saturday are usually between 7-8 hours (Saturday sometimes 9 hrs) and involve mountain ascents in the order of 3000ft to 4,400ft (Ben Nevis), with distances covered of between 4-6 miles (6-10km). Sunday is generally an easier day.  Your enjoyment of the trip is paramount and if you have any concerns regarding your fitness for this weekend then please just call and we can talk it through with you. Read our grading guide here.

You can book your trip online now! If you need more information, please do contact us.