Walk into Knoydart - Scottish Wild Camping Adventure
Walk into Scotland’s remote Knoydart peninsula from Glenfinnan to Inverie, camping with a group and expert guide along the way.
Duration: 4 nights
Accommodation: Camping (your tent)
Level: Tough (Wild Camping) - you’ll walk with your camping gear and food
Group size: 6 maximum
Age: 18+
Dogs: No dogs allowed
In a Nutshell:
Walking into Scotland’s wild, remote, and breathtakingly beautiful Knoydart peninsula, camping along the way.
Join a small, sociable group to experience this fully guided once-in-a-lifetime wilderness adventure.
Walk with a friendly, qualified Mountain Leader who’ll make sure the team is hiking safely and comfortably.
Enjoy a day based out of the remote coastal village of Inverie, hiking in the local area without carrying your camping gear.
Cross the wilds of western Scotland to reach the remote Knoydart Peninsula
The Knoydart peninsula is famously rugged, wonderfully wild, stunningly beautiful - and really, really remote. So remote in fact it’s only accessible by passenger ferry or on foot. Sounds like a challenge to us!
Join a small group and expert Mountain Leader on a four-night adventure through the lonely and remote mountains and valleys of western Scotland, towards the coast of the Knoydart peninsula.
Starting from Glenfinnan, we’ll spend two nights hiking and camping in the glens of the Rough Bounds of Knoydart, making our way first north and then west towards Inverie. Here we will celebrate our fantastic journey with dinner and drinks at Inverie’s community owned pub, The Old Forge - the ‘remotest pub in mainland Britain’. We’ll camp for two nights, heading out for a day of exploring the village’s stunning surroundings without needing to carry our camping gear.
Let us sort out the navigation, camping spots, and transportation, so you can concentrate on packing your bag with your favourite trail snacks, camping gear and of course food for the duration of the trip.
Then all that’s left to do is enjoy the incredible Scottish wilderness and some truly memorable walks!
Walk into Knoydart Itinerary
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You’ll meet the group and your Large Outdoors walk leader at Mallaig Train Station at 8:15am (subject to bus timetable) for introductions and orientation, before boarding a bus to Glenfinnan. Please make sure you’re prepared with all your walking kit, camping gear and food, as there won’t be another chance to get anything before the walk begins.
After around an hour on one of the most scenic bus journeys you’ll ever embark on, we’ll arrive in Glenfinnan and start our adventure proper. We start the journey with a visit to a monument to Bonnie Prince Charlie monument and a walk under the Glenfinnan Viaduct, famous around the world for carrying the Hogwarts Express steam train in the Harry Potter films.
From there it’s up Glen Finnan itself, over the pass of Bealach a’Chaorainn and down into Gleann a’Chaorainn, enjoying superb views along the way. We’ll camp either in Glen Pean or Glen Dessarry.
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After a no doubt peaceful night camping, today we’ll embark on a tougher part of the journey, following the River Dessarry up to the pass of Bealach an Lagain Duibh. Surrounded by towering peaks, we descend past the pretty upland waters of Lochan a’Mhaim before following the Finiskaig River down to the sea shore at Sourlies.
Our campsite tonight will be in sight of the sea, reaching us via the great sea-loch of Loch Nevis.
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Today we start by immediately passing Loch Nevis to officially enter Knoydart. Then comes the steepest climb of the journey, up to the pass between Meall Bhasiter and Sgurr Sgeithe. The path is good, and then leads gently downhill through Gleann Meadail. The coast now again in sight, we follow the Inverie River to the village of Inverie itself, and the end of our journey.
Tonight we’ll set up camp at the village’s nearby campsite before heading to the community owned pub, The Old Forge - famously the ‘most remote pub in mainland Britain’. After a celebratory dinner and drinks, we’ll settle into our tents once more.
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Today offers a day of walking around Inverie’s exceptional surroundings - our bags will be a bit lighter too, as we can leave our camping gear at the campsite, where we’ll stay again this evening.
Your leader will have different options prepared for the day’s walk, to allow for lots of flexibility. If the group is up for a challenging day out, you could attempt a Munro like Meall Buidhe (932m/3,058 ft), or a more modest option like Roinn na Beinne (441m/1,447ft), affording spectacular views. If the group would rather stay lower-level after the walk to Inverie, you could explore the area’s stunning coastline - keeping an eye out for otters, which are frequently spotted here!
We’ll enjoy a final celebratory group meal together in the evening, probably at The Lookout - a laid-back restaurant boasting superb views over Loch Nevis. We’ll toast an amazing few days of memory making and leg-stretching in one of the most remote parts of the UK’s mainland!
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Today we’ll walk to the jetty to catch a morning ferry back to Mallaig, the journey taking about 30 minutes. From here, we’ll say our goodbyes and travel our separate ways home. Please book onward travel accordingly, to allow for flexibility with the return time, in case of ferry timetable changes or delays.
Good to know:
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Meeting Time: 8:15am (subject to bus timetables).
Meeting Location:
Mallaig Train Station
Main Street
Mallaig
PH41 4QAPublic Transport: Mallaig Train Station, has services to/from Fort William and Glasgow.
Parking: There is long-stay parking available at the East Bay Car Park (Mallaig, PH41 4QF). Charges may apply - located a 10-minute walk from the Train Station.
Return Ferry Journey to Mallaig (Day 5): On the final day we will be taking a morning ferry - this usually arrives into Mallaig approximately 10am but we will confirm ferry times with you in advance of your trip. Please book onward travel accordingly, to allow for flexibility with the return time, in case of ferry timetable changes or delays.
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Included:
A Large Outdoors host/guide to welcome you and deal with the logistics for your experience, including all navigation.
3 days of guided walking from Glenfinnan to Inverie with an expert, fully qualified Mountain Leader, who will travel with a first-aid kit, group shelter and emergency satellite personal locator beacon/alarm should assistance be required at any point - mobile phone signal is unreliable in this areas you’ll walk through and camp in.
1 day of guided walking around Inverie.
2 nights at a campsite in Inverie.
Bus fare from Mallaig to Glenfinnan on Day 1.
Ferry fare from Inverie to Mallaig on Day 5.
Not Included:
No food is included on this getaway. You will need to carry all your food and a means to cook it (see Compulsory Kit List & Food section). You will receive a discount code for Base Camp Food, a freeze-dried camping food manufacturer, when you book your trip.
Dinner on Days 3 and 4 - we’ll book a table at a local pub/restaurant to enjoy dinner as a group and you can purchase whatever you fancy from the menu available.
Any extra (i.e. not mentioned above in ‘Included’) excursions or activities that you may partake in which incur a cost.
Any food, drinks or goods you choose to purchase at any shops, restaurant, pubs or cafés visited.
Travel/activity insurance - we recommend having insurance to cover, at a minimum: cancellation and curtailment; medical and emergency expenses (including repatriation); personal accident; injury and death.
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Please see our Wild Camping Kit List.
The compulsory items are selected for your safety, which is of paramount importance to us at Large Outdoors. Each participant should have the items listed.
You are responsible for bringing your all your food along for this adventure (and see the Compulsory Kit List link above in relation to preparations for water).
We’ve prepared an article on the best food to take wild camping - we recommend you read through this for inspiration. We strongly recommend you bring a lightweight stove (we think the Msr PocketRocket 2® or Jetboil™ options are good) to prepare your meals.
You will need to bring the following meals with you, as well as any snacks you might want:
Day 1 - Lunch & Evening Meal
Day 2 - Breakfast, Lunch & Evening Meal
Day 3 - Breakfast & Lunch (tonight we eat out)
Day 4 - Breakfast & Lunch (tonight we eat out)
Day 5 - BreakfastPLEASE NOTE: As with any activity with Large Outdoors, it is essential we ‘leave no trace’ and take everything we brought with us away when travelling through. Please bring a spare dry bag or carrier for litter/waste on this trip and be extremely diligent. It’s the responsibility of all participants to protect such beautiful and remote locations for the enjoyment of all and to preserve this unique Scottish wilderness.
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This is a proper challenge, but that’s an essential part of exploring and enjoying this true wilderness. You’ll carry your walking kit, camping gear, food and water, but your leader will take care of navigation, camping spots, and the group’s safety (including carrying a first-aid kit, group shelter and emergency satellite personal locator beacon/alarm).
Some camping experience would be useful, but this adventure is suitable for beginners to camping - as long as you’re truly confident you can do the walks whilst comfortably carrying all your walking kit, camping gear, food and water.
You can see how we grade our experiences here. This one is graded as Tough (Wild Camping).
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• What level of fitness is needed?
This trip is rated as Tough (Wild Camping). Click here to see Large Outdoors’ Experience Levels.• Can I attend on my own?
Absolutely. The majority of our participants are solo travellers and adventurers. Plenty of fun, laughter and numerous long-term friendships (and a few marriages!) have begun on Large Outdoors experiences since 2008, so there’s no need to feel worried about your first experience, or indeed trying a new type of outdoor activity, with us.• I am currently on a specific diet / have an allergy - can you cater for me?
You’ll provide and carry all your own food for this trip, so this really depends on your dietary needs and whether these can be met with freeze-dried or camping-suitable meal options. We only ask for your dietary requirements when booking to give to the local eateries in advance of our dinner bookings (on Days 3 and 4).• What transport is provided during this trip?
We organise tickets for and include the fares for the bus journey from Mallaig to Glenfinnan on Day 1 and the ferry journey from Inverie to Mallaig on Day 5.• Can I bring my dog?
Dogs are not allowed on this trip, due to the nature and remoteness of the routes. -
Knoydart is a famously remote peninsula located in Lochaber, Highland, on the west coast of Scotland. Cut off from the UK mainland, the area can only be accessed by ferry or on foot. It’s a rugged, truly stunning landscape of mountains (including 4 munros), valleys, and rivers, and is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including red deer, otters, golden eagles, pine martens, and whales. White-tailed, or sea, eagles can be seen hunting in the coastal areas.
The village of Inverie, our goal for this guided walking adventure, is home to 120 full-time residents. The community owns the majority of the local amenities, including a small brewery, a pottery, and The Old Forge pub, which was recently acquired by the community. The village is set on the shore of the stunningly pretty Loch Nevis, and is served by ferry services to Tarbet and Mallaig.
This map is provided for guidance regarding the general location. For detailed meeting information, please refer to the 'Meeting Time & Location' section.