Strathcarron. Train to the start. Big hills from the start and good paths and tracks from day one - so your straight into big wild Scotland.

Of the 13 start points, you can get direct trains to:-

Oban
Lochaillort
Morar
Mallaig
Strathcarron
Plockton


A train to Kyle of Lochalsh will allow you easy bus access to:-

Dornie
Shiel Bridge


it will also allow you a pleasant walk across the Skye Bridge and down through Skye to the ferry for to:-

Glenelg


A train to Fort William will allow you bus access to:-

Kilchoan (can also be reached by train to Oban and ferry to mull, bus to Tobermory, and ferry to Kilchoan)
Acharacle (can also be reached by train to Glenfinnan and boat alon ght eloch; but the boat only runs on Wednesdays)


There is a bus from Glasgow to:-

Ardrishaig


The most difficult to access is:-

Torridon


My own recommendation for a US first timer would be to consider starting at Ardrishaig. You can fly into Glasgos and then catch the bus (it will be going ultimately to Campbeltown, I imagine, via Tarbet). If you aim for Carron bothy as your first night stopover, you have very little first day road walking (start on the Crinan canal towpath, accessed by a set of steps behind the sign-in point) and get nicely walked in. Options for ht enext couple of days are a little limited, but all of them are in nice country that gives you a good taste of Scotland before you hit the real hill country.

If you want to meet up with other Challengers along the way you will need to keep tending in a Northerly direction wherever the opportunity presents. If you try to aim for Kinloch Rannoch and Blair Atholl, you can then head up Glen Tilt (or over Beinn a' Ghlo) and find yourself at the Cocktail Party. From there, aim for Braemar and enjoy ht eChallenge Circus all the way to the East Coast, or point yourself at Spittal of Glenshee (no hotel there any more, I'm afraid - just a twisted pile of charred wreckage) and head through some very atractive, but somewhat lonely Southerly hills.

Have fun!

Accessing Glenelg can be done without routing via Skye. MacRae Kintail run a community bus which one would have to be book (01599 511384). There is a moderate charge and it will pause, or set down, at the Taoigh na Righ (spelling memory) signing out location. On Fridays it runs from Kyle of Lochalsh around as far as Arnisdale, if booked, but the service varies on different days of the week so check the website and call (http://www.spanglefish.com/MacRaeKintailBusses/index.asp?pageid=297572). It meets up with buses or trains from Inverness and Glasgow.

If you're a Gavin Maxwell / Ring of Bright Water afficionado it will stop at Upper Sandaig (Camusfearna) which was a highlight of my crossing last year. Making it to the MBA bothy at Suardalan (3 rooms with good platforms, a fireplace and lots of space for tents) is a good first day and jump off to Shiel ridges.

Hi Brad,

I don't have as much experience as many here - 4 times only, but personally I love the Mallaig start as you get a lovely boat trip to see you off. Train to mallaig, then boat to Inverie and the remotest pub in the UK. You are then straight into the 'Wild Bounds' of Knoydart. Lovely. Especially the boat trip. Time it right and you could go to the pub first

Hi Brad, and welcome to the challenge. Before advising on a good start - they all have their charms - it might be relevant to know a bit of your experience/comfort/fitness level. Sure would hate to steer you directly into high hills and remote areas, especially if the weather is inclement and this is your first time in Scotland.

That said, Jeremy outlined the ease of getting to several of the starts. Sometimes the logistics of that is worse than the challenge, in particular for those coming from overseas with jet-lag in tow.

I like to think I am in fine shape ;-) (Marathons, triathlons, and mtn biking), but there is nothing quite like hiking 20-30 km a day with a pack though. I have hiked and camped over much of the US, but not as much recently with three young and overly active kids.

Rats! I've just devised a route starting at Oban. No-one has recommended that. But I think it will suit me as a first-timer, and it will take me to some places I want to see. And surely nowhere will be too dull or boring...? Will wait and see what my vetter says. I hope that I catch some of the social action along the way - maybe at Blair Atholl.

First timer as well starting at Oban.

Route is coming along nicely. Hopefully the second week will be quite sociable from Braemar onwards!

Never really been East of Braemar before know the rest of my route reasonably well.

Scott - good to hear Oban is in favour. Hope the route planning goes well, and look forward to seeing you at the start - along with the other wise folk who have chosen it!

Brad, Coming from North America your planning needs to start with the destination airport in Scotland. There are direct flights to Glasgow and Edinburgh, two cities 45 minutes apart, but with very different architecture and people. Edinburgh has more history, but Glasgow has better transport links to the start and finish points. For a first visit I suggest one of the easier accessed and central points area, Oban, Mallaig (for Knoydart), or Shiel Bridge. They have a denser web of paths and tracks and more fellow Challengers for help and advice, than you might find in more northerly or southerly start points. They will still be there for your second visit.

Brad. Forget the high hills,they will catch up with you anyway.The start I
would recommend due to access logistics,accommodation ,route planning and
of course getting oneself confident with Scotland and the style/type of
backpacking generally practiced over here. For instance I set off on one
Challenge with three Americans carrying two five ltrs. of bottled water between them from a local Filling Station. They also thought a Bothy had toilets and
meal facilities. They were experienced walkers in the US.but had no knowledge
of Scottish backpacking requirements. From Oban you can ease yourself into
your Challenge confidently over the first two/three days and enjoy the experience.

I'm another first timer from the US, starting at shiel bridge, though. As to the topic of flights over to Scotland, in my searching of flights I found it to be MUCH cheaper to fly to Dublin, then hop a RyanAir flight over to Glasgow. Like 25% cheaper, even with the cost of the RyanAir flight, which was actually really cheap.

Both Ryanair and Aer Lingus offer very competitive flights between Dublin and Scotland. Be aware that the headline price may not apply to all the flights on a given day, and that hold luggage, seat reservation, and anything else they can think of, will be an additional cost. Excess baggage charges are also very high so make sure you know the weight and dimension limits of hold and carry-on bags.

Indeed - cheap flights are not always what they seem!

As Fascinating Aida discovered