Christmas in Scotland | Group Christmas Tour
Mark the holiday season in style with a magical escorted tour to Scotland this Christmas. Spend your days admiring the majestic scenery, and when it is time to retreat indoors, stay at a Scottish country house hotel, warm up with some hearty Scottish fare and local ales and whiskies. A perfect holiday escape!
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Festive Walking at Glen Coe
Our House Manager and leaders are busy putting together a unique programme of walks and social activities, and look forward to welcoming you on your holiday.
The walks in the West Highlands can be sublime at this time of year, however they can be also be challenging because of the combination of short daylight hours and sometimes extreme weather. We will not be walking on terrain which demands specialist skills and equipment such as ice axes and crampons.
Typically, easier walks are up to 7 miles (9.5-11km) at most with a few hundred feet (up to 100m) of ascent, medium walks are up to 7 or 8 miles (11-13km) with up to about 1,500 feet (450m) of ascent, while harder walks can be up to about 10 miles (16km) with up to 3,000 feet (900m) of ascent.
Glen Nevis
 Glen Nevis provides the starting point for the easier walk; we follow the river downstream before ascending the ridge of Cow Hill for great views over Fort William, Loch Eil and hopefully further north. The medium walk starts at the head of Glen Nevis and explores the dramatic gorge which leads up to the meadows below the superb Steall Falls. The harder aims right for the heart of the spectacular mountain scenery under the north face of Ben Nevis, offering arguably the finest views of Britain’s highest mountain before walking down to Fort William. |
Glen Coe - Monday 24 December
| Historic Glen Coe, scene of the famous massacre, is the focus for today’s walks. The easier takes in the wonderful views from “Hospital” Lochan, sitting just above Glencoe village itself. The finish is at the Clachaig Inn, a climber’s hostelry steeped in history. The medium walk visits the famous Lost Valley, and the harder may tackle Sgorr na Ciche (the Pap of Glencoe), a relatively low top sitting right at the north west end of Glen Coe, with incredible views. |
Loch Linnhe and hills around Ballachulish
| We’ll build up an appetite as we explore locally. Our shortest walk goes along the shoreline of Loch Linnhe on a cycle track that follows the route of the old railway from Ballachulish, before returning the same way. En-route we can visit the monuments to James Stewart and the Appin murder that features in ‘Kidnapped’, written by Robert Louis Stevenson. Stretch your legs further on the medium walk as we take good forest tracks and paths towards Ballachulish, via Gleann a’ Chaolais, on the other side of the iconic bridge. The harder walk has the pink quartzite summit of Sgorr Dearg in its sights, weather permitting. |
Lismore & the hills beyond Ballachulish
Lismore island is a favourite in the summer and tends to remain “green” when other areas are covered in snow, so we’ll hope to enjoy its delights today on the easier walk. However, strong winds can prevent the ferry from running, in which case we look to the mainland coastline nearby for some super alternatives. The medium walk heads into Gleann a’ Chaolais, as far as the bealach (pass) between two mighty Munros. The harder walk may tackle Sgorr a’ Choise. Though not a particularly high hill it stands proud of its bigger neighbours and, with the final route to the summit being quite steep, it has an extra zest of achievement.
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Hills and Tracks around Kinlochleven
| We travel east up Loch Linnhe towards Kinlochleven, one-time centre of an important aluminium smelting industry and where all today’s walks finish. The easier walk starts with a gradual ascent to Mamore Lodge, and joins the old military road for a foray to the foot of the giants of the Mamore hills. The medium starts from Callert on the northern shore of Loch Leven, and takes a steep path up to a low point on the main ridge before continuing on the West Highland way to Kinlochleven. The harder takes a similar line but contours around Mam na Gualainn before its descent to the village. |
Lismore & the hills beyond Ballachulish
Lismore island is a favourite in the summer and tends to remain “green” when other areas are covered in snow, so we’ll hope to enjoy its delights today on the easier walk. However, strong winds can prevent the ferry from running, in which case we look to the mainland coastline nearby for some super alternatives. The medium walk heads into Gleann a’ Chaolais, as far as the bealach (pass) between two mighty Munros. The harder walk may tackle Sgorr a’ Choise. Though not a particularly high hill it stands proud of its bigger neighbours and, with the final route to the summit being quite steep, it has an extra zest of achievement.
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Glen Coe
| Historic Glen Coe, scene of the famous massacre, is the focus for today’s walks. The easier takes in the wonderful views from “Hospital” Lochan, sitting just above Glencoe village itself. The finish is at the Clachaig Inn, a climber’s hostelry steeped in history. The medium walk visits the famous Lost Valley, and the harder may tackle Sgorr na Ciche (the Pap of Glencoe), a relatively low top sitting right at the north west end of Glen Coe, with incredible views. |
Hills and Tracks around Kinlochleven -
| We travel east up Loch Linnhe towards Kinlochleven, one-time centre of an important aluminium smelting industry and where all today’s walks finish. The easier walk starts with a gradual ascent to Mamore Lodge, and joins the old military road for a foray to the foot of the giants of the Mamore hills. The medium starts from Callert on the northern shore of Loch Leven, and takes a steep path up to a low point on the main ridge before continuing on the West Highland way to Kinlochleven. The harder takes a similar line but contours around Mam na Gualainn before its descent to the village. |
Loch Linnhe and the hills around Ballachulish
| We’ll build up an appetite as we explore locally. Our shortest walk goes along the shoreline of Loch Linnhe on a cycle track that follows the route of the old railway from Ballachulish, before returning the same way. En route we can visit the monuments to James Stewart and the Appin murder that features in ‘Kidnapped’, written by Robert Louis Stevenson. Stretch your legs further on the medium walk as we take good forest tracks and paths towards Ballachulish, via Gleann a’ Chaolais, on the other side of the iconic bridge. The harder walk has the pink quartzite summit of Sgorr Dearg in its sights, weather permitting. |
Caledonian Canal and Glen Nevis
| Starting near Fort William by Neptune’s Staircase, the longest flight of locks in Britain, the easier walk follows the Caledonian Canal down to the sea at Loch Eil and into Fort William. The medium walk starts at the head of Glen Nevis and explores the dramatic gorge which leads up to the meadows below the superb Steall Falls. The harder aims right for the heart of the spectacular mountain scenery under the north face of Ben Nevis, offering arguably the finest views of Britain’s highest mountain before walking down to Fort William. |
