Scotland walking holiday, Kintail ridge walk
| country: | Scotland |
| location: | Scottish Highlands |
| trip type: | Strenuous walking holidays |
| departures: | 2010: 5 Jun |
| price: | From £739 (8 days) excluding flights. |
| more info: | Price includes accommodation, guiding, transport, full board and pick ups as detailed in itinerary |
| offers: | We are offering an early booking discount of 5% on any of our courses/holidays departing on or after 24th October 2009. The booking must be made a minimum of 3 months prior to departure in order to qualify for this discount. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
No other area in Britain has so many big mountains so tightly packed together; divided by deep glens, range upon range stretch to distant horizons. This is classically rugged highland scenery of high peaks linked by narrow ridges – a ridge-walkers paradise. The superb walking combined with the fantastic accommodation at Sheil Lodge makes for a wonderful holiday.
The Lodge accommodation is set in a magnificent location in Shiel Forest, in an area of outstanding natural beauty, protected by mature grounds. It is very well placed for access to what must be some of the best hill walking in the country. The Kintail range of hills is visible from the Lodge.
The Lodge accommodation is set in a magnificent location in Shiel Forest, in an area of outstanding natural beauty, protected by mature grounds. It is very well placed for access to what must be some of the best hill walking in the country. The Kintail range of hills is visible from the Lodge.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrival On Sat 6th June 2009, it will be possible to rendezvous in Kintail if you’re driving up. We’ll confirm details closer to the time. Due to the travel time involved in traveling on public transport on the west coast we are also offering pick up from Aviemore station by no later than 3.45 pm and at Inverness airport at 4.30pm |
| Day 2: | The view from the Ratagan- Pass across to the Five Sisters of Kintail is one of the Highland’s most famous. Starting and finishing at different points and with continual seaward views we traverse the length of the ridge linking these legendary mountains to complete a one of the real classic routes in Britain. |
| Day 3: | The Saddle and the Forcan Ridge make for a famously sensational route. This complex mountain with its’ rough corries, long tapering ridges and airy graceful summits rivals any of the greats. Rearing above the Lodge, this is a mountain of forever changing vistas that makes for a splendid day out, again a real classic. |
| Day 4: | Once more we ascend to the north side of Glen Shiel but further east this time to take on the North Glen Shiel Ridge. The route exhibits the same fine character of high narrow ridges linking one peak after another and again we make the most of the ridge by starting at the west end and finishing by dropping down to the Cluanie Inn for a well earned drink. |
| Day 5: | A bit of a rest day giving you time to explore the local area. The quintessential Eilean Donan Castle is just a short trip along the loch. Perhaps a day trip to Skye might take your fancy or a visit to the Hanovian Barracks and the ancient Brochs at Glenelg. Alternatively you might just want to chill-out with a book in the grounds of Sheil Lodge. |
| Day 6: | Doing a circular route we take in one of the most overlooked features of the East South Cluanie Ridge. Aonach Air Chrith sports a fine north ridge and provides our route to the top of this classically shaped pyramidal peak. We then head east to complete the remainder of this superb ridge to drop down and around to, oh dear, the Cluanie Inn!. |
| Day 7: | We make the most of this brilliant area again by starting and finishing at different places. We tackle the West South Cluanie Ridge. Starting with a long narrow ridge we climb to the first Munro on the main ridge. As we turn west from here the day is laid out before us – four fine Munro’s all typically linked and to our right, in a giant ark, we’re able to survey the weeks achievements. |
| Day 8: | Depart Sat 13th June- drop off at Inverness Airport at 11.15am and Aviemore Station for 12pm. |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. how this holiday makes a difference
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We have been awarded Gold under the Green Tourism Business Scheme. On all our holidays we have a ‘leave nothing, take only photographs’ policy. Our guides are asked to explain and encourage this policy. For example, leaving an apple core or feeding a seagull on a mountain summit may seem innocuous but it detracts from the ‘untouched wilderness’ aspect and can have a detrimental knock-on effect on the indigenous wildlife. Our guides are there your safety & enjoyment & to informally share their knowledge of the mountain environment - from its geological beginnings through to contemporary land management and its associated politics. We will remove from our accommodation all compostable and recyclable waste.
Although the Highland scenery is stunning, it is one of the less affluent areas of Britain. We are entirely Highland based, both as a company and whilst delivering the holidays. We source as much produce as we can locally and we support a number of local business. We employ only local guides. Their in-depth knowledge of the Highland mountains is invaluable, this greatly increasing flexibility and enhancing the overall experience. |
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. |