The Best Backpacking Routes in the Scottish Isles
· Updated
The finest backpacking on the Scottish islands is not one route but a handful of very different ones: the Cuillin ridge on Skye for mountaineers, the gentler coast and hills of Arran, and the 156 mile Hebridean Way threaded across the Outer Hebrides on causeways and ferries. This is island walking, so a ferry timetable and a weather window matter as much as your fitness, and both can strand you for a day.
This guide covers the routes worth crossing the water for, island by island, then the practicalities that trip people up: getting there on CalMac ferries, your right to wild camp under the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, midges, and carrying enough food for places with no shop. It sits alongside our guide to camping along the UK's national trails, and it is one of the walking guides from Camping Sites in Britain, where you can find and compare campsites across the country.
If you have walked the mainland glens, the islands are a different proposition. The mountains are smaller in number but often steeper and more exposed, the weather rolls in off the Atlantic with nothing to slow it, and resupply is genuinely remote. Plan for it and the islands give you the best coastal and ridge walking in Britain.
The best island routes at a glance
The table below sorts the main options by island, distance and difficulty so you can match a route to your experience before reading further.
| Route | Island | Rough distance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hebridean Way | Outer Hebrides (10 islands) | 156 miles | Long distance, moderate terrain |
| Skye Trail | Skye | Around 80 miles | Hard, some pathless ground |
| Cuillin ridge traverse | Skye | Around 7 miles of ridge | Serious mountaineering |
| Trotternish ridge | Skye | Around 20 miles | Moderate to hard |
| Goat Fell and coastal way | Arran | Varies, day to multi-day | Moderate |
| Paps of Jura | Jura | Around 10 to 16 miles | Hard, rough and remote |
| Ben More | Mull | Around 6 miles return | Moderate Munro day |
Isle of Skye
Skye offers the widest range of walking of any Scottish island, from a full mountaineering traverse down to a rolling coastal ridge. It is the busiest island for walkers, so book ferries, ferries to the small isles and any campsite pitches well ahead in summer.
The Cuillin ridge
The Black Cuillin ridge is the hardest mountain challenge in Britain and is not a backpacking route in the ordinary sense. The main traverse runs roughly seven miles across bare gabbro, takes in 11 Munros including the Inaccessible Pinnacle, and involves sustained scrambling and roped climbing with big exposure. Most people who complete it hire a qualified guide. If you are moving up from hill walking, treat the Cuillin as a long term goal rather than a first island trip, and build the skills first with a beginner's guide to Munros.
The Trotternish ridge, the Quiraing and the Old Man of Storr
The Trotternish peninsula holds the best accessible ridge walking on Skye. The full ridge runs around 20 miles north from near Portree and passes the island's two most photographed landmarks: the Old Man of Storr, a 50 metre rock pinnacle, and the Quiraing, a slumped landslip of towers and hidden terraces. You can walk the whole ridge as a demanding day or a comfortable two days, or pick off the Storr and Quiraing as shorter circuits from the road if you have less time.
The Skye Trail and coastal paths
The Skye Trail is an unofficial long distance route of roughly 80 miles from Rubha Hunish in the north to Broadford in the south. It is tough: it includes the Trotternish ridge, long pathless sections and the exposed Boreraig coast, and it suits experienced backpackers confident with a map and compass. There is no waymarking, so treat it as a wild route rather than a national trail.
Isle of Arran
Arran is the easiest island to reach and the best all rounder, which is why it is called Scotland in miniature. A single island packs in a Highland style mountain range in the north and gentle farmland and coast in the south, split by the Highland Boundary Fault that divides the whole country.
Goat Fell, at 874 metres, is the high point and a straightforward if steep walk from Brodick, with a huge view across the Firth of Clyde from the top. For a longer trip, the waymarked Arran Coastal Way loops around 65 miles right around the island over about a week, mixing beaches, forest and short hill sections, and it is a good introduction to island backpacking before you tackle somewhere more remote. The ferry from Ardrossan lands you in Brodick in under an hour, so Arran works well for a first weekend on the water.
The Hebridean Way, Outer Hebrides
The Hebridean Way is the flagship long distance route of the islands, running 156 miles across 10 islands from Vatersay in the south to the Butt of Lewis in the north, linked by six causeways and two ferries. It crosses Vatersay, Barra, Eriskay, South Uist, Benbecula, North Uist, Berneray, Harris and Lewis, and most walkers allow around 10 to 12 days.
The walking is mostly moderate: white shell beaches, flower rich machair, peat moorland and a few hills, rather than sustained mountain ground. The two ferry legs, Barra to Eriskay and Berneray to Harris, are built into the route, so your daily plan has to fit the CalMac timetable. Wild camping along the way is a real pleasure, but the machair is fragile and much of it is croftland, so pitch with care and keep well back from homes. Distance and route detail are confirmed by VisitOuterHebrides.
Harris and Lewis
The northern end of the Hebridean Way holds some of the best of it. Harris has the beaches, Luskentyre and Seilebost among them, and a rugged interior of bare rock and lochans crossed by old paths. Lewis is flatter and dominated by peat moor, but it holds the Callanish standing stones, a complete stone circle older than Stonehenge that is well worth a detour off the trail. The two are one landmass, Harris in the mountainous south, Lewis in the moorland north.
Jura and Mull
Jura and Mull give you serious island hills without the crowds of Skye. Both need careful ferry planning, and Jura in particular has almost no facilities, so carry everything.
The Paps of Jura are three steep quartzite peaks that rise straight out of the moor and give a hard, rough round of around 10 to 16 miles depending on how many you take in. There are no paths to speak of, the scree is punishing, and the island has one road, one shop and one distillery, so it is a proper wild day out. Reaching Jura means a ferry to Islay and a second small ferry across the Sound of Islay, which needs planning.
Mull holds Ben More, at 966 metres the only island Munro outside Skye. The usual route climbs around six miles there and back from Loch na Keal, steep but not technical in good conditions, with a fine ridge to neighbouring A' Chioch for the more confident. Mull also has gentler coast and glen walking if the summit is clagged in.
Getting there and getting around
Almost every island trip starts with a Caledonian MacBrayne ferry, and in summer you must book ahead. CalMac runs the west coast network, and popular sailings to Skye's small isles, Barra, Harris and Mull fill up weeks in advance in July and August, especially if you are taking a vehicle. Foot passengers have more flexibility but should still reserve on the busy routes.
The single most important planning rule for the islands is to build in buffer days. Atlantic weather cancels ferries, and a blown out sailing can leave you a day behind or stuck on the wrong island. Do not plan to walk off the last ferry straight onto a flight or a Monday morning at work. The same weather that stops the boats can pin you in the tent, so an itinerary with no slack will fail on the islands more often than on the mainland. Our guide to how to plan a multi-day hike covers stage planning and contingency in more detail.
Wild camping, access and Leave No Trace
Wild camping is a legal right across the Scottish islands, provided you camp responsibly under the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. Scotland grants access rights on most land under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, and lightweight wild camping for a night or two, done well away from houses and roads, is part of that. This is a genuine difference from most of England and Wales, where wild camping needs the landowner's permission.
Camping responsibly means small groups, no more than two or three nights in one spot, and carrying out everything you bring in. Use a stove rather than an open fire, take all litter with you, and bury human waste well away from water or, better, pack it out on fragile machair and coastal ground. The full guidance is on the Scottish Outdoor Access Code camping page. If you would rather have a shower and a shop at the end of the day, the campsites around the Scottish Highlands and islands in our directory make a good base for day walks.
Weather, midges and resupply
The two things that catch people out on the islands are the midges and the distances between shops. From late May to mid September the Highland midge is out in force on still, damp, overcast evenings, worst near water and at dawn and dusk. Carry a head net and a picaridin or DEET repellent, and favour an exposed, breezy pitch, since midges cannot fly in wind above about six miles per hour.
Resupply is the other planning problem. On Jura, on the wilder stretches of the Hebridean Way and along the Skye Trail there may be no shop for two or three days, so carry enough food to cover it plus a spare day for a cancelled ferry. Water is generally plentiful from hill burns but treat it below grazing land. For the wider picture on hills, weather and navigation across Scotland, see our guide to hiking in the Scottish Highlands.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Hebridean Way?
The Hebridean Way walking route is 156 miles long and crosses 10 islands of the Outer Hebrides, from Vatersay to the Butt of Lewis, using six causeways and two ferries. Most walkers complete it in around 10 to 12 days.
Can you wild camp on the Scottish islands?
Yes. Wild camping is a legal right across Scotland, including the islands, under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, as long as you follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. Camp in small groups, stay away from houses and roads, and leave no trace.
Do you need to book CalMac ferries in advance?
In summer, yes, especially with a vehicle. Caledonian MacBrayne sailings to Skye's small isles, Barra, Harris and Mull book up weeks ahead in July and August. Foot passengers have more flexibility but should still reserve on busy routes.
Which Scottish island is best for beginners?
Arran, known as Scotland in miniature. It is quick to reach from Ardrossan, offers a straightforward big hill in Goat Fell and a waymarked 65 mile coastal way, and has plenty of shops and campsites, which makes it a gentle first island trip.
What is the hardest walk on the Scottish islands?
The Cuillin ridge traverse on Skye. It is around seven miles of sustained scrambling and roped climbing across 11 Munros, including the Inaccessible Pinnacle, with serious exposure. Most people who complete it hire a qualified mountain guide.
When is the best time to backpack the Scottish islands?
Late April to early June and September give the best balance of long days, settled weather and fewer midges. July and August are warmest but the midges peak and ferries and campsites are busiest, so book well ahead.
The short version
Match the route to your experience: Arran or the Hebridean Way for a first island trip, Jura, Mull or the Trotternish ridge for something wilder, and the Cuillin only with the skills to back it up. Book your CalMac ferries early, carry enough food for the remote stretches, camp responsibly under the access code, and build in a buffer day for the weather.
Do that and the Scottish islands give you the finest coast and ridge walking in Britain. For more routes and planning, see our guide to camping along the UK's national trails.
