Scotland in early May

[David Hartley]

We (my brother and I) will be in Scotland for the first two weeks of next May and we are planning to do some hiking while my wife takes a 10 day bus tour. We are tentatively planning to make a loop hike out of the two popular southern routes of the Cape Wrath trail, Starting in Fort William and taking the alternate route north, initially along the Great Glen Way to Invergarry, and then over to Shiel Bridge, where we would then head south on the more traditional route back to Fort William. All together it looks like approximately 120 miles and it looks like we can mail a resupply box to a business near Shiel Bridge. We are interested in this route mostly for the easy transportation to/from Glascow and hopefully more solitude than would be found on the more popular West Highland Way. This would be our first visit to Scotland, so I have questions:

1) Route: What do you think about our proposed route? Is there a different hike/route we should consider?

2) Food: Can we bring freeze dried backpacking food (e.g. Mountain House, Peak Refuel, etc.) in its original packaging into the UK? My internet researching has turned up conflicting information.

3) Tent: Our tent is a SlingFin Cinder Cone pyramid, which is 10d Ripstop Sil/Silnylon. Do you think it will be up to the challenge? Should we bring the inner for midges or will early May be midge free enough to just use the bathtub floor (we could bring Sea to Summit Nano bugnets just in case).

Thanks for any feedback provided.

[William Chilton]

I think you’ll probably find more people with experience of the area if you ask your questions on the UK-based forum trek-lite.

[Drew Smith]

I did the WHW and GGW early May 2025. You are right to avoid the WHW if you are interested in solitude. I considered looping back to Ft William via Shiel Bridge on the GGW (similar to what you are proposing) but opted to go on to Inverness instead. The GGW was much less crowded and the trail was not lined with wads of toilet paper like the WHW.

As for your questions

1- I think this is an appealing route although it may require some routefinding skills

2 – My reading of the UK customs site was that bringing any food at all is prohibited. I had no trouble buying freeze-dried meals in Glasgow and Ft William, as well as snacks at the grocery stores. If you are a coffee-drinker, beware — the only instant coffee available is Nescafe and it is horrible. You may want to bring your own and risk customs.

3 – I lucked out weather-wise, only 15′ of drizzle on a single afternoon, so I can’t attest to the notorious weather. I’m not specifically familiar with the SlingFin, but surely a pyramid tent should provide good shelter. Although most of the country is open (tree line is about 800 ft above sea level), there are many scattered groves of trees to provide some shelter.

I looked into a couple of bothys. One was nice, the other was damp, dark, smelly and generally foul. But they provide an option if the weather turns truly nasty.

Only encountered a few midges at the lowest elevations. But I would still bring at least a head net.

You can read my TJ of the hike starting here, that should give you some feel for the country.

Best of luck, Scotland is a great hiking destination and I am sure you will have a fine time.

 

[David Hartley]

Thanks Drew. I will take a look at your trip journal. I think you are right on your reading of the UK customs site – we will plan to buy food in Glascow and/or Fort William. Your thoughts on the WHW crowds (and TP) are exactly why we want to avoid it. Route finding is OK with us – helps to keep the crowds away. Can’t wait for the trip.

[Mole J]

I’ve started hiking in second week of May in the west coast of Scotland each of the last 3 years, and experienced midges biting each morning and evening on several days. Enough to warrant using Smidge (picaridin) and also sometimes a headnet. I wouldn’t have wanted to be using a single skin shelter at those times.

I’ve still never seen a definitive answer as to whether the mesh on StS nano nets are fine(dense) enough to prevent midge access. Original version on paper were only mosquito mesh. Don’t know if newer versions are denser no see-um mesh.

[Geoff Caplan]

Scot here.

For the love of God bring midge protection. A lot depends on seasonal conditions – you may never need it. But if you do, it will save your life! If you have the fortitude of a honey badger, a headnet may be enough, but a bug inner is a safer bet. Be aware that they laugh at mosquito nets – you need no-see-um type mesh size.

As for routes – it’s extremely personal. How much experience do you have? Don’t underestimate out hills – they are small by your standards, but the storms can be sudden, unforecast and arctic. If you are confident navigators and you value solitude and adventure I’d recommend plotting your own high-level route – all my best experiences have come that way. Keeps you above the bugs, and you’ll find lots of blogs to give you ideas. Be sure to plan for low-level alternatives though, when the weather isn’t cooperating. We have superb mapping that you can trust. But please don’t push your skill level or you might become a statistic – the recognised trails can be great too.

Personally I generally avoid bothies. It’s not like the Western Alps where there is a culture of high quality, well maintained shelters. Ours are operated by all kinds of organisations and are very hit and miss. When they are bad, they are horrible, and there’s always the risk of rowdy company. Certainly, check on its current condition before you plan to rely on a hut.

Funnily enough I’m designing my own mid, and have just been chatting with SlingFin about the Cinder Cone. It has some interesting innovations! How do you find it? They are bullish about wind performance, but our hills are very exposed. You can go to bed in halcyon calm and wake up in a hoolie. It’s not really a summit camping setup, so I’d plan to be in shelter for your nights unless you hit a rare patch of settled weather.

Ignore the comment that there’s no decent instant – any supermarket will offer a wide choice! We have electricity and sidewalks and all that fancy stuff…

You’ll also find a wide range of freeze dried pouches in any city, if that’s how you roll.

If you prefer to bring your own, I don’t have the personal experience to give authoritative advice, but here’s the official government guidance:

https://www.gov.uk/bringing-food-into-great-britain

May can be the best month in the Highlands and I hope you have a great time! Any other questions, just ask.

 

[Geoff Caplan]

Here’s an afterthought. Something special that you might not find yourself.

From Fort William you can take a ferry directly to the Ardnamurchan Peninsula. The hills are low, but it feels quiet and remote and I’ve always found it magical.

With craft and cunning you could plan a multi-day circuit over the tops. Just be aware that it’s often trackless and tough going.

It wouldn’t stretch to 10 days, but you could dawdle – there are glorious beaches, romantic castles, ancient woodlands, charming villages… Or you could combine it with other Lochaber walks.

For some ideas:

https://www.wildardnamurchan.com/walking

https://barefoot-backpacker.com/hiking-in-ardnamurchan/

[David Hartley]

Thanks Geoff and Mole!

We will definitely go with the Cinder Cone inner tent for midge protection – it claims to be no-see-um netting. I am going to message SlingFin and find out how many holes per square-inch to make sure it is good enough for midges. Google AI says you need 1000 holes per square-inch or more for midges. Sea-to-Summit specs the Nano at only 500 holes per square-inch – so not good enough for midges (or no-see-ums).

As far as food – given the rules on meat and dairy, we will just purchase all our food when we get there. We might bring some instant coffee though – almost any brand is good enough for me, but my brother is fairly passionate about this topic and prefers the Starbucks Via (French Roast).

Geoff – we have yet to actually use the Cinder Cone in the field – only just set it up in the yard so far. It is amazingly light and compact for such a large pyramid. The workmanship is excellent. As you are probably aware the venting design is unique and unlike any other pyramid. We use a pretty sturdy aluminum pole with it. I really need to fit in at least one bad weather trip to get a feel for it before Scotland. SlingFin has told me in their testing they have not had a need to seam-seal it. I haven’t decided yet, although I am leaning toward seam-sealing at the moment.

You have also given me some things to ponder on the route. I will look at potential high-level alternatives we could consider – weather permitting, and look through the links you provided. Thanks again!

[Geoff Caplan]

Well, my local supermarket has 63 Starbucks lines, but not the Via.

But you can get it next day from Amazon.

So far as I can find, entering with coffee in personal quantities will be fine so long as it’s sealed and doesn’t contain dried milk.

[Amy Lauterbach]

David,

You may be interested in our trip report for a late April to late May thru hike in Scotland including the Cape Wrath Trail: https://doingmiles.com/2013-04-scotland/.  There are several websites now available with midge reports, sorry I don’t have the links handy. We were lucky and had few, but based on other’s reports, don’t underestimate how troublesome they can be.

Have a great trip.

[David Hartley]

Thanks Amy, Your “doing miles” Scotland trip was one of the first internet resources I looked at. We have been forewarned on midges now – so we will travel prepared for them – with midge/no-see-um rated headnets, inner net tent, and picardin repellent – ready to be pleasantly surprised by their absence (if we are lucky).

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