The village of Arrochar, where we are staying, lies in a beautiful setting on the shore of Loch Long, surrounded by the rugged peaks of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. When planning this trip, I had my eye set on climbing The Cobbler, the iconic peak in the area, its distinctive profile towering over 800m above us in Arrochar. However, we still weren't firing on full batteries, as it was proving hard to shake off the effects of the head colds picked up on our flight over. A lesser challenge seemed in order, which led me to discover Cruach Tairbeirt.

Cruach Tairbeirt is a 420m high conical peak, isolated from surrounding mountains on the isthmus between Loch Lomond and Loch Long. The description that I read called it a "wee mountain" with some of the best views of all the peaks. That sounded just right for us.

So, with a mix of cloud and sun and only a slight breeze, we set off from the hotel to round the end of Loch Long and pick up the entry track to The Three Lochs Walk. This trail, wandered around the base of Cruach Tairbeirt beneath a light green canopy of broad-leafed trees. The understorey had occasional patches of lurid pink, where introduced rhododendrons bloomed and gaps to display the views over Loch Long and towards The Cobbler.

It didn't take long to reach an ascent route, and we turned left to start a climb along a more overgrown path that gradually closed in towards a dense darker green forest of mature fir trees. Dropping a little, we eventually reached a tall powerline pylon. Just before it, as we had hoped, a faint track led off from the route and climbed steeply up through the bracken to enter the firs.

View across to the Arrochar Alps

The track through the forest was faint, but relatively easy to follow. Its occasionally boggy route, led us up and across the steep slopes to break out onto the treeless and spongy grass/moss fields above. The views westwards of Loch Long and the Arrochar Alps were becoming better and better as we climbed.

The faint track through the grass finally ended and an even steeper-walled heather clad slope lay ahead. We picked our way slowly up this through clumps of heather to reach the tops and the main track leading up to the summit.

The views when we reached the white-painted trig on Cruach Tairbeirt were spectacular - a 360° panorama - the pyramidal peak of Ben Lomond overlooking the long stretch of Loch Lomond to the south-east, Loch Long and the Arrochar Alps to the west, and the many other peaks of The Trossachs filling in the gaps. It was time for a long lunch break to enjoy the Scottish Highlands.

For the descent, we used the main path to create a circuit. It was better marked and steeper in places as it followed a gully down the southern slope towards the fir forest, all along offering a great view over Loch Lomond. A direct steep descent through the firs brought us to an open logged area and then to an area where forestry workers were removing phytophthora-infected trees.

This meant a slight detour along a gravel forestry road, but that soon ended as we picked up the Three Lochs Walk again to complete our circuit and retrace the final bit back to Arrochar for a well-earned glass of cider on the shores of Loch long.

It may have been a short walk, but it was a great introduction to the highland vistas. Sometimes a wee mountain with big views is the best choice.

It took 5 slow hours to drive from Arrochar to the Isle of Skye - there was a surprising amount of traffic on the narrow roads and driving in miles seem tp psychologically slow the journey down compared to kilometres. We also noticed lots of walkers at different spots, carrying heavy packs in the showers and mist that accompanied us across the highlands. This is certainly prime walking terrain.

Still by the time we arrived at our comfortable AirBnB cottage in Earlish, at the the northern end of Skye, the rain had gone, leaving grey skies and a cold westerly wind. The conditions were just right to wander down to the nearby cliffs and to watch the slate-coloured waters of the North Atlantic lap up against the stony beach.

The forecast was very favourable - tomorrow would be cloudy again, but would be followed by three days of sunshine. We decided cloudy meant a rest day - a chance to sleep in, do a bit of washing and other chores, and sip coffees while watching the grey-woolled Hebridean sheep, ducks and chooks roam about the green fields next to our cottage.

Doing nothing, however, can only amuse for so long, so we decided to have a bit of a leg-stretcher by driving a few kilometres down to the village of Uig and the nearby Fairy Glen. The Fairy Glen is a small valley lined with unusual landscape formations that were formed by landslips several millenia ago. When we reached the carpark and discovered it almost full, we realised that walking on Skye at this time of year might be a very social experience.

The Faerie Lake

Though a very short walk, it was good to get out in the fresh air. We wandered down the central valley with the throng, admiring the surrounding grass covered domes and knobs. The one dominant feature of The Fairy Glen is Castle Ewen, a narrow rock tower rising precipitously above the southern flank of the valley. It was the target of most walkers, so we climbed up to its narrow top as well - a nice place to look across the far valley at waterfalls tumbling off the Trotternish Plateau.

Heading back, we climbed higher up the southern flank of the glen, a place less frequented by walkers and more by white-woolled black-faced sheep. It was more peaceful here as we followed a grassy gully back to the car-park and completed our mini-circuit.

It had been a pleasant foray into walking on the Isle of Skye, but tomorrow the sun will shine and we plan to rise early and head south for a longer walk. Another fairy habitat awaits us - The Fairy Pools - and we hope that they may be a little less popular than the Glen.

A cover of low cloud greeted us when we got up and was still hanging around the mountain tops as we drove across the single lane road through the rural centre of Skye. It was the shortest way to The Fairy Pools, where we planned to do our next walk and we quickly learned the etiquette of The Great Skye Car Shuffle - where numerous pull-outs enable drivers to go there opposite ways on these one lane roads. Ahead lay the silhouette of the Black Cuillin Range, the cloud lifting to reveal its many peaks.

Through the country, along the side of a deep loch, a final session of one-lane shuffling and we arrived at the Fairy Pools car park as the sun was breaking through ..... and we thought that the Fairy Glen was bad!! Already the large car park was almost full, with hundreds of walkers wandering up the broad gravel path that took them by the pools. Despite the magnificent back drop of the Black Cuillins, the path stood out like a meandering slash on the landscape .... overengineering, access for all, keeping people off sensitive areas - the topic of such paths could be debated for a long time. Let's just get out and walk it.

The path followed the course of a burn with the superb name of Allt Coir a'Mhadaidh, that tumbles down from the Cuillins in a series of waterfalls, cascades and deep blue pools through a micro-gorge of its own making before joining the Brittle River. With its crystal-clear icy waters and mountainous backdrop, it is a lovely spot and we understood its popularity - you just have to ignore the people photobombing every photo spot to take their selfies.

Low falls backed by The Black Cuillins

Once we reached a low wide waterfall of particular photogenic value with the dark peak of Sgurr an Feadain framing it, the path became more natural and stony and the crowds thinner on the ground.

Only a few people walked to the top of the path and only two others, apart from ourselves, then headed out across the spongy-grass of lower slopes of Bruach na Frithe, the biggest mountain in the Cuillins.

Upper Falls

This was very pleasant walking, despite the occasional boggy sections, as we crossed waterflows trickling off the mountain. The hollowed expanse of the lower slopes and burn lay below us. This is called Coire na Creiche, named for the last battle between the feuding clans of Skye that took place here in 1601 ... the MacDonalds whupped the MacLeods and became the bosses of Skye, for those who are interested.

The route led us to the Bealach a'Mhaim, a pass from west to east, with two pretty tarns sitting in its boggy saddle. We wandered past the top to a point where we could look eastwards for the panoramic view of distant Loch Sligachan and the conical peak of Glamaig. It was a good place for lunch, away from the madding crowd.

From the pass, a rocky path led down into the northern flank of Coire na Creiche, following a second burn, the Allt a'Mhaim, the little brother to the Fairy Pools - a pretty stream nonetheless. This brought us back to the carpark (and the crowds) to complete the circuit.

It seemed a good idea to continue down the single-lane road that followed Glen Brittle to the beach ... a quiet stroll on an isolated Hebridean beach to end the day's walk, we thought.

Not so, the beach was quite nice and few people were on it, but just back of the beach was an enormous and crowded campground with very few places to park. I think that Skye is suffering from its own fame. We bought a coffee, sat on the beach and watched the still North Atlantic sea ripple in. It was time to head back home to Earlish.

The Trotternish Ridge rises up from the west, while on its eastern flank a massive ancient landslip has left an incredible landscape of sheer cliffs, rock needles and pillars overlooking the sea. One of the most spectacular sections of this escarpment is The Quiraing. That is where we headed today, crossing the peninsula on the now familiar one-lane road system to reach the car-park. The park was in a gap of the ridge, 250m above the sea - that meant a lot of elevation was already covered.

Already the views were amazing, to the north a winding track headed across the slope to the cliffs and needles of The Quiraing, while to the south, the cliffline and isolated peaks continued, tarns glistening in the green grassy hollows below them. The low cloud gave the place an even more unworldly ambience.

Thus, we set off to file along the narrow path that crossed the steep slopes below the dark cliff face (with lots of other walkers, as we have come to expect on Skye). The array of spires and pillars formed a rolling vista as we meandered our way beneath them. Away from the land, cloud hung low over a slaty sea.

Climbing gradually, we reached a stile which marked the end of the most dramatic section of the walk. We were now swinging inland to a new realm of hollows and dips amongst the rocky tops.

The path gradually climbed up to reach the sharp-walled inner rim of this landscape at Fir Bhreugach. On reaching the top, we were greeted by glorious views over the rolling green fields to the west as they dipped down to the distant Atlantic Ocean. The views here were huge, as far as the Scottish mainland in one direction and the islands of the Outer Hebrides in the other.

It was now time for the big climb of the walk, following an eroded track along the cliff edge as it climbed up to the top of the grassy ridge. The sun was now chasing the clouds away and by the time we got to the top it was out in full warmth. From the cliff-top we could look down on the rock formations and the nearby coastline, while inland the grassy dome of Meall na Suirach was home to a flock of grazing sheep.

The return to the carpark was a pleasant stroll down these grassy fields, surrounded by the vastness of this landscape. One final short section of steeply eroded track and we were back at the car. It had been another short walk, but one thing can be said for Skye - it packs a lot into small packages. The Quiraing was one great walk.

While on the Quiraing track, we could look down on the village of Staffin, white houses and black sand beach. As the high walk had been relatively short, it seemed a good idea to complement it with an even shorter coastal walk near Staffin, with the bonus of possible seeing fossilised dinosaur footprints.

We found a track that took us out from the village, over a grassy ridge, and down a steep gap between two lines of cliffs. It also gave us an impressive view of the waters of Staffin Bay, a deep blue in the afternoon sun. On reaching the shore, we dropped onto a rock platform and wandered along keeping our eye out for dinosaur footprints - there were lots of shell fossils, but no dinosaurs, though they are known from this stretch of mudstone rock.

We came across a group of people who thought they had found one, though I remain sceptical. It seemed better to admire the line of cliffs of The Quiraing across the bay, before following some local streets back to the car. A short walk on the coast complemented our ridge top hike very nicely.

To cap a very nice day of walking, we were lucky to still be awake at 10pm, as the sun set golden over the Outer Hebrides.

We actually did our complementary walk for the day before The Old Mann of Storr - it was a short circuit around the Scorrybreac Headland on the northern side of Portree Bay. The attraction was the chance to see sea-eagles that nest in the cliffs of the headland. That was not to be, but it was still a pleasant walk.

Starting off in the shelter of the bay, we wandered up through the houses of Upper Portree to reach a track that took us over the back of the headland. The views from Portree heights were superb, northwards towards the cloud-covered Trotternish Ridge and eastwards over the sea towards the Scottish mainland.

An arbour of birch trees above Portree

It was very pleasant walking, as we were beneath the canopy of a natural birch / oak forest - apart from plantation pines, Skye is singularly devoid of trees, so this was very nice variation in landscape.

A steep drop off the other side brought us back to sea level, beneath the cliffs of Scorrybreac - out to sea the circles of salmon pens floated in the windswept waters. Sadly, only seagulls and ravens circled the cliffs ... the sea-eagles deigning to appear.

We rounded the cliffs to reach The Black Rock, a small tidal island. As the tide was out, I wandered across the seaweed covered rocks to reach it .. the reward, some nice flowers and a pair of oyster-catchers, the price, a blast of icy northerly wind.

Returning to the path, we followed it beneath a grove of hazel trees to reach a viewpoint across the bay to Portree Harbour. The pastel coloured houses lining the harbour made an interesting photo. From here it was back to the car, our legs stretched and ready for the climb up to The Old Man of Storr.

At just over 700m, The Storr is the highest point on the Trotternish Ridge. Its dark cliff walls look down on a group of massive rock pinnacles that emerge from the upper slopes. The most dominant of these is The Old Man of Storr and, if any feature defines Skye, it is The Old Man. As Uluru is to Australia, The Old Man of Storr is to the Isle of Skye ....obviously a must see site for the visitor. This of course means everybody, not just us, but even after experiencing crowds at other sites, we were not prepared for the numbers at The Storr carpark - hundreds of vehicles parked and it took two circuits to find a parking place. The Old Man is not lonely.

As we were approaching, The Storr was wrapped in a compact layer of cloud, a curious sight, but one that evaporated rapidly upon our arrival - perhaps driven away by the strong and icy northerly airstream. We joined the upward line of walkers on a steep but wide gravel track, clearly built to cater for the masses.

It took us up to a small flat, where a long set of rough stone steps led us up to the level of The Old Man and his companions. The scale of this pinnacle could now be fully appreciated. Pushing on higher, up more stone steps, we reached a flattish outcrop, where everyone takes their Old Man photos ... understandably, as in the bright sunshine, the views out beyond the Old Man and The Storr were simply magnificent ... across the blue sea to th island of Raasay and Rona and beyond to the Scottish mainland.

On the viewpoint we were fully exposed to the wind and it was straight out of the fridge door, icy blasts making us swap our hats for beanies. Originally, we had planned to continue on and climb to the summit of The Storr itself to create a circuit, but the thought of the icy wind on the exposed top quickly put paid to that idea. Instead, we descended a bit to find shelter in the lee of some rocks and enjoy our lunch in these superb surrounds. Out of the wind, it was hot ... the weather on Skye is curious.

We started to descend on the same path, but half-way down noticed another broad track heading south - a better and less crowded option. It led us on a loop to the south, with more open views over the wind-shimmered waters of Loch Leathen towards the distant Black Cuillins. These mountains certainly like to photobomb your shots.

Finally, we reached the carpark, a little disappointed that we couldn't complete the Storr Circuit, but content to have spent time in this mystical landscape. It was a fitting end to our time on Skye.

Farewell to the Isle of Skye

We left The Isle of Skye under dense grey cloud, which folllowed us all the way as we made our way slowly along a series of dual and single-lane roads across the lochs and hills of Northern Scotland. The stop-start of single-lane driving and the large number of motorhomes on the road made for a slow journey. Five hours later, we arrived in Aviemore, adjacent to the Cairngorms National Park, and the sun was just reappearing. It was 2pm and our by-the-book concierge said "no check ins" until 4pm - it was that kind of hotel, a hangover from the late 1900s when form trumped function.

Still, it meant we had time to fill in, so we drove down to nearby Loch Morlich, to check out where we planned to start our walk the next day. Loch Morlich was a pleasant surprise, with a wide sandy beach at one end, rimmed by beech and pine and framed by snow-spotted peaks.

Moreover, it was warm enough that people were in swimming, paddling canoes and having fun in the sun .... not what we expected in the Scottish Highlands, but it provided a very pleasant way to pass the time before hotel check-in.

The next day started out under a cool, still and cloudless sky ... perfect for walking. After the crowds on Skye, we twigged to the fact that almost everyone would be heading up to walk to Cairngorm Peak itself, so we decided to design our own route, stitching together a number of tracks and forestry roads to climb Airgiod-meall, another "wee mountain with a view".

From our start point, we wandered down along the sandy beach of Loch Morlich towards the distant Cairngorm Mountains. Closer in, but separate from the main range, lay the rounded top of Airgiod-meall, our destination.

It soon disappeared, as we entered the lakeside birch forest, to cross the Arlt Mor stream on a wooden bridge and take in lake views from between the trees. After a spongy short-cut and some hard gravel road, we turned away from the lake to climb gradually through the Caledonian pines along a meandering forestry road. It was very pleasant walking, with the twittering of birds, the rich scent of the pines and the multi-hued green tapestry of the forest floor .... so pleasant in fact, that I missed a critical turn and started to lead us up the wrong valley.- ... oops!

A bit of back-tracking and we were on course again, heading up the adjacent valley on a somewhat overgrown forestry road. Suddenly, we came across a tall fence and gate - we were about the enter a reindeer sanctuary, which was an unexpected surprise. It was time to be alert, as we climbed up along a soft, needle-covered path beneath the scattered pines.

The country was becoming more open now and we soon emerged onto a steep open slope, covered in grasses and heather. Still no sighting of a reindeer, but then I looked out across the slopes below and in the distance saw the reason why ... a large group of people were standing around with a large group of reindeer. These animals, introduced here in 1952 by a Swede named Ussi, are not so wild after all.

We quickly reached the saddle, where the tarn Lochan Dubh shimmered in the sun and slight breeze. The summit of Airgiod-meall lay another 70m above, so we worked our way around its treeless dome through the very low heath for lunch on the top with its panoramic all-round views - back towards Loch Morlich and ahead towards Cairngorm and its neighbouring peaks, Stob Coire and Cairn Lochan, with their patches of unmelted snow.

The track now dropped steeply into the gulch, which was now filled with a denser vegetation, sweet-scented broom and dapple-shading birch. At its base, the Arlt Mor tumbled down beneath a wooden bridge. We crossed it and continued our descent through the dense vegetation alongside the babbling brook.

At times, heading away from the stream into groves of Caledonian pine, at times following boardwalk across sphagnum bogs and at times taking a stony path along old waterflows, the track eventually brought us back to the vicinity of Loch Morlich. However, we were now thinking more of a cold ale than a beach walk, so we continued quickly down a last stretch of public road to the car.

On reflecting on the walk over our beers, the fair Nello and I agreed that, even though the scenery wasn't as dramatic as The Trossachs or Skye, it had been the most diverse walk ... a lovely lakeside beach, forests of beech and pine, open heathlands, a mountain top with big views and a final walk back in a mini-gorge next to a babbling brook. It had been the perfect finale to our walking in Scotland.