Scottish Hill Tracks
“a lovely book… as well as practical… wonderful for browsing and daydreaming“
Chris Townsend
“a substantial, beautifully produced volume full of information and evocative images that clearly illustrate the fantastic diversity of landscape in this small country”
Cameron McNeish, in Scots Magazine
£25.00
Brand new in September 2024, the sixth edition of Scottish Hill Tracks is an essential companion for anyone with a keen interest in Scotland’s cultural heritage and for whom wide horizons, wild places and adventure beckon.
This rich, sprawling network journeys through farmland and forest, moorland and coastline, bladed ridges and high plateaux, deep glaciated glens and peatlands—and much else besides. An additional section and six new routes in the Western Isles contribute to a collective tally of 293,000m of ascent and over 7,600km of ancient tracks. Many of these are identified as Heritage Paths - historic routes which follow in the footsteps of Roman legionaries, mediaeval pilgrims and traders, cattle drovers and funeral parties, amongst others.
Many changes have since been wrought upon Scotland’s landscapes, and - 100 years on from where its origins can be traced - this sixth edition offers a fresh perspective, with full resurveys of each of the 350 hill routes and 175 variants that crisscross the country’s mountains, hills and uplands.
Exclusive to ScotWays is our map showing all the Scottish Hill Tracks routes detailed in the 5th Edition of the book. Copies are available here. We hope to produce an updated version to suit the 6th edition in future.
Remember ScotWays members get a discount off this book with the code sent out with their membership pack. If you can’t remember what it is, please contact the ScotWays office. Not a member? Why not join us.
The countryside does not stand still. As it changes the information in the book becomes dated, but you can help us keep Scottish Hill Tracks up-to-date. If you follow one of the routes why not let us know what the journey was like? Is the description in the book still accurate or has something changed? Is a grid reference in the book not quite right? Is it a stunning walk, but a horrible cycle?
Updates to the routes that we have been informed about can be found here.
Articles and podcasts about Scottish Hill Tracks
BBC radio Scotland, Out of Doors and Scotland Outdoors Podcast:
- 28 September 2024, publication of the new edition, interview with Tim Simons
- 2 October 2024, A History of Outdoor Access in Scotland with Tim Simons of Scotways
- 19 April 2025, interview with volunteer Colin on the Elsick Mounth, route 199
Scottish Mountaineering Press, September 2025, interview with ScotWays
Chris Townsend book review, September 2024
Inverness Courier, September 2024: interview with volunteer Colin
UK Hillwalking, February 2025: it’s about the journey, not always the summit.
National Geographic, June 2025: These iconic ‘coffin roads’ offer an unmatched view of Scotland
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