Scotland lets you hike for hours while seeing no one for miles and has lochs filled with fish that have never seen any kind of lure. And for being a country with major cities close by, it has untouched coastlines. Scotland has an abundance of outdoor activities and choosing one is a challenge.
Knoydart
The Knoydart peninsula is called ‘Britain’s last wilderness’ for a reason. You can only reach it by private boat, a two day trek by foot, or by ferry from Mallaig. Because of this it is a beautiful landscape untouched; filled with mountains, glens, and secret bays.
The glens and mountains are great hikes, but very difficult. Climbing Ladhar Bheinn and seeing the views of Skye and the Small Isles is a great reward for the hard trek. The walk on the ridge between Luinne Bheinn and Meall Buidhe is very exposed and takes a good amount of remote navigation. The trails are not in any way set up and signposted. You are in a very remote wilderness. Self navigation and self backup are very important due to the weather that can change up here quickly.
But also, the sea lochs surrounding Knoydart offer some of the best fishing, especially for sea trout, in Scotland. Locals know to keep quiet about summer evenings when the trout run on the tide, viciously taking flies during the dusk. The estate requires permission from, and you’ll be fishing waters that see maybe a couple of anglers a season. Hooking a fish here means, more than likely, that you’re the first to ever do so.
The Flow Country: Europe’s Forgotten Rainforest
One of the rarest habitats in the world, blanket bog, can be found in the far north Sutherland and Caithness, and most people drive straight through it on their way to John O’Groats. The Flow Country, at first, looks desolate, an endless canvas of pools and moss, with low vegetation sprawling beneath the enormous skies. But, with time spent here, it becomes clear that it’s anything but empty.
This is one of the best places in the UK to observe birds of prey. Golden eagles, hen harriers, merlins and short eared owls all prey on these bogs. In the summer you can also hear the entertaining calls of curlews in the bogs and the snipe’s drumming during their display flight. Walking in the Forsinard Flows Nature Reserve is like walking in an ancient Scotland, before the time of sheep, roads, and the human dominion over the land.
The countless lakes and small ponds in the Flow Country all contain wild brown trout. They are, however, smaller than the brown trout of the more fertile southern waters. Their size is made up by the eagerness of their take, and there’s also the joy of fishing in a remote location. The bottom line is, you could spend a day casting over one of the lakes and not catch a trout, all you might see is a pair of red-throated divers and a drifting deer.
For hikers, the Ben Loyal provides stunning views and lacks the crowds found in the more southern Munros. Its four peaks are distinctive and their dominance of the skyline can be seen for miles. The ascent follows, ancient, stalkers paths and on a clear day the Orkney can be seen in the distance.
The Berwickshire Coast: The Opening of the Scottish Borders
While people flock to the Highlands, the constrains of the Scottish borders and the Berwickshire coastline, are remarkable and equally overlooked. The stretch of coastline that contains cliffs, hidden coves, and fishing settlements that stretch from Eyemouth to the English border is Scotland’s most accessible and, to some, most underappreciated playgrounds. \n
The cliffs at St. Abbs are a major highlight, and sea cliffs are full of life that escalates sea guillemots, razorbills, and puffins. From St Abbs to Coldingham Bay there is a coastal walk to the village that is among Scotland’s best viewed shorter hikes, though some may draw from less popular areas. The calm, clear marine reserve below is excellent for diving. \n
Fishing along the coastal rock outcrops and coves of St Abbs and Eyemouth may fall on the spectacular side of the spectrum. Autumn brings inshore cod, and the rest of the summer you may catch themselves Pollack, coalfish, and mackerel. Novices are welcome, and most anglers will provide advice to newcomers. There is sea fishing to be done here, the sort where you calculate your time around the tide and the weather. The sort that leaves you scrambling over the coastline, and where any fish you catch will be earned.
Walking across the moorland gives you incredible views of the Firth of Forth while walking in the Lammermuir Hills. Unlike the Cairngorms or West Highlands, these rounded hills are much more quiet. Furthermore, the hills are equally as enjoyable. There are many reservoirs in the hills filled with trout and pike. These reservoirs are either members only or allow day tickets to be purchased for fishing.
Galloway: Scotland’s Forgotten South-West
Galloway is in a bewildering area as it is a part of the South of Scotland, but it Highland feels in character. Galloway is home to the Galloway Forest Park, which is the largest in Britain. It also includes the first Dark Sky Park, which makes it a wonderful spot for stargazing and it is just as wonderful during the day.
The name The Range of the Awful Hand seems like it is straight out of Tolkien, but it is a real place and is very dramatic. There are a lot of large hills and valleys with a horseshoe shape in the middle of a lot of large hills. It also provides a very challenging day of hill walking, which is very satisfying. The walking is also very wild, which is surprising to some people.
Loch Trool is one of the most beautiful spots, situated in the center of the forest. Brown trout and the odd pike can be found in the loch. There are also leisurely wooded strolls, and more challenging wooded hikes that surround the loch. In autumn, the golden birch and roaring rut red deer make the scenery one of the best in Scotland.
Visitors have all but overlooked the Machars peninsula, which is also the casest of the Machars. This peninsula is gentler in appearance, calm sandy inlets with low cliffs, and has none of the drama of the west coast, making it ideal for exceptional bird watching and escapism. In winter, estuarys and creeks around Wigtown Bay are filled with wildfowl, over which thousands of barnacle and pink-footed geese and various duck species are in constant migration.
Glen Affric regularly ranks highly in the lists of most breathtaking glens in all of Scotland and for some of the glens in the list, these rankings were well earned. The hills are draped with the lochs and hillside reflecting the contours of the surroundig mountains and ancient Caledonian pine forest while an abundance of red deer and wild game make for an outstanding stablility of the area.
Loch Affric and Loch Beinn a’ Mheadhoin contain wild brown trott and arctic char. These fish bite very selectively and the fishing can be challenging as the lochs are deep and cold and you are casting in the shadow of the munros. But on occasion, a fish can be hooked and it’s fly fishing at its most sublime with the mountains perfectly mirrored in the loch clear enough to view the gravel at the bottom.
Hiking these hills is excellent as they are much less travelled than the likes of Ben Nevis. Mam Sodhail and Càrn Eige are over 1100 metres and are much less frequently travelled than other mountains of a similar size.
Practical Edges of Hidden Scotland
Hidden gems like these are less travelled due to the demands they require of their visitors. The weather is very unpredictable and due to midges in the summer, you need to have the proper waterproof kit. The facilities are basic at best and there’s no phone signal.