The new year is upon us – a whole 12 months to get out and enjoy some brilliant walks around Scotland. Whether that means a return to some old favourites, a new challenge or simply a wee stroll with friends, the choice is endless.
So, here are five walks to get you going – if you’ve been taking it easy the last few weeks it may be best to work up to the last one.
BINNY CRAIG, WEST LOTHIAN
DISTANCE: 3½ miles.
HEIGHT CLIMBED: 435ft / 135m.
TIME: 1½ to 2 hours.
MAP: OS Landranger 65.
PARK: You can park by the roadside in Ecclesmachan – off the B8046 between Threemiletown and Uphall – but be considerate of residents.
THE ROUTE: Binny Craig is a great start to the New Year. This craggy outcrop – containing the only real rockface in West Lothian – can be seen for miles around and offers great views. The panorama takes in virtually all of the Firth of Forth with the Ochil Hills and Trossachs beyond.
A walk takes you up from the hamlet of Ecclesmachan and past Oatridge College and its farmland before ascending the steep slopes of the very top of the hill.
AN LOCHAN UAINE AND RYVOAN BOTHY, CAIRNGORMS
DISTANCE: 5½ miles / 8.85km.
HEIGHT CLIMBED: 500ft / 150m.
TIME: 2½ to 3 hours.
MAP: OS Landranger 36
PARK: Take the B970 from Aviemore, then go through the Rothiemurchus forest to Loch Morlich and park at its eastern end in the Glenmore visitor centre car park. Or, take the 31 bus from outside Aviemore Railway Station.
THE ROUTE: The Ryvoan Bothy, nestled below Meall a’Bhuachaille, is a famous refuge for walkers and a good aim for a winter’s day. The walk up takes you past An Lochan Uaine – known as the Green Lochan and said to be so coloured because fairies wash their clothes in it. A good return goes via a narrow path which climbs steeply and offers a fantastic view of the Cairn Gorm and the Northern Corries, making it a top class short walk.
CASTLE DOW, GRANDTULLY
DISTANCE: 4½ miles / 7.25km.
HEIGHT CLIMBED: 730ft / 225m.
TIME: 2 to 2½ hours.
MAP: OS Landranger 52
PARK: Just north of Balnaguard on the B898 turn on to a track at a Forestry Commission sign for Grandtully. There is a small parking area a few hundred yards up the track.
THE ROUTE: Castle Dow was the site of a Pictish fort 1,000 years ago and is a great vantage point over Strath Tay. From its top you can look west, up to the great bulk of Ben Lawers and the pointed summit of Schiehallion, while to the north is Ben Vrackie, above Pitlochry, with the Beinn a’Ghlo range behind, next to the Munros of the Forest of Atholl, The way up, along a track, is easy with wildlife including roe deer, black grouse and the Scottish crossbill, even pine martens.
GLADHOUSE RESERVOIR, MIDLOTHIAN
DISTANCE: 5 miles / 8km.
HEIGHT CLIMBED: 100ft / 30m.
TIME: 2 to 2½ hours.
MAP: OS Landranger 66
PARK: Just less than three miles south of Temple, turn off the B6372 on a sharp bend. About a mile further on, go left to follow a minor road around Gladhouse Reservoir. After passing below the dam and reaching a t-junction go right. There is parking on the left, just after the road has skirted the eastern edge of the reservoir.
THE ROUTE: Nestled below the Moorfoot Hills, Gladhouse Reservoir is a picturesque, gentle place for a good stroll. You can walk all the way round very easily, crossing a mixture of farmland and quiet lanes. The wide open spaces are all around are the perfect way to unwind.
HART FELL, ANNANDALE
DISTANCE: 9½ miles / 15.25km.
HEIGHT CLIMBED: 2,825ft / 860m.
TIME: 6 to 7 hours.
MAP: OS Landranger 78
PARK: Follow the A701 north out of Moffat. At a roundabout next to Moffat Academy turn right, down Beechgrove, and drive for about 3 miles, out of the town down a single track road. Park on the right, just before a sign to Hartfell Spa.
THE ROUTE: Hart Fell, at 2,651ft, offers brilliant views including the Cheviots away to the east, the Lake District to the south and the mountains of Galloway to the southwest. Closer to hand are White Coomb, just north of east, the Lowther Hills to the west and Criffel, just west of south. A circuit finishes with the Devil’s Beef Tub – a huge corrie which was once the holding place of stolen cattle. This is a strenuous walk but one that will live long in the memory.
