Glencoe and Ben Nevis short break walking holiday
| country: | Scotland |
| location: | Scottish Highlands |
| trip type: | Strenuous walking holidays |
| departures: | 2009: 2 Oct |
| price: | From £250 (3 days) excluding flights. From £400 for New Year weekend. Includes 3 days of fully guided walking and 2 nights accommodation. Single room supplement available from £50 |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | 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: | 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: | 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. |
travelling with a local operator
This holiday is operated by a company based in the holiday destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your holiday to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.how this holiday makes a difference
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All our guides have a minimum of the Summer Mountain Leader Award and have an extensive knowledge of the history, culture and wildlife of the Scottish Highlands. The guides are paid a professional wage and in addition, have their accommodation, food and travel expenses covered.
You will be staying in a small, locally owned guest house with meals at the local pub. The programme includes an ascent of Ben Nevis by its most popular route so if weather conditions are suitable, we will climb the mountain by an alternative more difficult path to avoid the crowds. On the descent, we try to remove a reasonable amount of litter from the summit and main path as this is a recurring blight on Scotland and the UK's highest mountain. The first day is an ascent of Buachaille Etive Mhor, which is considerably more peaceful. Transport is in our own vehicle. Our guides are either from Edinburgh area or Aviemore, Glencoe, Oban or the Borders. We take guests to local restaurants such as Café Arriba in Portree on Skye, Creelers on Skye – both have a menu dependent on local catch, Rivendell in Shieldaig likewise, The Glen in Newtonmore and Firhall in Grantown on Spey have locally shot pheasants and venison. A big part of our trips is the local history. The highland clearances are a visible backdrop to a lot of the walks, we also tale people to local ceilidhs if on. We have a 'no litter on hill policy' (impromptu beach and mountain path clean ups where possible). We encourage guests to recycle their waste. We buy new bottles at the start of each trip end then refill in the week. Old bottles are turned into white-water rafts for another long term project – bottleraft adventures. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |