Choosing your trip - Our grading levels

Wilderness Walking
The following information provides an overview on our grading of our Wilderness Walking trips. Further information of a specific nature can be found in the relevant Trip Dossier. If you are in any doubt at all regarding your suitability for a trip, please contact us and we will be glad to talk about the trip in detail and provide you with a recommendation.

Grade - moderate

The hikes will be conducted at a leisurely pace but you can expect to be out hiking for 6 or 7 hours on a typical day. The underfoot terrain can be anything from stalker's paths to rough or boggy ground, boulder fields and mountain tops. Consequently, it can be muddy or rocky underfoot at times but no scrambling is involved.

On hill days, the routes will take in some of the best peaks in the area. This may involve ascents of 3000 ft / 900m or more, climbing hills of Munro height. However, most peaks will be slightly lower but wonderful mountains. To help you decide if you are fit enough for this trip, ask yourself:

Can you comfortably hike for 10 miles (16km) in a day, with rough ground in places? For example, do you sometimes climb 'Munros' or the high peaks of the Lake District? When did you last do this?

Grade - easy

Please note that our trip grading system does not necessarily compare to how other companies grade their trips so please read this section carefully. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are physically fit enough to join our walking holidays. Please note, however, that you can have an optional rest day at any time. If you have any questions regarding your suitability for any of our walking holidays, please contact our office and speak to one of our team who can offer advice.

Our "Easy" walking holidays involve straightforward hiking, following generally good trails with no major ascents. You will, however, be out walking for around 5 hours each day so you will need a reasonable level of fitness. The walks will be conducted at a leisurely pace in order to allow more time for photography, nature study and examining historical or geological features.

The underfoot terrain will usually be on paths or hill trails. However, these trails may still be muddy or rough in places so you will need good hill-walking boots. On a few selected hikes, there may be little sign of a trail if we choose to hike up a small hill which offers an excellent viewpoint but your guide will be able to advise you of this in advance so you could opt out if you prefer.

The daily walks will mainly be glen and coastal hikes, with some ascents of low level hills, up to around 1,500 feet / 450m high - on the islands, these hills are superb viewpoints. To help you decide if you are fit enough for this trip, ask yourself:

Can you comfortably hike for 6 miles (10km), including some ascent, with rough ground in places? When did you last do this?