Hiking on Skye & the Outer Hebrides

Make your own way to Broadford on magical Isle of Skye, where the journey through the Inner and Outer Hebrides begins. Ahead of you lies a week that moves from the rugged Cuillin mountains in the south, through Skye and onward across the sea to Harris and Lewis. Settle into your B&B, guesthouse or hotel for two nights. Broadford is beautifully situated by the sea, and from the bay open views stretch towards the small islands of Pabay and Scalpay. Take a stroll, find a cosy pub and rest your legs – tomorrow the walking begins in earnest.

After breakfast you get a transfer to the small village of Torrin. From here you follow a fine path along the dramatic coastline, with the sea on one side and the jagged silhouette of the Cuillin mountains on the other. As the path climbs towards the cliffs, the views just keep getting better. Along the way you pass the remains of abandoned crofting communities, desolate beaches, waterfalls and sweeping coastal cliffs – traces of a time when life on Skye looked very different. On the way back towards Broadford you reach an open moorland landscape and continue through a protected woodland area and past an old marble quarry. Finally, you walk all the way back to Broadford and the same accommodation as the previous night.

An early transfer takes you to one of Skye's true classics: the Fairy Pools. The advantage of the early start is that you get the chance to experience the crystal-clear natural pools before the day's largest crowds arrive. Above you rise the dark and dramatic Cuillin mountains. After the Fairy Pools, you soon leave the most well-trodden trail behind. The route continues over the lower slopes of Bruach na Frìthe and through the valley towards Sligachan. Here lies a classic inn that has welcomed mountaineers and Skye travellers since the 1800s. An excellent spot for pub food – and perhaps a small Scotch whisky after the day's walk. In the afternoon you get a transfer onward to colourful Portree.

Today there are two options. The main walk begins after a transfer to Storr Loch Dam and follows the coast southwards towards Portree. From the area around Bearreraig Bay, you walk across open moorland and continue along the coastal cliffs to the viewpoint at Sithean Bhealaich Chumhaing. From there, the path descends towards Portree Bay, across farmland and finally through woodland near the shore before you reach Portree on foot.

If you'd prefer a shorter day – and want to get really close to what might be Skye's most photographed rock formation – you can instead be dropped off at the Old Man of Storr. Then you make a 5 km trek up to the mighty rock spire and take the local bus back to Portree.

Now you leave Skye and continue even further out into the Scottish island world. A transfer takes you north to Uig, where you board the CalMac ferry to Tarbert on the Isle of Harris. The crossing takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes, depending on the timetable. On arrival, a transfer through the dramatic landscapes of Harris and Lewis awaits, taking you to Stornoway, the largest town in the Outer Hebrides, where you stay for two nights. The rest of the day is free to explore the harbour, small shops and town life. If time allows, you can take an easy walk around Lews Castle, built in the 1840s, with fine views over Stornoway and the harbour.

This morning's transfer heads north to Port of Ness, near the northernmost tip of Lewis. Here begins a wonderful coastal walk through one of the trip's most wind-swept and characterful landscapes. The Atlantic lies open before you, and along the trail, magnificent nature mingles with traces of the islands' long history.

Among other things, you pass Dùn Èistean, traditionally associated with the Morrison clan, and continue to the lighthouse at Butt of Lewis – Rubha Robhanais in Gaelic – at the very top of the island. The trail also passes the restored old St Moluag's Church. After the walk, there's time for a late lunch in Port of Ness before the afternoon transfer takes you back to Stornoway.

The last day of walking doesn't hold back. In the morning you get a transfer south through Harris to Seilebost, where the view over the chalk-white Luskentyre Beach and Harris' rugged mountains is exactly as absurd as the pictures suggest. From the area around Luskentyre, you turn inland and follow part of the 37-kilometre Harris Walkway. The trail was created by linking together old paths and travel routes across the island. Among other things, you follow a historic funeral road and marked paths across the vast moors towards Tarbert. It's the trip's longest walk and a true finale through the wild landscape of the Outer Hebrides. If you want to shorten the day, you can take the local bus for the last stretch into Tarbert

After breakfast, the adventure on Skye, Harris and Lewis comes to an end for this time. The trip concludes in Tarbert on the Isle of Harris, and you continue onward on your own.