2026 - Hobnail Adventures: Hiking Scotland - North West Highlands

Day 1 - Sunday 9^th August - Arrival in Inverness

Meet in Inverness with your lead guide and your fellow trekking partners. Your adventure begins.

We head north west through stunning scenery for approximately 1.5 hours to Ullapool, the gateway to a land of rugged peaks. En route, we pop into a local whisky distillery for a tour with a wee tasting at the end.

Arriving in Ullapool late afternoon, we check-in to Ardveck House, which enjoys spectacular views of Loch Broom and the surrounding mountains and enjoy a Welcome Dinner together.

Hike details: no hiking today

Overnight: Ardveck House, Ullapool

Meals included: Dinner

Day 2 - Monday 10^th August - Trek the iconic Stac Pollaidh

Stac Pollaidh is a perfect mini mountain that offers a good mix of steady ascent on a well laid out path. Despite its modest height, it offers breathtaking views across Assynt, the Summer Isles, and Achiltibuie to the south west. Afterwards, relax on a secluded Highland beach before returning to the hotel.

The rest of the evening is free for you to enjoy one of the local speciality seafood restaurants of your choice.

Hike details: 4.5km, 510m of ascent, approx 3 hours hiking

Overnight: Ardveck House, Ullapool

Meals included: Breakfast, Packed Lunch (no dinner included tonight)

Day 3 - Tuesday 11^th August - Take on the legendary Munro Conival

One of the highlights of the trip is a hike up Conival, one of the Munros (peaks over 3,000 feet high. It’s quite an achievement to “bag a Munro” and none more so than Conival which offers a tough but rewarding ascent along with some breathtaking views over a wilderness of lochs and moors.

Returning to Ullapool, and after working up an appetite, we can look forward to a hearty evening meal.

Hike details: 14km, 987m of ascent, approx 6-7 hours hiking

Overnight: Ardveck House, Ullapool

Meals included: Breakfast & Packed Lunch, Dinner

Day 4 - Wednesday 12^th August - Enjoy a scenic boat cruise around the Summer Isles

An easier day after yesterday’s challenging hike! We start with a scenic boat cruise around the beautiful Summer Isles archipelago, which offers great views over the mountains of Assynt and Coigach.

Leaving Ullapool, we stop to explore the dramatic Corrieshalloch Gorge. A short walk to a suspension bridge over the depths of the gorge, while a cantilevered viewing platform offers great views of the Falls of Measach. A short transfer then takes us south west, where we enjoy a brief but rewarding hike up a wild glen to Gruinard Bay and the Eas Dubh falls.

Arriving in the village of Gairloch, we check-in to our hotel and gather later to enjoy an evening meal together.

Hike details:  2 x short hikes, each approx 3km, 90m of ascent, approx 1-1.5 hours hiking

Overnight: Myrtlebank Hotel, Gairloch

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 5 - Thursday 13^th August - Hike up the remote “Peak of the Birds”

Hike up the remote “Peak of the Birds” for some stunning views over the giants of Torridon. Rising from the heart of the Flowerdale Forest, Beinn an Eoin (which translates from Gaelic as the Peaks of the Birds) is a distinctive and appealing peak. After an approach which follows a bubbling river, we gain height slowly, following a broad grassy ridge all the way to its summit cone. The views south are across wild, ancient landscapes, to a sea of mountains.

Returning to Gairloch, the evening is free for you to enjoy one of the local restaurants of your choice.

Hike details: 20km, 900m of ascent, approx 7-8 hours hiking

Overnight: Myrtlebank Hotel, Gairloch

Meals included: Breakfast & Packed Lunch (no dinner included tonight)

Day 6 - Friday 14^th August - Hike a “Giant of Torridon”

Today we’ll trek up Beinn Damph, a grand mountain of Torridon that offers the classic viewpoint across Upper Loch Torridon to the rocky peaks of Liathach and Beinn Alligan.

Starting in lovely Scots Pine woods, as we climb higher, we’ll gain views of the gorge below and a crashing waterfall. Traversing across heather moorland to the upper levels of the corrie (cirque), we’ll reach the summit and be rewarded by views of the giant sandstone peaks of the Torridons.

Back in the glen, we transfer to our next hotel in Plockton, probably one of the most picturesque villages in the Highlands.

Hike details: 12km, 980m of ascent, approx 6-7 hours hiking

Overnight: Plockton Inn, Plockton

Meals included: Breakfast, Packed Lunch, Dinner

Day 7 - Saturday 15^th August - Day trip to the Isle of Skye and the Black Cuillin

Today we visit the renowned Isle of Skye, where a small boat will take us into a dramatic and inaccessible sea loch in the heart of the Black Cuillin mountains. Stepping off the boat at a remote jetty, we’ll enjoy a trek at Loch Coruisk, either circumnavigating the stunning loch, or perhaps hiking up the rocky peak of Sgurr na Stri for elevated views of the magnificent Black Cuillin range.

Later, we’ll return to our base in Plockton where the rest of the evening is free for you to enjoy a restaurant of your choice.

Hike details: 7km, 125m of ascent (or 500m if we hike the peak), approx 4 hours hiking

Overnight: Plockton Inn, Plockton

Meals included: Breakfast & Packed Lunch (no dinner included tonight)

Day 8 - Sunday 16^th August - Trekking Fuar Tholl

Fuar Tholl is an impressive yet overlooked peak, making it a real hidden gem of the North West Highlands. Starting on the Achnashellach Estate, we climb steadily next to the River Lair, then up into a high corrie (cirque) to reveal the mighty cliffs of Fuar Tholl in full stature. Soon afterwards, we reach the lofty summit and relish the views of the huge Mainnrichean Buttress, with extensive vistas in all directions.

We then descend back via Achnashellach and return to our base in Plockton for a well-earned drink.

Hike details: 14.5km, 919m of ascent, approx 6.5-7.5 hours hiking

Overnight: Plockton Inn, Plockton

Meals included: Breakfast, Packed Lunch (no dinner included tonight)

Day 9 - Monday 17^th August - Hike in wild Kintail

Our last day of trekking ventures into the exceptional and remote mountain landscape of Kintail to enjoy a ridgewalk with incredible skyline views.

Our route takes in a Munro on the South Cluanie ridge, on a loop hike connecting two well-defined but easy ridges. We start by following an old deerstalker’s path, which helps us gain height quickly as we ascend towards Druim Coire nan Eirecheanach. As we climb higher, we gain some modest exposure but there is no scrambling or technical difficulty – just classic West Highland terrain. The rewarding view of the iconic Five Sisters of Kintail from the summit is simply breathtaking. We then drop down a meandering descent through Druim Tholliad back into the glen.

Afterwards, we transfer east (approx. 1 hour) to Drumnadrochit, on the northern shores of Loch Ness, where we will enjoy a celebratory dram of whisky and a final evening meal to celebrate our adventure together.

Hike details: 8km, 770m of ascent, approx 6-7 hours hiking

Overnight: Loch Ness Inn, Drumnadrochit

Meals included: Breakfast, Packed Lunch, Dinner

Day 10 - Tuesday 18^th August - Depart Inverness

After breakfast, we transfer (approx. 1 hour) back to Inverness, with drop offs in the city center and at the airport.

Hike details: No hiking today

Meals included: Breakfast