Description:

The Famous Highland Drove Walk is no easy undertaking. With no waymarking and virtually no accommodation unless you stray far from the line of the old route, this is a journey for walkers who can navigate confidently and handle a map and compass with skill.

The trail follows the historic path used by generations of drovers moving cattle from the Isle of Skye to the markets of Crieff in Perthshire. In 1981, outdoor writer Irvine Butterfield famously retraced the route with twenty‑nine Highland bullocks and a cow named Matilda. Averaging twelve miles a day across demanding and spectacular terrain, the herd completed the two‑hundred‑mile journey in fine style.

This long, varied route crosses mountain ranges, upland passes, riversides, and some of Scotland’s most evocative glens. From Glenbrittle on Skye, it threads its way through Broadford, Glen Arroch, Abhainn a’ Ghlinne Bhig, Arnisdale, Kinloch Hourn, Loch Quoich, Glen Garry, Loch Lochy, and Spean Bridge. It then climbs through Lairig Leacach and over Glas Bheinn to the wild expanse of the Black Mount, before descending to Bridge of Orchy and the Water of Tulla. The final stages lead through Glen Lyon, past Loch Tay and Killin, then on to Glen Lednock, Comrie, and the River Earn before reaching Crieff.

This is a journey steeped in history, challenge, and the raw beauty of the Highlands — a true long‑distance adventure for those prepared to take it on.