The sun’s out, they days are longer - so it’s the perfect time to get out and explore Scotland. Looking for inspiration? Here’s a guide to 10 best spring walks in Scotland, each with their own pull-factor. Of course it’s impossible to really say which are the best, as there are 1000 equally good spring walks around this beautiful country. But these 10 Scottish walks are all perfect for spring - find out why and plan your trip!
1. The Trossachs - Bluebell Carpet in Aberfoyle
Why go? Springtime in the Trossachs, particularly around Aberfoyle, is when the woods become blanketed in a magical bluebell carpet. The vibrant bluebells create an other-worldly atmosphere as they bloom in the ancient woodlands. The walk through the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park is full of glimpses of nature bursting into life.
2. Mull - Puffin Watch at Lunga (Treshnish Isles)
Why go? This is the ideal time to visit the Treshnish Isles off the coast of Mull, as the puffins arrive to nest. The boat trip to Lunga Island offers a chance to get up close to these charming seabirds as well as seals, wild goats, and other seabird colonies. Or if you’re further south, the Scottish Seabird Centre boat trips out to Bass Rock are superb
3. Ben A'an - A Hill Climb with Panoramic Views
Why go? While Ben A'an is a small mountain, it offers expansive views over Loch Katrine and the Trossachs, with a particular spring twist: the hillside comes alive with vibrant wildflowers, including primroses, orchids, and wood anemones. The summit gives you a stunning 360-degree view and it’s all easily accessible for an afternoon climb.
4. Fife Coastal Path - Explore the Seals of the East Neuk
Why go? While the Fife Coastal Path is known for its stunning seaside views all year round, spring is the season to spot seals along the East Neuk coast, especially around St. Andrews and Anstruther. As the days warm, grey seals come ashore to haul out and nurse their pups in secluded coves. Only to be viewed from afar, obviously.
5. RSPB Loch Garten, Cairngorms - Osprey Watching
Why go? Spring is the season when the ospreys return to their nests at Loch Garten, one of Scotland's most famous nature reserves. This is an ideal time for birdwatchers to spot these incredible birds as they circle above the loch, searching for fish. The RSPB reserve has viewing hides, giving you a front-row seat to one of the most spectacular natural spectacles in Scotland. I’ve often tried to spot them but never succeeded - one day!
6. Rannoch Moor - The Call of the Curlew
Why go? What can I say - the curlew, our special bird here at Made Scotland. Rannoch Moor is an otherworldly landscape. I remember watching the scenery whizz past from the train window many times as a child and thinking it looked almost lunar. In spring it comes alive with birdsong and this expansive, remote moorland is one of the best places to hear and spot the haunting call of curlews. The walking is remote, this is proper solitude in a Highland wilderness.
7. Isle of Skye - Butterflies at the Fairy Pools (and an icy dip?)
Why go? The Fairy Pools on Skye are beautiful all year-round (unless you visit as I last did, on a hot Saturday in August, when the day-trippers AND midges are out in their multitudes). But on a quiet, sunny spring day they come to life with a fantastic range of butterflies, especially the early emerging species like the orange tip and small tortoiseshell. Early morning is perfect if you can make it, to really feel the atmosphere of the place. If you can bear a dip in the icy crystal clear pools before they’ve warmed up!
8. Glen Etive - Springtime in the heart of the Highlands
Why go? Glen Etive is stunning year-round, but in spring, the whole glen comes to life with the blooming of wild garlic, a vibrant green carpet that smells amazing as you walk through it. The river’s fast-flowing from melted snow coming off the mountain and you’ll find endless waterfalls cascading off the hillside. And tons of wild garlic to pick, to take home and make garlic bread and wild garlic pesto.
9. The Cairngorms - Spring Glens and Scots Pine
Why go? Spring transforms the Cairngorms from wintry snowscapes to green hillside and forests and with it the resurgence of the ancient Scots pine. The forest floor blooms with early wildflowers, and the area’s rich biodiversity, from red squirrels to pine martens, becomes easier to spot. Winter is so stark here that spring, with its abundance of flora and wildlife is particularly vibrant.
10. The Scottish Borders - Dawyck Botanic Garden’s Spring Bloom
Why go? One of the Scottish Border’s best kept secrets. Near the village of Stobo, in spring this place is a stunning kaleidoscope of colour, with rare spring blooms like magnolias, camellias, and rhododendrons. The garden’s collection of early flowering plants, combined with its ancient woodland setting, makes it a very cool place for a walk, with sweeping views of the surrounding hills.
