10 Short Hikes With Spectacular Views In Scotland

In Scotland, it’s something of a celebrated and sought-after accomplishment to “bag” munros – that is mountains over 3,000ft, and many people endeavour to climb all 282 of them. There’s no shortage of mountains across Scotland, as well as treacherous but rewarding hikes, or long-distance paths offering unbelievable views along the way.

But what if you don’t want to climb huge mountains but still want amazing views? Well, I have good news for you. There are PLENTY of much shorter walks and hikes in Scotland that don’t involve traversing 3,000ft mountains but DO involve some of the best views in the country. Don’t get me wrong – some of the hikes on this list are mountains. Many of them are hills (after all, you often need some height to get that spectacular view). Some of them are even flat.

Pretty much all of them are under three hours, so don’t expect any full-day hikes in this post – these are all easy walks or hikes.

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Here are just some of the best shorter walks in Scotland.

Conic Hill, Loch Lomond

Conic Hill is one of the most popular walks around Loch Lomond, affording beautiful views over the loch and into the Trossachs.

To my dismay, it starts off with a lot of stairs (I HATE stairs on hikes) but as soon as you get past that, it’s much easier. After a break at the half-way point, which already has spectacular views over Loch Lomond, I was suddenly up at the top before I knew it.

I wouldn’t say it’s a hard hike, but I first did this straight after four months of lockdown so to say I was unfit would be an understatement!

Length: 2 hours

Dun Na Cuaiche, Inveraray

Inveraray is one of my favourite towns in Scotland, and this simple walk is one of the many reasons why.

A view over a loch is never a bad thing, but add in a cute town and a castle… and then put it all in a watchtower window. Ding ding ding, we have a winner.

This is a great short walk with a cracking view. And it’s much less busy than some of the other hikes on this list – I think I saw three people at the top, and they were just leaving, so I had it all to myself for a while! Lovely stuff.

Length: 1-2 hours

Corrie Fee, Angus

A hidden corner of the Cairngorms harbours a very special place: Corrie Fee, a natural amphitheatre that used to be a glacier way back when. It also happens to be one of my favourite easy walks in Scotland!

Most of the walk is through forest and along a logging track, with the mountains teasing views along the way. There is some incline, but it’s definitely not a difficult walk – and once you get there, the “wow” factor is totally worth it! The view suddenly opens up to this incredible valley. It’s one of my favourite reveals.

Walking through the glen is delightful too, alongside a small river until you reach the back of the bowl. From there, you can walk right up to the waterfall. I haven’t been right up, but I’d estimate it to be around half an hour each way from the start of the corrie. You can also carry on to tackle two munros! But we’re here for easy walks.

Length: 2 hours, plus however long you walk once you reach the corrie

Stac Pollaidh, Sutherland

I’ve banged on about Stac Pollaidh ever since I climbed it – and there’s a reason for that! To date, it’s one of the best views I’ve EVER seen.

It’s also one of my favourite hikes I’ve done, and I actually got back to the bottom and wanted to do it all over again! How often does that happen?

It’s one of the harder ones on this list, at a 3 hour steep return trip, but I highly recommend it if you feel up to it.

There are also two summits on the rock, and the western one involves a bit of a scramble with more of a climb up to it, so I’ve only done the east summit so far.

Length: 3 hours

Read more: Climbing Stac Pollaidh, One Of Scotland’s Best Hikes

Ben A’an, Perthshire

Ben A’an had been at the top of my list for a long time, with astonishing views from the summit that takes only an hour or so to reach.

In terms of effort to reward ratio, this is just about the best you can get in Scotland. However, that does mean it gets busy. In fact, I was surprised when I found out it’s NOT a munro, considering just how popular it is.

We also got unbelievably lucky with the weather. Clear skies, and Loch Katrine was like a duck pond! This was well worth the wait!

Length: 2-3 hours

Old Man Of Storr, Skye

This classic Skye hike is a corker, with an iconic view at the top and sweeping scenery spread out over southern Skye and across to the mainland.

This is another hike that falls foul of people assuming it’s a simple walk, perhaps because it’s so popular and the view is famous, but it’s not difficult in terms of hikes. A steady incline leads you right to this view – just be prepared for it being windy AF. There’s a reason I’m holding my hair in that photo!

Lots of tours stop here, so it’s worth noting that if you visit this way, you WON’T get this view, as you’re only there for a short stop near the bottom. I think this probably contributes to people thinking it’s a quick, easy walk.

Length: 2-2.5 hours

The Quiraing, Skye

Undoubtedly one of the best views on Skye, this is a walk that can be as easy or difficult as you want it to be. The above photo is only around ten minutes into the walk, so you don’t need to go far at all, but the full trail is 3-4 hours.

Shortly into the trail, there’s a bit of a clamber across some rocks which I didn’t find all that easy as a small person, but other than that it’s not a difficult walk at all.

Skye is full to the brim with walks for all abilities, but many of the best views are far more challenging to get to. So it’s wonderful that there are some incredible views like this for people who can’t manage the harder hikes.

Length: the full loop is a few hours, but for the classic view, this is only about ten minutes from the car park! You can basically carry on for as long as you like.

Old Man Of Hoy, Orkney

Ooft, it’s tough to choose just one great walk in Orkney. In fact, I have an entire post just of coastal walks here! But the Old Man is iconic, and in my opinion it’s one of the best walks you can do in Orkney.

From above Rackwick Bay, you get stellar views over the beach before heading away up towards the famous sea stack. And once you’re there? Even more stellar views along the terrifyingly high cliffs. It’s hard to beat this one when it comes to coastal walks in Scotland.

However much I wanted to include Marwick Head or the Brough of Birsay… those are both much less of a walk than this one. But they deserve honourable mentions here.

Length: 2 hours

Read more: 7 Coastal Walks In Orkney You Need To Take

Uath Lochans, Cairngorms

There are umpteen hikes in the Cairngorms. It’s almost impossible to narrow it down, and I’ve already covered one, but I’ve decided the Uath Lochans come pretty close to perfection in everything. Quiet, with reflecting mountains and a viewpoint trail? I only discovered it recently and I’m already in love.

Nearby, the green lochan, Lochan Uaine, is much more well known, and it’s lovely, but in terms of actual views, it’s not one of my favourites. Loch Morlich, with Cairn Gorm mountain behind it? Absolutely love it, but you get the view practically from the car park. You don’t even need to walk!

Uath Lochans is perfect for a short walk and while you don’t need to leave the car park for great views, the boardwalk between the lochans is lovely, and it’s well worth going up to the top if you don’t mind a short incline.

Length: the short trail is less than an hour, but for the view overlooking the lochans, you’ll need about an hour and a half for the full trail. Or you can stick to the short trail and it’s only a few minutes’ uphill detour to the viewpoints (it took me four minutes from the white trail but I was rushing!).

Glencoe Lochan

I’m ending this list on the easiest one of them all – this is a simple 30 minute walk around a loch, and it’s even accessible for wheelchairs as the path is great.

For some reason, it took me ages to get around to visiting Glencoe Lochan, I think perhaps because I assumed, regrettably, that it wouldn’t actually be that great.

I have never been so wrong about anything in my life.

Glencoe Lochan is STUNNING, especially when it’s reflecting every tree and mountain across the water. We now stop here every time we pass through Glencoe.

If you only do one walk in Glencoe, make it this one.

(Also, don’t bother with the upper trail. The views at either end of the loch are the best views.)

Length: half an hour

(I was also planning to include the Pap of Glencoe, being that it’s not a munro and has one of my favourite views in Scotland, but it’s a five hour hike and the path is a killer. It was WAY harder than I anticipated!)

Read more: Photo Friday: 20 Photos Of Glorious Glencoe

Bonus – an even shorter walk with one of my favourite views

Glenfinnan

One of the most iconic views in Scotland these days is the uber-famous Glenfinnan viaduct as the steam train rolls across majestically. Made into an institution by being filmed as the Hogwarts Express, the Jacobite crossing the bridge draws Harry Potter fans from all over the world in their thousands.

Spoiler alert: I think the other way looks even better.

…which is also good news for Harry Potter fans, because this is actually one of the lochs used as the Black Lake, and Hogwarts is perched somewhere along the right-hand side (unseen to us muggles, of course).

Even better news – this viewpoint is a mere five minute walk from the car park! In fact, it’s so easy that I debated whether to even include it on this post, because it’s barely a walk. That’s why it’s a bonus one – because it’s one of my favourite views on earth.

However, if you wanted a bit more of a walk, you can head up to the side of the viaduct for a closer look at the train crossing. Needless to say, this is one of the most popular photo spots in Scotland! From there, you can head along the trail to the Glenfinnan train station, which houses a museum and even a hostel (and café) in a train carriage!

Anyway, this list is far from exhaustive. I’m sure I’ll be discovering plenty of short walks with fantastic views for years to come. I already have some on my to-do list that may well end up converting to this list.

There are also absolutely loads of walks through forests and to waterfalls, which are really lovely, but I’ve tried to limit this post to walks that have the wow factor when it comes to views. I’m sure that’s subjective.

Either way, as you can see there are some spectacular views to be had from short walks, so don’t feel like you need to be tackling mountains to chase the views. Scotland makes it much easier for you.

Tell me – what are some of your favourite walks in Scotland?

Read more about Scotland:
⭐ Spending A Perfect Weekend On Skye
⭐ Edinburgh’s 10 Best Walks & Where To Find Them
⭐ Climbing Stac Pollaidh, One Of Scotland’s Best Hikes
⭐ Exploring The Cute Coastal Towns Of Fife, Scotland
⭐ A Great Day Out Puffin-Spotting On The Isle Of May, Scotland