Inaugural Torridon Walking Festival
The first Torridon Walking Festival – the area thought to be the inspiration for Middle Earth in Tolkein’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ - promises exceptional choices for scaling iconic summits and exploring local forest footpaths.
The Festival aims to entice both adventure seekers and low level trekkers to experience some of the best walking in Scotland.
The new three day festival will run from Saturday, 1st – Monday, 3rd October, with low level walks following estate roads and footpaths and high level walks designed for those who are used to the mountain environment and who thrive on discovering Scotland’s wild and off-the-beaten-track places.
The Torridon area is famous for its magnificent combination of rocky peaks and vast lochs, and the sandstone mountains which give the area its reputation are huge, brooding monoliths whose pinnacle crests are a fitting challenge for any expedition.
Highlights for serious walkers include the epic Liathach which stands over Glen Torridon and is certainly one of the mighty boxes to be ticked by all mountaineers, a full day out on Beinn Eighe taking in two Munros, and a unique day climbing Beinn Dearg following very few paths and reaching a height just a metre short of a Munro.
And for those who want to extend their sense of adventure and experience some of the unique magic that Scotland exudes in its remote wild places, Festival organisers have arranged a special overnight expedition to a remote and secluded bothy. After dining in front of a roaring stove and swapping adventure stories, walkers can take to their sleeping bags in the knowledge that the morning brings the chance to witness Scotland’s landscape at its finest.
For those who would rather remain closer to sea level, there are loch-side rambles and leisurely woodland walks through the autumnal countryside with plenty of time to take photographs and learn more about the local flora and fauna. And for walkers-cum-budding photographers, there is the opportunity to spend a day with a professional landscape photographer who will go through the techniques which will help create the ultimate picture of a perfect day spent on the hills.
Torridon Walking Festival’s guides are all fully qualified, enthusiastic and have spent a lifetime exploring the hills of Scotland. Blessed with unbridled confidence and vast quantities of dry wit and hot air, they’re usually spotted heading up the side of the hill with no path, or trying to outdo each other by heading up the side of a hill which is steeper than the hill with no path. Their main aim, however, is to help walkers and non-walkers achieve and experience something they never imagined possible - which is good news for potential Festival-goers.
There are plenty of accommodation options in the area – many listed on the Festival’s website - ranging from youth hostels, B&Bs and guest houses to self catering, inns and hotels.
For further information on the Torridon Walking Festival, to book a place on one of the days’ walks, find out more about the guides, the routes and the accommodation, check out: thetorridon.com/activities/walking-festival
