Depart from Edinburgh: 9am Sunday - Edinburgh Waverley Station Return to Edinburgh: 1pm Saturday
Detailed Itinerary The first two days will be spent in Wales; walking Snowdon on the Sunday afternoon and a longer walk over Tryfan and the Glyders on the Monday. We then transfer to the Lake District for two nights and ascents of Helvelyn and Scafell, before our final two nights back in Scotland for the Buachaille and Ben Nevis.
Day 1 (Sunday): Snowdon - We will depart Manchester at 9:00am and drive for a couple of hours on the motorway direct to Snowdonia - walking to the 1085m highest point in Wales by its easier route, the Pyg Track from Pen y Pass. We will then descend to our base in the nearby town of Llanberis. 600m/2000ft, 4m/6km, steep path, 4 hrs
Day 2 (Monday):Tryfan and the Glyders Snowdon being the highest point in the nation tends to be crowded so we do the best walk on a full day. Tryfan is Wales' most beautiful peak - a proper spike of a hill just over 3000ft. The neighbouring Glyder Fach and Glyder Fawr are an otherworldly moonscape of spiky rock formations and great views back to Snowdon. 974m/3195ft, 6m/10km, good steady path, 6-7 hrs
Day 3 (Tuesday): Helvelyn - We grab an early breakfast and head northwards to the English Lake District where we climb Helvelyn in the afternoon before heading to our accommodation for two nights in Keswick. The actual route up the hill will depend a great deal on the group but we do have the option of trying the famous scamble up Striding Edge. We then transfer onwards to our base for two nights in Keswick or Borrowdale. 881m/2890ft, 5 miles/8km, good to steep rocky path, 6 to 7 hours
Day 4 (Wednesday): Scafell Pikes - England's highest point! We walk in via the longer but less steep way in from beautiful, leafy Borrowdale with the option of taking the interesting Corridor Route which traverses the steeper higher slopes. After descending back to Borrowdale, we'll have time for a well earned pint in the Seathwaite Inn. 16km/10 miles 950m/3000ft ascent, good tracks and some rough ground.
Day 5: (Thursday): Buachaille Etive Mhor- Another morning transfer, thistime from the Lakes back to Bonnie Scotland. In the afternoon, we will have plenty of time for the short, steep ascent of the Buachaille with its inspirational view back over Rannoch Moor before the short transfer to Fort William or Glencoe and our finale two nights' accommodation. 600m/2000ft ascent, steep path, rough ground, 4/5 hours
Day 6 (Friday): Ben Nevis - Our final day features an ascent of Ben Nevis, our highest mountain. The normal ascent of 'The Ben' is straightforward and on good paths but is always physically challenging. Depending on weather conditions and the fitness of the group after some full-on days, we may do the more challenging Car Mhor Dearg Arrete route which adds another 200m of ascent and some hairy scrambling to the overall day. A fitting finale to an awesome week's walking, 1344m/4410ft, 6m/10km, good steady path, 8-9 hrs Day 7: (Saturday): Return to Edinburgh - Today is the final day on the tour. After our last breakfast we will head off back south, passing through Glen Coe and arriving back in Edinburgh at approximately 1:00 pm. If you are still feeling fit, we might go and join the Fort William Parkrun at 09.30am before heading home!
Accommodation and Meals Your accommodation for this tour is normally in large guest houses in the Snowdonia, Lake District areas, although on occasion we may use small hotels. We have a good relationship with all the establishments that we use and you can be assured of excellent facilities and a warm welcome throughout the trip. All our accommodation is hand-picked and situated within the most beautiful areas. Evening meals are included throughout the tour for the whole group and are either taken at the guest house/hotel or in a local inn or restaurant. Our guest houses offer a set menu, all with excellent home cooked food, restaurants will provide a wider choice of courses. Vegetarians will always be catered for and other specific dietary requirements can normally be catered for if we know in advance. At all the places we visit we make a special effort to ensure that your evening meals are a highlight of the trip, with excellent food on offer and a relaxed and welcoming ambiance. Packed lunches are not included. Grading of Walks The walking throughout this tour we class as “challenging” – suitable for people with a good level of fitness who enjoy walking or the outdoors but who needn’t necessarily have any previous hillwalking experience. Most people find this trip slightly more challenging than a "moderate" grade trip but incredibly rewarding, fulfilling and enjoyable! The hikes are varied throughout the tour - all days involve mountain ascents in the order of 2000-3000ft (Ben Nevis 4,400ft!). Walks each
