UKC

I've recently enjoyed a more relaxed way of travelling in our hills. Arrive from a train station, wander off into the hills without any goal or plan other than to explore new hills and new glens, kill some time in nature, and arrive back at a train station. I would tentatively maybe call it "roaming", but - to be frank - Mr. Durrant scares me.

With this in mind, and with a growing appreciation for the never-ending pockets of surprise wonder in each and every glen, where would you recommend I next head for a week or so? Arrival and depaarture by train is the only stipulation. I'm equally enthused for walking up the hills as I am walking in them. I'd just like to waste some time and get to know my local mountains a little more intimately.

Head to Corrour station, then head any direction that takes your fancy! Enjoy! 😊 

Should have probably began by saying I've seen this bit quite extensively now - wandering through from Dalwhinnie to Fort William via Meanach a few years ago, and then more recently just a few weeks ago I went back and headed down the Ossian to Loch Ghuilbinn and eventually out to Tulloch station. I definitely feel I'm not done with this particular bit of the Highlands though.

Glenfinnan. Go south into Ardgour (Corran ferry, bus to FW) or on to Mull and back to Oban, go West to Mallaig and on to Skye, North to Knoydart, Shiel and get the Kyle train, go East (ish) through Roy or Trieg to Aviemore, Corrour or even Dalwhinnie. 
 

You can decide which way to go when you get off the train.

Train to Mallaig, boat to Inverie, through the hills by whichever route you fancy, but can recommend Glen Pean (though I hear there's been a fair bit of tree felling, so not sure how much is affected) and make it back to either Glenfinnan or Corpach/Banavie.  Lots of scope for exploring rough pathless but beautiful scenery.  Autumn would be an excellent time with the colours.

By the way, this way of travelling I completely agree with.

Quest south from Strathcarron, loop round and emerge at Achnasheen.

You could take the bus to Sheil Bridge and head up to Ullapool. Then bus back, or vise-versa. Take the train from Fort William to Morar and walk back, if you've got a packraft you could it for part of this route. Or, get off at Glenfinnan and and wonder north. You could meet the Inverness to Lochalsh bus at Sheil Bridge.

This isn't intended as a criticism of the fact that you have asked for suggestions on a walking / climbing forum, but how about scouring secondhand bookshops or sellers of secondhand books online, for ideas.

There are loads of books about wandering in the Highlands. "Hamish's Mountain Walk" by Hamish Brown has cropped up on this forum recently. All of his other books that cover the Highlands are well worth looking at.  The Ken Wilson / Richard Gilbert trilogy "The Big Walks", "Classic Walks" and "Wild Walks" have lots of really inspirational stuff as does Irvine Butterfield's "High Mountains of Britain and Ireland".

Anything by Tom Weir can provide inspiration for a trip along with other older authors such as Adam Watson, Brenda Macrow, Robert Adam and numerous others depending on what you want to get from your wanderings. Many of these books can be found pretty cheaply.

Many of my favourite Highland trips were inspired by essays or even single photographs in such books. Often my trips were done by train and postbus. Although the latter don't seem to exist anymore there are still other sparse bus services across the Highlands.

Sitting on the lounge floor on a winter's evening amongst as many books and maps as you can find is almost as enjoyable as doing the actual walks. Add in the internet with the rail maps and bus timetables and see where it leads you. Some compromises are often necessary to fit in with sparse public transport. Train and / or bus to the start, then walk back to 'civilisation' was always my favourite way of doing things.

Throwing some random ideas for arriving at one station and departing from another with a few days walking in between:

Kinbrace to Lairg?

Blair Atholl to Newtonmore?

Ardgay to Garve?

Achnashellach to Beauly?

Spean Bridge to Newtonmore?

Taynuilt to Bridge of Orchy?

Barhill to Sanquhar? (not sure how great for random walking the forests would be on this one).

Falls of cruachan to Bridge of Orchy - lots to wander into there.

Head north from Tulloch

There's many possibilities in the gnarly ground along the Glenfinnan-Mallaig stretch. Makes for some good linear routes too (we usually camp).

https://kinleyhazel.wordpress.com/2019/03/31/lochailort-to-arisaig-over-gna...

Similarly, linear options exist using the Attadale-Achnashellach/Achnasheen stretch.

https://kinleyhazel.wordpress.com/2019/05/13/attadale-to-craig-with-a-coupl...

Train to Glenfinnan, walk to Inverie via A' Chuil bothy and Sourlies. There are outstanding hills to traverse on each day or if the weather is rubbish then you can go by the valleys. Heading towards Kinbreak bothy and doing the Gairich - Sgurr na Ciche ridge would be a preferable extension, again via a selection of good hills. Once in Knoydart the world is your lobster. Camping and water available pretty anywhere along the route.

One the best bits of this is walking through the insane, biblically dense crowds of Harry Potter tourists at the Glenfinnan carpark and walking into emptiness literally on the other side of the viaduct. It's as near as you can get to a gateway into another dimension.

+1 for that: a classic walk. A side-trip to Oban bothy makes a good variation.

For the route less traveled anywhere in Moidart from Glenfinnan

https://www.ukhillwalking.com/articles/destinations/around_the_rough_bounds...

For the route less midgiefied go East

Thank you everyone - there are some lovely-looking suggestions here to get through.

Re the above, I was idly looking at the map yesterday and wondering how easy it.would be to walk from Kinlochmorar to the Glesdessary forest below Meall na Sroine - to link back to the track to Sourlies etc., and making a loop to Oban bothy rather than a there-and-back.

There looks to be a path east from Kinlochmorar as far as the eastern end of Lochan Eanaiche (presumably for fishing) but it stops there. The first half of the remaining distance looks reasonably passable as far as Ruighe nan Dearcag, but after that its less clear.

I'm familiar with the area and general nature of the terrain, but does anyone have any knowlege of taking that route? If so, what was it.like?

I've walked from Oban to Sourlies by that pass and it's fine (though untracked) beyond Lochan Eanaiche. I recall when you get into the Dessary forest it degenerates into a mud wallow in places but it's years ago and I can't remember how we reached the main track. As with any route in the SMC guide it will be worn. The whole area is a tick festival as I'm sure you'll appreciate.

Long ago we did Corrour to Spean Bridge, bagging the munros (daysacks only) during the day then backpacking a few miles to move campsite along the glen each evening to the start of the next walk.

Balloch or Helensbugh to Arrochar and Tarbet, Lochhoilhead to Dunoon for ferry to Gourock, a Three Lochs Way and Cowal Way combo/variant.

Low level track on W side Loch Eck officially blocked by fallen trees but passable.

Bridge on Cowal Way gone, 5 or 6km diversion.

https://www.komoot.com/highlight/6508621

Thanks. I remember walking through the forest once and it was super-muddy even in very dry weather.

Blair Atholl has already been mentioned, but I'll just add that you can go north through Glen Tilt and over Cairn a' Chlamain, or over Beinn a'Ghlo to the "Tarf Hotel" bothy and from there into Glen Feshie or north via the new Red House bothy into the the Lairig Ghru and eventually to Aviemore. Or you can start and finish at Aviemore - there's the bus to the ski centre, or it is not too far to walk to Coylumbridge and the start of the Lairig Ghru, or go into Gleann Eanaich.

When you loop back to Achnasheen where do you cross the River Bran?

Phil

147562

Thanks

Phil