Scotland Off the Beaten Track

Argyll & Bute | Luss Hills | Full day walk | ★★★

The Luss Hills are practically Luss's back garden, and easily accessible from Glasgow. Despite this, they're usually bypassed by walkers heading for the higher peaks further north, so solitude usually awaits after escaping claustrophobic Luss and the noise from the A82. A horseshoe route around Glen Striddle rewards with some of the best views you could hope for, with Loch Lomond, Ben Lomond and the Arrochar Alps all vying for attention. In good conditions this isn't a full day's walk, leaving plenty of time to divert along the banks of beautiful Luss Water for a leisurely stroll back towards the start.


📌 Walk: Luss for words above Glen Striddle ★★★
▶ 12 km / 7 miles | ▲ 740 metres
Summits: Beinn Dubh east top (642 metres); Beinn Dubh west top (657 metres, Graham) | Features: Luss Water; Luss
Start / finish: Car park in Luss (charge in summer, though a little free street parking nearby), G.R.: NS 359931 ///basics.posit…

Argyll & Bute | Village | ★★★

Luss tends to divide opinion depending on the season and time of day. On a sunny summer weekend it can feel like half the world's descended on this tiny village, no more than a handful of beautifully-kept cottages, a couple of touristy shops and a pretty 19th century church. If you can, visit in low season or early morning and you'll get the village and its beautiful views across Loch Lomond mostly to yourself. Alternatively, take to the quieter hills and countryside around the fringes of the village.


📌Luss ★★★
Argyll & Bute, G.R.: NS 359930 ///retailing.costs.trades

Anything else? Main car park has a charge in summer (if you're lucky you might find free street parking).


Within walking distance

>> Walk: Luss for words above Glen Striddle★★★

Perth & Kinross | Bridge of Earn | Half day walk | ★★★

The dulcet tones of motorway traffic accompany the start of the ascent to the two hill forts on Moncreiffe Hill. This isn't a good walk to get away from it all, but the open summit areas are the sites of Pictish hill forts and give great views over Perth, the eastern Ochils, the Firth of Tay and Kinnoull Hill - the latter almost a carbon copy of Moncreiffe. Further down, tracks wind through unspoiled woodland with snowdrops in February and daffodils in spring.


📌 Walk: From motorway to Moncreiffe Hill ★★★
▶ 9 km / 6 miles | ▲ 270 metres
Summits: Moncreiffe Hill / Moredun Top (223 metres, sub-2000') | Features: Moncreiffe Hill Fort; Moredun Top Fort
Start / finish: Car park off minor road 2 miles east of Bridge of Earn, G.R.: NO 153192 ///mixing.september.imparts

Route: Car park - path junction at G.R.: NO 127198 - Tarsappie Hill - Moncreiffe Hill Fort - Moncreiffe Hill / Moredun Top Fort - Grange Hill - start. Walk roughly…

Perth & Kinross | Perth | Castle | ★★★

This 15th century castle is conveniently sited on the edge of Perth, its surrounding lawn and field maintaining a semblance of tranquillity despite the A9 passing just a few hundred metres away. Huntingtower unusually started life as two separate tower houses: built by the 1st Lord Ruthven in the 1400s, reputedly one for each of his two sons. The Murray family joined the two parts both externally and internally in the 1600s, but separate entrances and a modern (internal) bridge connecting the eastern and western towers mean that the two sides still feel separate to each other when you visit. One highlight is the beautiful painting ceiling in one of the halls.


📌Huntingtower Castle★★★
Location: Close to the A9 / A85 junction, 2 miles west of Perth city centre, G.R.: NO 083251 ///jacket.both.hatch
Open (2019): Daily, April to September; Saturday to Wednesday, October to March
Cost (2019): £5 (adults), £3 (children), free for Historic Environment Sc…

South Ayrshire | Dunure | Castle | ★★

Dunure's castle is a 13th century ruin, for centuries the stronghold of the Earls of Cassilis, which really rewards thorough exploration. When you first approach from the inland side, its very ruinous state and the offputting presence of a neighbouring skate park don't do the site any favours. The ugly metal staircases, litter and weeds inside the damp interior further detract from the experience. However, make a beeline for the headland directly to the south and you'll be rewarded with an excellent view of the dramatic seaward side of the castle, hidden until now. The scale of the northwestern walls overlooking vertical cliffs become fully apparent if you descend a rough path down to the shoreline (past the "Dunure Labyrinth" - a maze of rocks constructed in a hollow below the headland) and follow the coast north. The castle's beehive dovecot is nearby and in better condition.


📌Dunure Castle ★★
Next to Dunure village centr…