Saturday: Glasgow - Galloway
We will meet you in the city centre or at Glasgow International Airport in the afternoon. We will travel by minibus to Newton Stewart, our base for the first half of the week.

Sunday: Galloway Forest Park
We will explore Galloway Forest Park, the largest forest park in Britain. But before we go into the park we will have a short walk in the largest remaining woodland in southern Scotland. It is thought to date back over 5000 years to the last ice age.
After this first introduction, we will travel into the hart of the forest park where we will walk around Loch Trool, the site where Robert the Bruce won the first battle over the English in 1307. Loch Trool is surrounded by the highest peaks of the Galloway Hills.
6 miles / 9 km

Threave Castle in the river Dee

Monday: Cairnholy cairns, Threave Castle and coastal walk
We will start in the Neolithic period by visiting the superb Clyde-type chambered cairns at Cairnholy. There are a substantial number of cup and ring marked rocks around the cairn.
We will continue to the River Dee and visit the ruins of Threave Castle which is on an island in the river. This is a massive 14th century tower built by Archibald the Grim, Lord of Galloway. To get to the island, we must ring the bell at the jetty and the boatman will come across from the island to take us to the castle. 

Our afternoon walk will be a coastal walk along the Solway Firth. This takes us onto high cliffs. In May and June these cliff areas are alive with nesting sea birds jostling and noisily contesting for prime sites. There are colonies of Kittiwakes, Fulmars and Herring Gulls and on the lower slopes the Guillemots and Razorbills make their homes. Further round there are many Cormorants nesting. There will also be an abundance of wild flowers that cling to the cliffs. And if you are bored with all this natural beauty, you can gaze across the Solway Firth towards England, the Isle of Man and Ireland.
Up to 6 miles / 9 km, limited ascent.

Balcary Point, Solway Firth, Galloway

Tuesday: Journey to Argyll, Benmore Gardens and Puck's Glen
We will leave Galloway and travel to the Scottish Highlands, taking the ferry across the Clyde.

We will visit Benmore Botanic Garden for a guided tour of the garden. The garden lies in a magnificent mountainside setting on the Cowal Peninsula. Benmore’s 120 acres boast over 300 species of rhododendron; Bhutanese and Chilean plantings and a spectacular avenue of Giant Redwoods.

Today's walk will include Puck's Glen. This is one of the hidden gems of Cowal. After a ascent through an ancient pine forest, we will descent through this magical glen, which is actually a gorge filled with gushing waterfalls and enchanting rock pools. brings you into a different world hidden in the deep, rainforest-like depths of the glen, and there is the chance to see a wealth of wildlife, including dipper and red squirrel.
Up to 4 miles/6km and up to 720ft/220m ascent.

Wednesday: Portavadie, Kilfinan and Castle Lachlan
Our walk near Portavadie is in a beautiful corner of the Cowal peninsula, mostly open moorland, with wide sea views to the sharp peaks on the island of Arran and across Loch Fyne to Kintyre. After our walk we will take the scenic single track road along the shore of Loch Fyne to Kilfinan. We will stop her for a visit to the 13th century Church of St Finan which has one of the best collections of ancient burial stones in the West of Scotland. We will also explore the Neolitic and Bronze Age monuments near Kilfinan, including cairns, standing stones and cup and ring scribings.
We will finish the day with a short walk to the ruins of Castle Lachlan, once the stronghold of of the clan MacLachlan
Up to 6 miles/9km and up to 650ft/200m ascent.

Thursday: Ardkinglas House and the estate of the Duke of Argyll
Today, we're going west of Loch Fyne to Cairndow and Inveraray. We will have a tour of Ardkinglas House, designed and built in 1907 by Robert Lorimer one of Scotland's leading architects. Lorimer was allowed a free hand and the result is a large neo-baronial style mansion of over 80 rooms set in its own gardens with some of the tallest trees of Scotland.

Argyll, Loch Lomond

Our walk will be on the estate of the Duke of Argyll near Inverary. The walk is on tracks through this highland estate with great views toward the Arrochar Alps and down Loch Fyne.
Up to 6 miles / 9 km and up to 1300 ft / 400 m ascent.

Friday: West Highland Way: Inversnaid to Ardleish
We will take the passenger ferry across Loch Lomond to Inversnaid and walk one of the best sections of the West Highland Way. Leaving Inversnaid we pass through ancient oak woodland and walk past Rob Roy's Cave. The path is rough with numerous ups and downs. We will be rewarded with superb views. In Ardleish a boat will take us back to the west shore of the loch.
5 miles / 8 km, 650 ft / 200 m ascent  

Saturday: Argyll - Glasgow
We drive across the 'Rest & Be Thankfull' pass to Loch Long and along Loch Lomond back to Glasgow, where we will arrive in the late morning.

The emphasis of the week is on enjoyment, so no-one should worry too much: you aren't in a race. Daily distances will never exceed 6 miles (10 km) plus varying amounts of ascent, and we don't expect to walk for longer than 4 hours (maximum) on any day. We will almost always be on paths or tracks or quiet roads except where the countryside is extremely easy, when we do go off path. There will be some steep sections, but not consisting of hundreds of feet together. Age is not a problem if you are fit and used to country walking / hiking.

Accommodation

As with all About Argyll's holidays, this is either in selected B&B or in hotels, as you prefer. You can rely on the quality of the accommodation that we find for you - its comfort, its food and the welcoming nature of those who run it. If you have particular requirements, please let us know so that we can do our best to meet them.
Details of where you will be staying will be sent to you well in advance of your holiday.

Clothing and equipment

You will need to bring boots with a good tread that provide adequate ankle support, warm clothing, waterproofs (top and over-trousers) and a rucksack big enough for your spare clothes, a packed lunch and whatever else you normally like to have with you (binoculars, a camera, etc.). Boots are especially important. They don't have to be particularly heavy, but wearing ultra lightweight ones may mean your feet get wet and trainers definitely aren't adequate nor, on some of the rougher and steeper going, however short it may be, are they safe. 'Trekking poles' (or even one) can be very useful, especially for anyone with knee problems.

For full details on booking and insurance, please click here.