Walk into a whole new way of holidaying
When the words ‘Scottish Highlands’ enters your head, what do you envisage? For some, a man dressed in a tartan kilt playing the bagpipes might spring to mind. However, if like us, suddenly your mind takes you to a vast mountainous escape, where nature comes alive and the landscape is filled with history of tales and legends, then this is the blog for you.
The Scottish Highlands has worldwide recognition for the beauty of its ever-changing landscapes. On a dreich and misty day, the mind wonders back several hundred years as thought goes to how these hardy highlanders survived this rugged and barren terrain. Or on a summers evening when the sun sets over the mountain tops and the sky is filled with pink and orange, you may find yourself speechless, as you try to take it all in, not knowing where to look next. The mental image I took driving through Glencoe as we moved our new life to the area still sits as strong in the mind as it did during that very instant.
However with 25,500km square of “wow”, over 282 Munros up for grabs and more walks online that you would ever be able to sieve through, where do you even start your plan to experience this impressive landscape?
We know just the people who can help you!
We came across Distant Hills Walking holidays when Dani and Cameron (Distant Hills owners) joined us on one of our guided paddling trips last year. Over lunch we heard about how Dani and Cameron had led walking style holidays in the Dolomites before venturing to Scotland. Their enthusiasm and passion was evident as they explained how they had evolved a similar concept here, in another beautiful part of the world.
Based in the beautiful Scottish Highland village of Spean Bridge, Distant Hills guesthouse was born with a brand new and exciting concept of ‘walking holidays‘. Dani and Cameron have used their years of experience hosting to develop walking holiday packages that will have you coming back year after year.
But what is a walking holiday?
A walking holiday isn’t just about the walking. It’s about mixing yourself in a group of like minded people (new found friends), who equally share a passion for this outdoor environment. It’s about treating yourself, staying in a cosy 4 star guesthouse with fantastic facilities such as a hot tub and bar to help you unwind and relax after a day in the hills. It’s about having a knowledgeable, local guide with you throughout to ensure your wishes from the trip are met, taking you on the best routes for you and your group, passing on their wealth of stories, facts and culture. It’s about not having to plan ahead, as your home made hearty meals are all included. It’s about recharging. It’s about reconnecting.
We caught up with Distant Hills to dig a bit deeper on their walking holidays. Keep scrolling to hear what they had to say.
Q: What personally drew you to the Scottish Highlands
Having spent a number of years living in the Rockies, Dolomites and the Austrian Alps, we knew that when we returned to the UK, we needed to be surrounded by mountains. We also love mountain lakes and forests and so the Scottish Highlands seemed the perfect choice. We love hiking, biking and skiing and the area around Spean Bridge offers us so many outdoor options, it’s just fantastic. We keep discovering new places and new opportunities all the time.
Q: What was your inspiration behind the idea of a walking holiday?
During our years as ski chalet hosts, we were lucky enough to support ourselves through the summers by working for a fabulous walking holiday company. We saw just how much the clients loved the holiday package and we thoroughly enjoyed hosting the walks ourselves. To be honest, it was our dream job! We thought it would be great to add some walking holiday weeks to our own offering at Distant Hills Guest House. It would also be a good way to ensure we got out into the hills ourselves as well as provide a safe and stress-free way for our guests to explore more of our stunning surroundings.
Q: Who are the walking holidays aimed at?
People who enjoy walking but may not have the confidence to navigate in the Scottish hills alone. Route finding in Scotland can be pretty challenging. There is so much choice for a start, not to mention so many unpronounceable hill names! And there’s the weather factor too! Navigating a Scottish hill in sunshine is one thing, navigating it in low cloud and mist is another thing entirely. Our walking holidays also attract quite a few solo travelers looking to share their walking experience with other like-minded people. Our all-inclusive, guided package takes away all the decision-making so our guests can simply relax, enjoy the walking and have a proper ‘holiday’.
Q: How fit do you need to be to take part and enjoy the walks you will be guided on?
We offer three different levels of walking holiday to cater for varying levels of ability and experience:
- Our low-level walking itinerary is ideal for people who enjoy walking without the physical and mental challenge of climbing up or down hills. The walks are mostly on good, undulating paths or tracks; however, some boggy sections must be expected. Daily distances will vary but will generally be between 6 and 10 miles. Participants should expect to be out walking for 4-6 hours each day.
- For our moderate level walking holiday, a reasonable level of fitness and some walking experience is required, preferably up and down hills on a variety of paths, tracks, moorland and some inevitable boggy sections. Daily distances will vary but will generally be a minimum of 5 miles, with approximately 400-700 metres of ascent/descent, often on rough, pathless terrain. Participants should expect to be out walking for 4-6 hours each day.
- Our harder walking itinerary is aimed at people who have experience of walking in the hills and mountains and are used to walking for a minimum of 8-10 hour days and are able to climb approximately 1000m on subsequent days. Participants must be able to comfortably walk across a variety of terrain including sections of bog, often rough rock and steeper, pathless terrain. Some of the routes may include airy ridges with some exposure.
Q: What do you think are the most common highlights for your customers?
- If you love nature and breath-taking scenery, the Highlands offer it all. We’ll aim to take you to a different area for each of the 4 walks and try to offer a variety of terrain and stimulation.
- It’s an all-inclusive package, which means it’s cost effective and everything is taken care of.
- Our professional guides are fully qualified and insured. They know the surrounding area extremely well and will take guests to lesser-known areas of incredible natural beauty.
- We encourage a very relaxed vibe throughout the whole holiday. Our walking days are not an excuse for a ‘boot camp’. We want our guests to take in their surroundings and fully immerse themselves in nature. If people want to stop and take photos or take a closer look at the flora and fauna and try to catch glimpses of local wildlife, they can. Likewise, if we pass a loch and there are keen wild swimmers within the group, we’ll make time for that.
- Distant Hills Guest House provides stylish and cosy accommodation with all the creature comforts needed for a walking holiday, such as a pristine hot tub, perfect for soaking tired muscles, an honesty bar for that well-deserved thirst quencher on your return from a long walk and a purpose-built drying room to dry off any wet kit so you’re comfortable and ready to go again the next day.
Q: What advice would you give to anyone deciding if they want to give a walking holiday a go?
Give us a call on 01397 712452 to have a friendly and honest chat. We promise we will not try to ‘sell’ you a holiday whatever you tell us. We truly believe the package needs to be right for the individual and we believe in total honesty so there are no hidden surprises. If you do decide to sign up, we recommend building up your walking fitness as much as you can and investing in some good footwear and clothing and getting these ‘worn in’ before the holiday. We provide a recommended kit list on our website.
Distant Hills Walking holidays are cleverly designed so that you have a “rest” day in the middle of your stay to give your legs a bit of a break. This gives you an opportunity to explore some more of the surrounding area yourself, at your own leisure. Why not use this rest day to join us on the water and experience Scotland from a very different perspective. We have guided trips available here and opportunities to hire canoes and kayaks on nearby lochs – more information can be found here. Booking in advance is strongly recommended.
Please note: We don’t take any type of commission for sharing other providers like these. Instead we wish to share with our customers all of the fantastic opportunities that present themselves here in Lochaber. Before we started River to Sea Scotland, we spent several years guiding mountainous expeditions in the area. Having heard about the routes used for these walking holidays, we feel Dani and Cameron really have hit the nail on the head with their choices. When booking an experience like this, the host play an important part in the overall feel of the week. You don’t get much more of an insight to who will be playing a pivotal part in your holiday than this… check them out here winning C4’s Four in a Bed.
