Scotland tours

Although it’s a cliché that it always rains in Scotland, things are changing, with 2025 having had the driest weather in over sixty years. Local people do like to talk about the weather a lot, however, because traditionally it’s unpredictable and, with a lot of farming and tourism depending on weather, it’s important to many people. 

Due to its northern latitude, winter days in Scotland are short, with daylight between 08.45 and 15.30, and average temperatures of 5C between December and February. Which is why most of our tours begin in March, when temperatures are between 7-13C until early May. June, July and August are normally the warmest months in Scotland, with average maximum temperatures ranging from approximately 15-17C. 

Scotland never gets too packed with tourists, unless you’re heading to the Edinburgh Festival in August, or during a rugby international weekend when Scotland is playing at home. The West Highland Way is Scotland’s most celebrated trail, however, and it gets particularly busy during school and public or bank holidays. These include the UK’s two bank holidays at the beginning and end of May, Easter and August. Accommodation gets booked up way in advance during these periods, so it’s best to get in early. For more detailed information, see our blog, Best time to go to Scotland. 

The West Highland Way is iconic, taking you across Scotland from west to east, on a 154km trail between walking between Milngavie, just north of Glasgow up to Fort William on the shores of Loch Linnhe, with Ben Nevis waiting to greet you on the final stretch. It takes you through natural highlights (and national treasures) such as Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, the wilds of Rannoch Moor and Glencoe. You can walk it in one go, over 10 days, or divide it into different sections. It does book up quickly, so you need to book early on this one. Or check out the fine alternative of the Great Glen Way instead, which you can read about in this blog.

Hiking or cycling are always the best ways to travel around in Scotland, in our view! However, there is also a good public transport network to connect with the destinations you choose to visit. Taking the train to, and within Scotland is not only the low carbon way to travel but it is also the best introduction to Scottish slow travel. Travel on the West Highland Railway to start your Great Glen Way walking holiday in Fort William, or take it all the way to Mallaig for hiking tours on Skye. For a perfect finale, treat yourself to the sleeper train if you are heading to England after finishing the West Highland Way, Great Glen Way or the Rob Roy Way, and travel back the Caledonian way. There is also an excellent bus network in Scotland, with more information at Citylink, or more general route planning information at Traveline. And if you are planning on adding some of the islands to your holidays, Visit Scotland is an excellent resource.

We don’t have any bespoke family holidays in Scotland at the moment, and the closest family-friendly one is in the Lake District in England. It is, however, worth checking out our easy/moderate level walking holidays to see if they appeal to all family members. If you have older teens, for example, who have walking experience, you may want to explore more moderate level hiking holidays. Our adventure specialists are here to cater for your needs, and we can often adapt a day’s itinerary if you think it’s going to be too hard or too easy.

Most definitely, and we welcome solo travellers on all of our Scottish adventures. And it’s very much the norm in Scotland to meet people travelling alone. Please remember that a supplement will be charged as the cost of rooms and also luggage or private transfers (when applicable) is not shared.

One of the greatest things about Scotland, and there are many, is its exemplary law that allows freedom to roam throughout its land and seascapes. You may think this is the case everywhere, but sadly neighbouring England has less than 10% accessible land. It’s worth reading up on the complexities of the Right to Roam campaign in England, while also supporting Scotland’s access laws by ensuring to follow the rules of Leave No Trace.

Scottish local produce never fails to fill your boots on our walking and cycling holidays. Scottish salmon and seafood, Aberdeen Angus Beef, game in season and lamb are world-renowned, and of course, there is no shortage of fine whisky either. We love Scottish food so much, we have written up a more detailed menu of Caledonian cuisine in our blog, Best food in Scotland.

With all that rain, and some celebrated mineral water companies in Scotland too, it’s not surprising to know that there is excellent drinking water in Scotland. However, it’s strange how many people who would never normally buy bottled water at home, still feel a need to buy it when travelling. So do resist and just fill up from the tap. It’s fine, and totally the norm to ask for tap water in cafés and restaurants,, and most fast food shops will happily fill your reusable water bottle too. If you are hiking in mountain areas, and want to drink from streams, where there can be a risk of harmful runoff, we recommend investing in a filtered water bottle to ensure water is free of any toxins.

In contrast to drinking water, as mentioned above, outdoor swimming has become more hazardous over recent years in some places, due to pollution. This has been highly publicised and protested against. If you want to include some wild swimming on your walking holiday in Scotland, the water pollution app Safer Seas and River Service, operated by Surfers against Sewage is an invaluable source of information. Or always ask a local swimmer as regular water users are up to date on these recent outflow issues. 

Apart from that, Scotland has no major health risks and it is also rabies-free. No vaccinations are required, but the WHO recommends routine vaccines such as tetanus, measles, mumps and rubella before travelling. Ticks can be a problem when hiking, so you do need to take precautions. Wear long sleeves and trousers, and tuck your trousers into hiking socks when possible. Lyme disease and Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE) are both tick-borne, so always check yourself fully after hiking and carry a tick remover with you too, so that you can catch them quickly.

Always make sure that you have suitable health insurance to suit your adventure travel and Scotland also has an excellent pharmacy system where you can get consultations if you haven’t time to get to a doctor. Which, with NHS waiting lists an ongoing problem, can be tricky sometimes. If you don’t know it already, Boots is a British institution with stores just about everywhere, but there are plenty of other pharmacies too.

Scotland’s notorious midges do not pose a health problem, although they can be annoying. You can avoid them seasonally, geographically and also according to the time of day, and they are a very popular subject amongst outdoor adventurers in Scotland. Which is why we’ve written a lot more information about the pesky irritants in this blog.

No it isn’t, well not for humans anyway, but it’s important to adhere to any signs or warnings of culling and stalking. Because although you’re likely to have joyous moments spotting deer on our Scottish holidays, they are also killed for meat, as well as for conservation of habitats. There is a specific season for this, known as Stalking Season, which takes place between 01 July and 20 October, with a hind season until 15 February. So, you do need to heed the signs and not stray from our marked trails. If you want more information on where and when stalking takes place, check out Heading for the Scottish Hills which provides detailed maps and seasonal updates. If you’re a fan of meat, this is also the best time to tuck into some local venison, with the majority of stalking taking place in the first few weeks of October.

There’s no doubt that our Scotland hiking and cycling holidays take you into remote terrain, where weather conditions may be unpredictable. For that reason, we have some detailed blogs on packing, which may be of help: What to pack for a cycling trip and What to pack for a hiking trip. As well as that, don’t forget to pack your sense of adventure and plenty of sunscreen (yes, even in Scotland). You may also want to pack a swimwear, if wild swimming Scottish style is your thing. It’s certainly ours, which is why we’ve written a blog about the best swimming spots in Scotland.

We don’t have any traditional winter holidays in Scotland at the moment, as our holidays run mostly between March and October. Although it is still pretty wintery in Scotland in March, so bring layers.

We always endeavour to ensure that your accommodations are aware of any dietary needs when we book your trip. Scotland is very switched on to all dietary needs and supermarkets also have large sections of dairy or gluten-free produce. You won’t be looked at strangely in Scotland at all if you ask for your dietary requirements to be catered for, even in rural areas. That’s not always to say that they’ll be perfect, but they are getting better all the time.

It’s the pound sterling, or £, and the currency code is GBP. As Scotland is not in the EU anymore, there is no sign of it adopting the euro anytime soon, unlike its neighbours. So it’s a bit annoying if you have to change currency when travelling between Scotland and say, Ireland, or France. It’s also worth noting that Scotland has its own sterling banknotes issued by three main banks: Bank of Scotland, Royal Bank of Scotland and Clydesdale Bank. While these notes are legal currency throughout the UK, they are not always accepted in outlets back in England, and it’s best to change them to English notes in a bank to avoid this inconvenience.