A hike a month

Last year Eilidh and I set a new year resolution to get outside each month, bag some munros, explore more of Scotland and find time for some adventures!

Our little monthly hikes were a highlight of my year, we tackled 8 new munros, a snowy walk, a sunrise walk, woodland walks and trying to rate and review them all has been tricky but here we go.

January- North Berwick Law and Coastal path 7/10

We started off the year with a local walk, a quick drive from Edinburgh and you arrive at the coastal town of North Berwick. We walked part of the John Muir Way along the coast. It was wet and windy but we thoroughly enjoyed.

February- Low Level Loch Lomond Walk 7/10

We set off towards Loch Lomond, there are so many wonderful walks in this area of Scotland but we opted for an easy flat walk as Conic hill was closed for maintenance. A nice change of pace to ease us into the year.

March- Schiehallion, Perthshire 7.5/10

Munro number one, the view at the top didn’t disappoint but the way up wasn’t the most interesting, a bit of scrambling but fueled by baked goods from Arran Bakery in Dunkled, so can’t go wrong.

April-Ben Chonzie 8/10

Munro number 2. Eilidh and I went on a group hike for this one, something we hadn’t done before and it was quite the experience. I actually really enjoyed this munro, it took a bit more of a dramatic turn when one of the girls broke her ankle coming off the top. I was on the phone to mountain rescue, we carried her off the top as it was going to be 2 hours and it was getting chilly. But we all made it to the bottom in one piece. Quite the adventure!

May-Conic Hill, Loch Lomond 7/10

We came back on a hot and sunny day to do this walk, a very easy one to recover from the drama of April’s hike but it was a lovely path up to a great view over Loch Lomond. Cannot complain. We finished the day with fish and chips and a game of backgammon, what more could you need?

June-Ben Vane, Loch Lomond 9/10

Munro Number 3. Quite possibly our favourite munro to date, I’m not sure the exact reason why Ben Vane really captured our hearts because it was the same glorious view over Loch Lomond we have seen a fair few times before, but something about this hike was different. The endless false summits didn’t put us off and nearly being blown away on the top made it all the more exciting. I would highly recommend heading here if you fancy a good hike and epic views.

July-Cairnwell Munros, Glenshee 8/10

Munros number four, five and six. This was such a lovely day out with some friends, sunny, peaceful and very easy walking! We love bagging the easy munros, we will soon be running out of them and having to tackle some harder ones but for now these are perfect. A nice circular loop starting at glenshee ski centre, you start on already high elevation which made the rest of the walk very pleasent.

August-The Hermitage, Dunkeld 6.5/10

This was such a lovely sunny, forested walk through the hermitage. We did this the weekend after our July hike so this was a nice and easy walk but it’s always good to go out and see somewhere new!

September- Beinn Ghlas and Ben Lawers 8/10

Our last couple of munros for the year. I really enjoyed these, especially the route we took back down off Ben Lawers. The way up was misty and eeire, we got to the top and there were icicles hanging off the rocks but as we made our way back down it cleared up and we got some lovely views. Unpopular opinion, but sometimes a bit of mist and rain makes the hills even more dramatic and magical and I love it. Sunshine is always welcome though!

October- Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh 7/10

October went by in a flash and suddenly it was the 30th and we hadn’t done our walk….. So, we got up early before work and went up Arthur’s Seat. I’ve been up so many times but it never disappoints

November - Blackford Hill, Edinburgh 6.5/10

Again, November flew by and I was super busy with market and Christmas prep so we went out on one of the snow days for an evening walk up Blackford Hill! Eilidh’s Car did nearly collide into a giant snowball on the way but we survived.

December- Scald Law, Pentlands 9.5/10

This might actually be my favourite of the year, we got up early for sunrise and walked up to Scald Law. The hills were glowing, the light was so pretty, it was chilly but breathtaking. I found a Freddo on the top of the hill, what a win!

I highly recommend setting this little challenge, it got us out exploring more of Scotland and there’s nothing a good walk can’t fix!