Weekend walking breaks
Monarch of the Glen Weekend

Fantastic!!
The guides were helpful, informative and entertaining!! Spent four days with a wounderful bunch of people and saw the most amazing views.
What more can I say ... I'll definitely be back for more!!!

Janette, 2007

Take a wander through the scenic setting for the BBC series 'Monarch of the Glen' - featuring the beautiful Highland landscapes around the area of Laggan and Speyside in the Cairngorms National Park

Trip Summary
This 4 day walking break of easy to moderate walking explores some of the mountainous country in and around 'Glen Bogle' - the fictional estate created from a variety of locations throughout this very beautiful part of Scotland.

This area is within what is now Scotland's largest National Park - an area of broad sweeping mountains, deep corries and wooded lochsides. Our base for the weekend will be in the area of Newtonmore - right in the heart of 'Monarch Country' - and an ideal base to explore the surrounding countryside.

Tour Itinerary
This weekend break includes 4 days of fully guided walking and 3 nights full board hotel accommodation. Departure will be from Edinburgh at 9.00 am on the Friday morning of the trip, returning around 5.00 pm on the Monday.

We will be walking for around 5-7 hours on each day with the emphasis on a relaxed pace with plenty of time to enjoy the scenery.

Day 1(Friday) Monarch Country
We depart from Edinburgh city centre at 9.00 am and on our way north will stop to take in the peak of Ben Vrackie just outside Pitlochry - a small picturesque town first made famous by Queen Victoria's well documented excursions to the Highlands. Ben Vrackie is a beautiful little mountain, with a good path all the way to the top and tremendous views all round. After our days' walking we continue northwards to our hotel and base for the weekend where dinner awaits.

(600m/1970ft, 5m/8km, good path - steep at top, 4-5 hrs)

Day 2 (Saturday) Monarch Estate and Coire Ardair
Today we will be exploring the area above Loch Laggan, where you can catch a glimpse of the private "Monarch" estate across the loch. We'll then walk up through the National Nature Reserve to Lochan a Choire, which lies encircled in Corrie Ardair by the great cliffs of Creag Meagaidh. This is a beautiful, eerie place, made all the more dramatic by the great cliffs of Creag Meagaidh’s mirrored in the lochan. After taking time to soak in the atmosphere we'll idle slowly back down to Loch Laggan.

(400m/1200ft, 6m/10km, good path, 6 hrs)

Day 3 (Sunday) Cairngorm Mountain Wander - Return to Edinburgh
Today we introduce you to the north of Monarch country with a thoroughly enjoyable walk of hugely varied character into the foothills of the Cairngorm mountains. We head up through the beautiful Caledonian Forest above Loch Morlich and then into the Larig Ghru - a famous pass cutting right through the heart of the Cairngorms. Taking in a small summit along the way we then traverse the lower fringes of the mountains before a gradual easy descent back down to the shores of Loch Morlich.

(11m/17km, 470m/1540ft, mostly good paths, 6-7hrs)

Day 4 (Monday) Loch an Eilein and Loch Gamhna – Return to Edinburgh
These are two very popular lochs, and it is easy to understand why. The ‘eilein’ (island) is crowded with the ruins of an ancient castle, the lochs themselves are surrounded by woodland, many of the sheltered inlets are choked with wild water lilies, flotillas of water fowl are on patrol seeking plunder, and the whole area is set against the backdrop of the mighty Cairngorm Mountains. This wonderful spot will leave a lasting impression – but bring your camera too!

(Flat walking, 7km/4½m, excellent tracks and paths, 4hrs)

We return to Edinburgh for around 5.00pm, dropping off at the Airport or in the city centre.

Accommodation and Meals
We base ourselves for the week in comfortable country house hotel accommodation in the Newtonmore area, with a mixture of rooms available from singles, doubles, twin (or triple). All meals are freshly home cooked food and over the years our guests to this area have enjoyed a comfortable stay and a warm and hospitable welcome.

Grading of Walks
The walking throughout this weekend we class as “easy to moderate” – suitable for anyone of moderate fitness or with some limited mountain walking experience. Walks each day are between 5-7 hours, taken at a relaxed pace and we generally follow fairly good paths although some rougher terrain should be anticipated. Distances covered each day vary between 6-11 miles (10-17km) with ascents of between 600ft to 1200ft. Your enjoyment is paramount and should you have any doubts about your suitability for the trip then please just contact us. Please read our grading guide here.

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