Scotland is renowned for its fabulous walking opportunities. But with so much choice it’s sometimes difficult to know where to start. Thank goodness then for a great package of waymarked walking routes!

Scotland’s Great Trails comprise 20 of the country’s top walking routes, each of them at least 25 miles in length and with lots of useful waymarkers.

The routes include some of Scotland’s most famous longer-distance trails, such as the West Highland Way, as well as a few long-distance trails that you might not yet have heard of.

Walkers are guaranteed a fabulous route, wherever the route is located, from the Highlands to the Borders, and in total Scotland’s Great Trails adds up to some 1300 miles of fabulous walking.

Long-distance trails offer a fantastic opportunity for exploring Scotland’s beautiful countryside without the worry of getting lost. Although it is important that you have basic map-reading skills, these routes are generally easy to follow.

It’s up to you how far you walk during each outing. Most of the long-distance trails have suggested day-long outings so you could choose to walk for a day at a time, or else turn the outing into a longer multi-day walking break.

Another advantage of these walking routes is that you are usually fairly close to towns, villages and accommodation. There is often no need for overnight camps, and if the weather turns nasty you can usually cut the walk short.

It’s still wise to have the basic walking kit, such as waterproof trousers and walking poles, while wearing good quality outdoor clothing, including a waterproof jacket, walking boots and a combination of baselayers.

We choose five of the best Great Trails:

Walking with water, along river banks…River Ayr Way   …Or the coast: Fife Coastal Path. History makes this  walk an intriguing treat: Cateran Trail.  Or how about taking an old railways line on the Formartine and Buchan Way? Then again, you might fancy a walk on the wilder side and sometimes the originals are the best so head to the West Highland Way.