Walking in the Scottish Highlands Short Break

This 5 day tour of Highland Perthshire incorporates relaxing walks alongside rushing rivers and tumbling waterfalls and on the moorland with visits historic castles, small intriguing museums, and a famous distillery. Free time has been built into the itinerary in order for you to have the luxury of learning about, and experiencing this magical area of Scotland.

Slower Adventures | Where walking and cycling meet easy-going exploring, our Slower Adventures are the perfect combination. Most days are filled with picturesque journeys with some free time to dive into the destination and experience the people, local food and culture as you go.

Multi Centre Walking | With a mix of loop and point-to-point walks stay 2 or 3 nights in one place which offers the chance to slow down and really explore a destination.

Solo Travellers

The walks on this tour are rated between easy and easy to moderate and the distances range between 7km and 14km. They are relaxing walks and take you to historic sights, including castles and Jacobean battle sites.  Some of the walks have actually been created in order for you to explore and discover the local sights as you walk and bring you to the characterful towns and villages that you will stay in. Some of the walks are flexible too as you can opt to do them if you wish. It is very worth doing these amazing walks, but, if you wish, you can take local transportation to get between places and avoid the longer walking days.

On this tour you will stay in hand-picked 3* and 4* B&B's, guest houses and hotels. All of the accommodations are superior, and some are traditional buildings that have been converted, for example, a Victorian House converted into a hotel, a former house owned by a doctor which has been converted into a boutique B&B. Mostly they are blend of old and new where possible. They are extremely comfortable and welcoming. 

Alternative Accommodation

We will always try and confirm the accommodations listed. However, if those listed are unavailable, alternative accommodation of the same or better standard than those described will be provided.

This is a popular trip and accommodation in Blair Atholl is limited. It may be the case that for your preferred departure date we can only secure the Old Manse of Blair which is located just outside Blair Atholl. The property lies in the quiet surroundings of Highland Perthshire and is a 45-minute walk from Blair Atholl town centre. We will provide taxi transfers to the Old Manse of Blair from Blair Atholl on your arrival day and to the start of your walk to Pitlochry on Day 3. 

Single Rooms & Solo Walkers

If you require single rooms we would be happy to accommodate you although there is a single room supplement payable. We also welcome solo walkers on this tour, again a supplement is payable.

Breakfast

The majority of accommodations provide a cooked breakfast, so a traditional Scottish breakfast, with eggs, bacons etc. However some may also provide a buffet breakfast, so please be prepared for either. There should be plenty of choices to make sure that you have enough energy for the day ahead.

All the walks on this itinerary are available in the Macs Adventure Smartphone App. You will find the walks on the app and simply download the walk to your smartphone and follow the little blue dot! Some walks have GPS tracks only and others have walking directions. But if you follow the little blue dot you will not get lost. A reminder though not to take the Ben Vrackie Lochan walk in bad weather.

The best time of year to visit Scotland is from early-April to mid-October when the weather is best, most attractions are open and the days are long. The weather is very unpredictable all year, so it is imperative to be prepared for wind, rain, cold, warmth and sunshine! Conditions (and forecasts) can vary substantially from one day to the next, so do anticipate a variety of weathers, and embrace them as the Scots do (with a good waterproof and windproof jacket on).

Blair Atholl is 80 miles north of Edinburgh on the main transport route through the Highlands. The village also has excellent public transport connections and is served by Scotrail trains and Citylink bus services from Edinburgh. The journey by train takes approximately 3H by bus and approximately 2H by train. By car the journey from Edinburgh takes 1H30 and Blair Atholl is well signed from the A9.

Pitlochry, your departure point, is on a trainline and you can take a train from here to Edinburgh. The journey takes around 2H to 2H30. Buses are also available but the journey takes longer this way.

Your bags will be collected from your accommodation each day and moved onto your overnight accommodation. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg per person.

At Macs Adventure, we work in partnership with many luggage transfer providers who set a limit on how many bags/suitcases they will transfer per person, and also the weight of the bag/suitcase. Your booking includes a transfer of 1 bag per person. It is very important that you read the luggage information specific to your tour before departure. If you do not adhere to these limits, there is a great possibility that you will be charged locally both for extra bags or if they are too heavy. This limitation can be a challenge, especially as airlines generally have limits that are higher. However, our luggage providers have reasons for these limits (usually due to the Health and Safety of their employees), which we must respect.