About Walkhighlands
The not for profit app and website for walkers in Scotland
Our own lives have been immeasurably enriched and transformed by walking. We want everyone to be able to enjoy the same benefits we do, for both their mental and physical health.
We do all we can to encourage responsible behaviour towards local communities, to the natural environment, and to maintain personal safety. We believe that as more people learn about how best to enjoy the outdoors and nature on foot, the more pressure and funding there will be for its protection and restoration. Letting people know about the breadth of places there are to get outdoors helps spread the load from over-promoted social media hotspots.
To enable access for all, Walkhighlands is completely free to use, and is mostly funded by users making donations - can you help support us? We also provide low-cost advertising for the accommodation providers and local tourism businesses that are so vital to Scotland's rural economy.
Helen and Paul Webster, co-founders
Walkhighlands is the busiest walkers' website in the UK and by far the busiest outdoors website in Scotland, with 800,000 unique visitors checking in each month.
We are constantly updating and currently feature over 2,200 walks including everything from detailed routes up every Munro to short woodland and even urban walks, serving communities all across Scotland.
Our free phone app allows users to download our routes to their phones, complete with full descriptions and detailed GPS mapping showing current location and the route with Ordnance Survey topography.
Our users can record their own outdoors experiences through their personal 'walks diaries' and can share their walking stories, photos and videos on the routes and hill descriptions with other users. For those attempting a long term objective such as climbing all the Munros or other hill lists, or even visiting the islands we provide interactive personal 'bagging' maps to record your progress. Every feature on Walkhighlands is free of charge for personal use to ensure good maps and information on walks are available to everyone.
Both the website and app are operated by Walkhighlands for All, a not-for-profit social enterprise set up to serve walkers in Scotland. There are no shareholders or dividends - an asset lock ensures that any surplus must be reinvested in serving walkers' needs.
Who we are
Helen Webster
Helen co-founded Walkhighlands in 2006. The idea originated during her 4,000 mile continuous walk across Europe with Paul in 2003/4. Helen deals with all classified advertising, marketing and media enquiries, as well as being the author of hundreds of Walkhighlands routes.
Paul Webster
Paul is the co-founder of Walkhighlands and co-author with Helen of more than twenty guidebooks. In 2018 he won the title 'Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year'. Past voluntary roles include being a member of the Cairngorms Outdoor Access Forum, a director of Mountaineering Scotland and a maintenance officer in the Mountain Bothy Association. Paul deals with all technical aspects of Walkhighlands as well as being the routes editor.
In the Media...
"A Walking Revolution in Scotland"
BBC Out of Doors interview to celebrate 15 years of Walkhighlands
"We quit our jobs to share Scotland’s walking routes"
Interview on BBC TV News
"A remarkable resource curated by dedicated hill folk. We are all the better for having this guidance"
Bob Reid, former chair of Mountainering Council of Scotland, helped develop Scotland's access rights
"A brilliant service without equal for walkers"
Cameron McNeish, outdoors broadcaster
"Whether it’s climbing the highest mountains, strolling on a white sandy beach or a bit of both, it doesn’t really matter. Because either way, Walkhighlands will have you covered.
The National
"..a treasure trove of wonderful walking routes... hugely popular..."
The Herald
"..a brilliant free resource..."
Daily Telegraph
"The single most useful tool for planning walks in Scotland"
CNN
"This is an essential app, whether you have been walking in Scotland for decades or are just starting out..."
TGO Magazine
"..a small business success story..."
The Guardian
"..very clear walking directions..."
The Times
"..packed with useful information..."
The Herald
"By far the largest and most influential website in the Scottish walking world"
The Munros: A History, Andrew Dempster
"..an exemplar of collaboration and design... truly inspiring..."
Thistle Award Judges
From our users...
"This site has changed my life, now a hell of a lot fitter, and all the walk reports allow me to judge what walks are in my limits, without that I wouldn't have been tempted to do them."
"An absolutely stonking website... invaluable... it's brilliant"
"I have explored areas I would never have thought of on paths I would never have found thanks to this app!"
"How did people find walks before Walkhighlands came along?"
"Walkhighlands has become an integral part of my walking/climbing experience. It just wouldn't be the same without this site....."
"One of the very best websites in Scotland."
"If I'd sat down for about 12 years and tried to figure out what I'd want to have in a walker's website, it's all here."
"I've really no idea how we managed before Walkhighlands."
"No adjective could do justice to how good this site is! I'm on it every day, even if it's just to check the banter and see what is going on in cyber-hill land."
"This is the best hikes/routes site I've seen for ANYWHERE in the world."
"Walkhighlands is the best website on earth!!! Thank you!"
"Amazing website. What an incredible resource!"
"What a fantastic site! Amazing! Can't believe it's free. What's the catch?"
"Far and away the best tourism website in Scotland"
"Walkhighlands is an extraordinary resource... ...I'm completely amazed."
"What a great site. It's the daddy!!!"
"The best walking site in Scotland (the world?)"
"Essential for walking in Scotland"
"A bible for Scotland lovers"
"This is one of the best sites on the internet."
"The best of the best :)"
"Bleedin' awesome!!"
"By far the best Munro-baggers site I have discovered and here my searching for the perfect site ends! Well done! Keep up the good work. You cetainly deserve all those awards!"
"I only started getting seriously into my walking this summer and i have probably consulted this site for every walk I have done in that time."
"I couldn't do without it"
"I have been a regular visitor to walkhighlands for a few years now and I think it's an amazing site. It has really opened up the hills to me in a way than no guide book has."
"[Walkhighlands] has been an immense help to me and I can honestly say i would not have been half the places i have been without this site and the people who use it."
"The site is awesome. By far my favourite resource for walks in Scotland!"
"Walkhighlands really does kick the a**e off every other walking site out there!!"
