Scotland's Great Trails Walking Tour
An escorted walking tour of Scotland. This trip is mainly in the Scottish Highlands. Your tour leader guides you to Stirling Castle, Loch Lomond and Craignorms National park with experienced local guides. The tour for mature couples and solo travellers finishes in Edinburgh with time to visit Edinburgh Castle and the Royal mile a UNESCO World heritage site.
From A$9,250 AUD
Highlights
- 1. Tour the Royal Lochnagar Distillery and learn the history of Scotch whisky.
- 2. Experience a tour of Stirling Castle, where Mary I of Scotland was crowned.
- 3. Relax and enjoy the views of the beautiful Loch Lomond.
- 4. Tour the city of Edinburgh and walk through the historic Edinburgh Castle.
Departure Dates
| Departure Date | Price |
|---|---|
| 05 June 2022 Ends 17 June 2022 • 13 nights | Selected |
| 24 August 2022 Ends 05 September 2022 • 13 nights | |
| 04 June 2023 Ends 16 June 2023 • 13 nights | |
| 23 August 2023 Ends 04 September 2023 • 13 nights |
Scotland Walking Tour | Walk the Formartine, Buchan Way & Rob Roy Way
Odyssey offers easy, convenient, and relaxed escorted small group tours across Scotland and beyond. We explore Scotland's natural beauty, its ancient Roman, and Imperial heritage, its World Heritage Sites, and world famous cities, all with some truly spectacular scenery along the way. This and more is all waiting to be explored on one of Odyssey’s small group tours of Scotland designed for the senior traveller, and led by experienced, and enthusiastic like minded people.
Experience two of Scotland's Great Trails on this guided walking tour with Odyssey Traveller: the Formartine and Buchan Way and Rob Roy Way. Discover the country on these long-distance walks that will take you through scenic glens, rolling farmlands, and beautiful lochs, with plenty of interesting stops along the way. We will walk up to 15 kilometres per day with the help of a dedicated Odyssey Program Leader and local guides.
Scotland's great walks:
Formartine and Buchan Way:
The Formartine and Buchan Way, which follows a former railway line, opened in the 1990s. Gently graded and easy to follow, the walk passes through largely flat terrain. The trail begins in Aberdeen, a prosperous port city with ties to Scotland's offshore oil industry. Leaving Aberdeen, the trail passes through the pleasant farmlands to the charming towns of Auchnagatt and Maud, which rose to prominence as a 19th century railway town. The Aberdeen City Council, which operates the trail, recommends that visitors bring binoculars to better see the many native species of birds that are encountered along the way. Finally, the trail ends at the seaside town of Fraserburgh.
After finishing the Formartine and Buchan Way, we head to Stirling, enjoying a scenic drive through the stunning Cairngorms National Park, which protects the Scottish Highlands. We also enjoy a guided tour and tasting of Scottish whisky at the Royal Lochnagar Distillery and visit Stirling Castle, where Mary Stuart was crowned Queen of Scotland in 1543.
Rob Roy Way:
The Rob Roy Way is named after Rob Roy MacGregor, a Scottish outlaw and folk hero. A cattle trader from the Scottish highlands, Rob Roy lost all his money and defaulted on loans from the Duke of Montrose when his cattle herder was kidnapped. In response, the Duke of Montrose seized Rob Roy's lands, beginning a lengthy feud as Rob Roy blackmailed the Duke's tenants, stole his cattle, and committed other acts of banditry.
Rob Roy also joined his fellow highlanders in the 1715 Jacobite uprising in support of Stuart claimants to the English throne. After the rebellion was put down, Rob Roy was accused of treason - with the accusation added to the earlier accusations of banditry - and he was forced into exile, a fugitive on the run in the wilds of Scotland.
However, Rob Roy's banditry had made him a powerful ally in the Duke of Montrose's rival, the Duke of Argyll, who paved the way for Roy to be pardoned at the end of his life. Rob Roy became a celebrity, with his exploits popularised by Daniel Defoe in his novel Highland Rogue. In the 19th century, writers such as Sir Walter Scott would turn Roy into a Scottish Robin Hood.
Established in 2002, the Rob Roy Way passes through the highland territories in which Rob Roy roamed as a fugitive. Beginning in Drymen, it winds its way to Pitlochry, passing through some of Scotland's most exceptional natural scenery on the geographic fault where highland meets lowland. We will pass the beautiful Loch Lomond, the windswept Ben Ledi mountain, and cross the Glen Ogle military bridge.
Unlike the flat Formartine and Buchan way, the Rob Roy Way's terrain is more varied, and travellers should be aware that this walk involves a fair amount of ascent and descent.
Edinburgh:
Edinburgh, Scotland's capital and second most populous city, is one of Europe's most atmospheric cities. Set upon craggy cliffs and rugged outcrops, overlooking the sea, Edinburgh's dark-stoned buildings seem to have been there for an eternity. Edinburgh Castle, which we visit on the tour, tells the story of Scotland's turbulent - and sometimes gory - history, while the 'New Town' (built in the 18th century), is a testament to Edinburgh's place at the forefront of Enlightenment thought, home to luminaries such as David Hume and Adam Smith. Today the 'Athens of the North' remains a forward-thinking place: check out the edgy comedy at the annual Edinburgh Fringe Festival for proof. Our tour spends one night in Edinburgh, but feel welcome to prolong your stay and uncover this truly unique city.
We also offer an Edinburgh City Tour and a tour devoted to the Fringe Festival, among our other Scotland tours.
For more details, click the ‘Top 5’ or ‘Itinerary’ buttons above! If you’re keen to experience this tour, please call or send an email. Or, to book, simply fill in the form on the right-hand side of this page.
This is a holiday program suited to a senior couple or solo traveller who enjoy a good walk. The total number of participants in this tour will be 12 or fewer with the addition of an Odyssey Program Leader.
Articles published by Odyssey Traveller for Walking and Hiking tours for seniors
To help you prepare for any walking program whether with Odyssey or another company this list of articles is intended to help you prepare for your holiday.
- articles on Selecting walking shoes for women
- article on footwear and walking shoes
- article on what to pack when travelling.
- article on maintaining muscle fitness in senior and mature age travellers
- article on selecting socks for walking
- article detailing six great short walks in Britain
- article on preparing for a walking holiday
Articles about Scotland published by Odyssey Traveller
The following list of articles published by odyssey Traveller for mature aged and senior travellers to maximise their knowledge and enjoyment of Scotland when visiting;
- Visiting Scotland
- Scotland & Scotch Whisky
- Roman roads in Britain
- Understanding British Churches
- Medieval British life
- Icons of British villages
- Studying Gargoyles and grotesques
- New discoveries about Britain's stone circles
- Britain's neolithic past
- Lumps and bumps, how to read the British landscape
See all the articles published on Scotland by Odyssey Traveller.
External articles to assist your Scotland Walking Tour
- Overview of the history of Scotland
- Robert burns; biography of a poet
- National trust; Britain's best walks with Julia Bradbury
- National Parks of Britain.
- Ten books about Walking in Britain from the Guardian
The following external links should assist you in planning your trip to Scotland as a tourist and a walker.
- Hiking advice for women
- Aluminium water bottles safe for water?
- Bringing too much luggage and overpacking the day pack.
- Tips for preventing dehydration when walking
Walk with Odyssey Traveller
Walking in Scotland along the the Formartine, Buchan Way & Rob Roy Way is only one of many walking tours offered by Odyssey Traveller. These active tours are designed for the mature traveller to enjoy in a small group holiday and learning environment.
We also publish articles to give more information to our loyal and prospective clients. You can start by reading our our country spotlight on Scotland.
For more details, click the ‘Top 5’ or ‘Itinerary’ buttons above! If you’re keen to experience this tour, please call or send an email. Or, to book, simply fill in the form on the right hand side of this page.
Gallery
Itinerary
13 days
Day 1: ABERDEEN
Upon arrival in Aberdeen, we will make our own way to the hotel. In the evening, we will enjoy a welcome dinner with the Odyssey Program Leader. The city of Aberdeen in northeastern Scotland will be our home base for the Formartine and Buchan leg of this tour.
Day 2: DYCE - ELLON
Today we will transfer to Dyce, where the Formartine and Buchan Way starts. The Formartine and Buchan Railway was one of the hundreds of railways closed by the “Beeching axe”, named after Dr Richard Beeching who was hired by the British government to identify the lines that were losing money (and subsequently had to be closed) in the 1960s.
We will spend the full day walking the trail with a local guide, stopping along the way for pictures, views, and for lunch. The Aberdeenshire Council, which manages the trail, recommends binoculars to better see the native species of birds that can be found along the footpath.
We will arrive in Ellon and transfer to Aberdeen where we will stay overnight.
Day 3: ELLON - MAUD
We will be transferred to Ellon to the same point where we finished the previous day. Along the way we will see the charming town of Auchnagatt where traces of the railway station can still be seen. Upon arrival in Maud, we will transfer back to Aberdeen.
Day 4: MAUD - FRASERBURGH
The small village of Maud rose to prosperity in the nineteenth century as a railway junction of the Formartine and Buchan Railway that ran through the town, splitting into routes heading towards Fraserburgh and Peterhead.
We will begin the day transferring to Maud at the same point where we finished the previous day, and walk the trail to Fraserburgh, a seaside town with a bustling fishing harbour. We will transfer back to Aberdeen for the night.
Day 5: ABERDEEN - STIRLING
Today we will leave Aberdeen and travel to Stirling. On the way, we will enjoy a scenic drive through Britain’s largest national park, Cairngorms National Park in the heart of the Scottish Highlands. We will stop at Ballater at the eastern gateway to the park and have a guided tour of Royal Lochnagar Distillery, which produces single malt Scotch whisky, to learn the history of Scotch whisky.
We will continue our journey to Stirling for a guided tour of Stirling Castle, one of Scotland’s largest and most important strongholds. This was where Mary Stuart was crowned Queen of Scotland in 1543.
From here we will transfer to our hotel. For the Rob Roy Way, Stirling will be our home base until Day 9.
Day 6: STIRLING - DRYMEN
Today we will transfer to Drymen, where the Rob Roy Way starts. This trail is named after Rob Roy MacGregor, a Highland outlaw who had the reputation of being a “Scottish Robin Hood”. Rob Roy Way covers the lochs, glens, and forests where he lived his life until his death in 1734.
We will spend the day walking from Drymen to Aberfoyle, with plenty of stops along the way. Upon arrival in Aberfoyle, we will transfer to our hotel in Stirling.
Day 7: ABERFOYLE - CALLANDER - LOCH LOMOND
We will transfer to the same point in Aberfoyle where we ended the previous day, and walk on a forest path and open grazing land to Callander. From Callander we will transfer to Loch Lomond, where we will have free time to explore the area and enjoy the beautiful view. We will then be transferred back to Stirling for the night.
Day 8: CALLANDER - STRATHYRE
We will transfer to Callander and walk with our local guide to Strathyre. We will pass by the impressive Falls of Leny and see the Ben Ledi mountain dominating the skyline.
Upon arrival in Strathyre, we will be transferred to Stirling.
Day 9: STRATHYRE - KILLIN - PITLOCHRY
From Strathyre, we will walk to Killin, where we will see the white waters of the Falls of Dochart and climb up Glen Ogle. We will transfer to Pitlochry where we will be staying until Day 12.
Day 10: KILLIN - ARDTALNAIG
We will transfer to Killin and walk towards Ardtalnaig. Along the way the countryside will offer us peaceful views of the Highland’s glens. We will transfer to Pitlochry at the end of the day’s walk.
Day 11: ARDTALNAIG - ABERFELDY
We will transfer to Ardtalnaig and walk towards Aberfeldy. This walk will take us through a scenic trail through the woodlands of the Birks of Aberfeldy which line a gorge. (Birks is the Scottish word for birch, referring to the forest’s birch trees.) Our descent towards the town will give us a breathtaking view of the whole of Aberfeldy and surrounding borders.
Upon arrival, we will transfer to our hotel in Pitlochry.
Day 12: ABERFELDY - PITLOCHRY - EDINBURGH
We will transfer to Aberfeldy and spend half the day walking the trail. We will return to Pitlochry where the trail finishes, and transfer to Scotland’s hilly capital, Edinburgh.
At Edinburgh we will enjoy a half-day sightseeing tour to view the main sights, including Edinburgh Castle.
Day 13: EDINBURGH
The end of breakfast marks the end of the tour and our services.
Tour Notes
- A high level of fitness is required for this tour.
Includes / Excludes
What’s included in our Tour
- 13 nights of accommodation.
- 13 breakfasts, 3 lunches, and 6 dinners.
- All excursions, entrance fees, and local guides.
- Services of a Tour Leader for the duration of tour.
- Transport in comfortable and modern coaches.
- Gratuities and necessary tips.
- Detailed preparatory material.
What’s not included in our Tour
- International airfares and departure taxes.
- Comprehensive travel insurance.
- Items of a personal nature such as telephone calls and laundry.
Participants must have a high level of physical fitness and appropriate expertise in the program activities, and should except full days of fast-paced, strenuous physical challenges.
Tour Leader
Odyssey Program Leaders
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If less than 30 days before your tour starts you are unable to travel as a result of Government travel restrictions, Odyssey Traveller will assist you with a date change, provide you with a credit or process a refund for your booking less any non-recoverable costs.
See Terms and conditions for details.
Peace of Mind Travel
The safety of our travellers, tour leader, local guide and support staff has always been our top priority and with the new guidelines for public health and safety for keeping safe for destinations around the world, we’ve developed our plan to give you peace of mind when travelling with us.
See Peace of Mind Travel for details.
Reading List Download PDF
Wild Guide Scotland: Hidden places, great adventures & the good life
A new compendium of adventures, from the best-selling Wild Guide series (winner of travel guidebook of the year 2015). This guide to Scotland and the Scottish highlands and islands, one of Europe's fastest growing adventure holiday destinations, explores the hidden parts of its better known tourist areas, as well many more remote regions, rarely visited by tourists. Guiding you to over 800 wild swims, ancient forests, lost ruins and hidden beaches. Including inns, wild camping, local crafts, artisan whisky distilleries and wild places to stay.
By Kimberley Grant
Walking the Line: A Curious Walker's Guide to the Formartine and Buchan Way
By Janet M. McLeman
Rob Roy Way
This book, fully updated in 2018, describes a popular week-long walk running for 79 miles (127 km)between Drymen and Pitlochry in the Highlands, passing some of Scotland's finest lochs and glens, using historic footpaths, a cycleway, disused railway trackbed, forest and moorland tracks and some minor road. Many places are linked with Scotland's most famous outlaw, Rob Roy MacGregor (1671-1734). The Way offers superb Highland scenery and passes impressive aqueducts and viaducts, castles and forts, a stone circle and visitor centres. It is less crowded and less strenuous than the West Highland Way, but passes through friendly villages with pubs and B&Bs. It was waymarked during 2012, but the guidebook has indispensable detailed directions and fascinating background. The guidebook was first published in 2002 and this third edition documents the many improvements made to the route over its first ten years. It contains all you need to plan and enjoy your holiday: altitude profile and route breakdown into 5-7 day stages; background on Rob Roy MacGregor, other history, heritage and wildlife; summary of each section showing distance, terrain and food/drink stops; drop-down map showing the whole route in five panels (1:110,000); visitor attractions and hills to climb (Munros, Corbetts and Grahams); travel by car, train, bus or plane; foreword by Lord Steel of Aikwood; in full colour, with over 75 photographs; water-resistant paper throughout.
By Jacquetta Megarry
The Rob Roy Way
With a combination of waterproof map and guide, in durable slip-case, this title features new maps based on OS data and 2013 route survey. It is presented in compact size and large scale mapping at 1:40,000
By Howard Hughes
In the Footsteps of Sheep: Tales of a Journey Through Scotland, Walking, Spinning, and Knitting Socks
In the Footsteps of Sheep details the completion of a mission the author, a Welsh-born Scot, set for herself: to travel and camp throughout Scotland, find cast off tufts of wool from 10 Scottish sheep breeds, then spin the wool on her spinning stick while walking (or waiting for ferries), and finally design and knit one pair of socks to represent each breed...all the while writing about her adventures and taking plenty of photographs. Debbie has written beautifully about her journey; the hills, shorelines, and bogs explored; the sheep and people she met along the way; weather both foul and fair, and a particularly exciting chapter about the intriguing St Kilda archipelago and its feral Soay and Boreray sheep. The eleven sock patterns, one at the end of each chapter, are a bonus and, for those of us unable to gather and spin our own fleece, all were test-knitted with commercial wool. The designs are knitted from top to toe with different motifs, among them color-patterns, cables, spirals, stripes, Kilt Hose with top-turnovers, and a pair of baby booties.
By Debbie Zawinski
Articles about Scotland
Country Spotlight: Scotland
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Walking tours for active travellers – tips for seniors
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Inverness, Scotland
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Iona, Scotland
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Oban, Scotland
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