than other aspects of a route, and you should be prepared for possible local changes. In a similar vein getting from the road onto the hill frequently takes walkers through a fringe of forest or through farms or other habitation where the preferred line of access may change from time to time. Please ensure that you follow local signs.
Accommodation and Campsites
The nearest youth hostel is given in the information box and, where appropriate, the nearest Independent Hostel. It should be noted, however, that there are some routes, for example in Glen Clova and Glen Esk, where the nearest hostel is a very considerable distance away. For most routes the box also gives the nearest centre where hotels or bed and breakfast accommodation can be found. Occasionally a specific hotel is named if it is the only accommodation in the immediate vicinity of the route.
An indication of where the nearest campsites are has also been given for each route. Unfortunately campsites seem to come and go with some rapidity. ‘Wild camping’ is generally accepted in remote areas well away from the road, so long as the usual rules about rubbish and waste disposal are observed; but the practice of roadside camping – which is currently widespread – is strongly frowned on by landowners, local councils, the police and others.
Access
The Land Reform Act (Scotland), which was passed by the Scottish parliament in 2003, greatly clarifies the issue of access to Scottish mountains, most of which are privately owned. Whilst it bestows a general right of access to the walker, it does not change the need for considerate behaviour in terms of closing gates, protecting stone dykes, taking home litter and respecting both the livestock and wildlife that live in the hills. Nor does it change the need to avoid conflict with other users. In fact, these responsibilities have been built into the bill in the form of a Code of Access, along with the requirement that walkers shoulder responsibility for their own safety. Details can currently be viewed on www.snh.org.uk.
Beinn a’ Chreachain (in cloud) from Beinn Achaladair (Route 42)
There are critical times in the life of upland estates when particular care should be taken. These include the lambing season from March to early summer, and the stalking season – which for stags is from July to October (the latter part of this period is the most critical time for many estates) and for hinds is from late October to mid-February. The shooting season for grouse runs from 12th August to mid-December.
Certain estates in the recent past have not welcomed walkers at all, particularly during the stalking season, and there have been one or two well-publicized battles over access. Fortunately the vast majority of estates now have an enlightened view about public access and many subscribe to the hillphones scheme (see box) or put up notices and maps at the start of walks to assist walkers. Some estates have even constructed car parks specifically for the use of hillwalkers. Dogs can be a serious nuisance. The Access Code gives clear guidelines on keeping dogs under proper control.
Whilst some estates like walkers to ring the factor’s office or head stalker to discuss their routes before venturing onto the hill during the stag-stalking season, most are happy for walkers to come even at this time of year, providing they don’t interfere with stalking. Generally speaking, walkers would be advised to keep to ridges and high ground rather than to move through corries when stalking is taking place. There is less likely to be a conflict at weekends than midweek. On Sundays no shooting at all takes place. If in any doubt try ringing the relevant contact number for advice, but bear in mind that estate offices are not always manned throughout the day.
Beinn Mhanach (centre) (Route 43)
Co-operation isn’t always straightforward: stalkers – the gillies – often don’t know in which area they will be working until the morning of the day in question, and contacting them at that time may not be possible. There should rarely be access problems for most of the routes described provided you act responsibly and try to avoid conflict with other countryside users. Every effort has been made in this guide to give up-to-date contacts for every walk (see ‘Access’ in the box at the start of each walk), but it should be remembered that, just like other sorts of property, estates do sometimes change hands. For smaller estates where the contact may be a stalker’s home number, both the person and the phone number can change fairly often.
A number of routes are accessed by crossing railway lines, and at the time of writing Network Rail are proposing to close some 600 unattended railway crossings to the public on the grounds of safety. There have occasionally been accidents involving walkers crossing railway lines, and walkers should make sure that they cross only at designated places or have the necessary permission to cross from Network Rail. Future Munroists should be aware that new legislation in this area might necessitate changes to the start of some walks.
HILLPHONES SCHEME
This scheme provides hillwalkers in a number of areas in upland Scotland with daily information about deer-stalking activities. Recorded messages indicate where stalking is taking place and which walking routes will be unlikely to affect stalking, and give a forecast of stalking activity over the next few days. The messages are generally updated by 8am each day and are charged at normal call rates. Walks in areas covered by the scheme have the hillphones number in the ‘Access’ section of the box at the start of each route.
For further information contact www.hillphones.info.
Paths
The passage of many feet has left paths on most of the popular routes, and in some places on the lower slopes these paths are robustly constructed. Many walkers may prefer not to travel on such paths, but it should be remembered that constructed paths are there to prevent unnecessary erosion in a fragile landscape. They also limit the disturbance to nesting birds and other wildlife. In some of the walks in this guide you are strongly urged to keep to the described route; this may be because of the particular vulnerability of certain landscapes or to avoid conflict with other land users such as stalkers and shooters at particular times of the year. Path repair and management projects are not there to make the walking easier but to protect the quality of the mountain landscape and its ecology. On the other side of the coin, the Munroist should never assume that there will be a path – particularly on the higher slopes – or that, if there is, it can easily be followed. Anyone who has such an expectation will be quickly disillusioned.
Beinn Narnain from Beinn Ime (Route 68)
Throughout the guide a distinction is drawn between roads, tracks and paths. ‘Road’ is used to indicate a tarmacked public road. ‘Track’ is used to denote a forestry road or a private estate road or landrover track where the public does not have a right of vehicular access and where the road surface is usually rough (sometimes very rough), but where a bike could perhaps be used. ‘Path’ is used to denote a constructed footpath, or one that has formed over time by the passage of many feet. Bikes should not be taken on these. Some paths are startlingly obvious features cutting brashly across the countryside; others may be almost non-existent.
Bikes
The use of mountain bikes by hillwalkers on estate roads has become very widespread in the Highlands. There are hills which lie so far from any public road that the use of a bike to approach the hill along a forestry track or estate road can save many hours of walking. Opinion is split on whether or not this is a good thing. Some people prefer the long walk in. The
