May 24th, 2011 at 1:00PM:
Last year for my annual "Oh crap another birthday I need to prove my youth" long-distance hiking adventure, I chose Scotland's East Highland Way. It runs 78 miles from Ft. William through some beautiful countryside to Aviemore. The route had just been created by hiker Kevin Langan, and was so new there wasn't a guidebook. Kevin was kind enough to send me maps and a summary preprint of his book ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
EastHighlandWay posts
Travel Read: The East Highland Way hiking guide
May 24th, 2011 at 1:00PM:
Last year for my annual "Oh crap another birthday I need to prove my youth" long-distance hiking adventure, I chose Scotland's East Highland Way. It runs 78 miles from Ft. William through some beautiful countryside to Aviemore. The route had just been created by hiker Kevin Langan, and was so new there wasn't a guidebook. Kevin was kind enough to send me maps and a summary preprint of his book ...My year in adventure travel: a look back and a look forward
Dec 26th, 2010 at 10:30AM:
Happy Boxing Day everybody! As I sit here stuffed with my mother-in-law's cooking after a traditional Spanish Christmas, I'm thinking back on all my travels in 2010 and looking forward to 2011. One of the best parts about my travel year has been sharing it all with you. I love the comments you've sent suggesting sites to see and trails to take, and was especially amazed by the outpouring of ...Hiking the East Highland Way--the practicalities
Aug 30th, 2010 at 9:30AM:
Hiking a brand-new trail has both advantages and challenges. The main plus to hiking the East Highland Way was that I had the trail all to myself. I never did meet that mysterious German who was a day ahead of me, and I met nobody else doing the trail. Hotel owners along the route do report a steady trickle of hikers, and that trickle will only increase. In the short term, however, you will get ...The East Highland Way day six: strange sculptures and cursed castles
Aug 27th, 2010 at 10:30AM:
It's the last day of my hike along the East Highland Way and the trail has given me a special wake-up treat, namely this view of Loch Insh in the early morning. I love this photo because it captures the most alluring aspect of Scottish lochs--the way their placid waters reflect and soften the light. Lochs are the magic mirrors of the Highlands, capturing the surrounding trees and hills and ...The East Highland Way day five: exploring Scottish heritage
Aug 26th, 2010 at 9:30AM:
Newtonmore is the biggest village I've stayed in since starting the East Highland Way. With a population of 1,000, you could almost call it a town. It's pleasant, with lots of interesting shops and pubs, yet feels too big and claustrophobic after hiking through the Scottish wilderness yesterday. I need to get back on the trail.
Before leaving town I can't miss The Highland Folk Museum. This ...The East Highland Way day four: Pictish forts and empty wilderness
Aug 25th, 2010 at 9:30AM:
Views like this reassure me that I'm doing the right thing with my life.
It's day four of my trek along the East Highland Way in Scotland, and the terrain is getting increasingly rugged. My trip today will take me through the most remote part of my walk. But before I go, I have an archaeological wonder to see first.
I head to a hill overlooking the village of Laggan to visit Dun-Da-Lamh, a ...The East Highland Way day three: exploring Scotland's lochs
Aug 23rd, 2010 at 11:30AM:
The best part of long-distance hikes is seeing the world get bigger.
We spend so much time in cars, planes, and trains that the miles go by in the blink of an eye. Subtle changes in topography and flora aren't noticed, and little corners of beauty are passed by undiscovered. Walk, and you see the world as it really is.
It's my third day on the East Highland Way and I'm deep in the Scottish ...The East Highland Way day two: hiking into the hills
Aug 20th, 2010 at 11:30AM:
Haggis is not breakfast food. Yes, Highlander is a cool movie, and haggis is Scotland's national dish, Robert Burns even composed an Address to a Haggis, but don't have it for breakfast. In fact, I'd suggest not having it at all.
OK, you have to try it at least once, like you have to try sheep's head when you're in the Middle East, just don't expect to like it. On my first morning in the ...The East Highland Way: hiking Scotland's newest trail
Aug 19th, 2010 at 11:30AM:
I'm in Ft. William on the west coast of Scotland, the starting point for many popular long-distance hikes, including Scotland's newest trail--the East Highland Way. Over the next six days I'll be walking 76 miles past lochs, mountains, historic sites, and remote countryside. The hike is so new there isn't even a guidebook yet, but Kevin Langan, who established the route and is writing a ...Climbing Ben Nevis, the UK's tallest mountain
Aug 18th, 2010 at 9:30AM:
I just turned 41, so it's time for my annual long-distance hike in order to prove I'm not as old as the numbers say. Last year I spent six days walking the 84-mile Hadrian's Wall Path. This year I'm in Scotland to tackle the region's newest trail, the East Highland Way, stretching from Ft. William on the west coast 76 miles inland past lochs, mountains, and castles to Aviemore.
Before heading ...
