MAY 23 - 27 (BANK HOLIDAY) - GLEN SHIEL, MUNRO BAGGING IN THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS

Trip to be confirmed
Backabush is going back to the Scottish Highlands for another mountain adventure. This time we are going to Glen Shiel, a region on the west coast absolutely crammed with Munro tops and mountain ridges.

Group size - max 13 . Accommodation - Hostel
Cost with transport from Inverness - £369
Cost without transport - £319, if you are planning to drive yourself and don't need a seat in the minibus.

What's Munro bagging? - https://www.visitscotland.com/things-to-do/outdoor-activities/walking/mountains-hills/munro-bagging
Glen Shiel is one of a few places in the highlands where as many as 7 summits can be connected in one tough hike so we will need a strong team of hikers to take on these arduous outings. Our hiking targets for this trip are...

South Glen Shiel Ridge - 7 Munros! 17 miles and 1800m of ascent. We will need a low wind/rain day for this monster mountain challenge but if the stars align it is well within the abilities of a fit and fast group. This long ridgewalk is mostly on good paths with surprisingly little descent between the summits, allowing hikers to maintain a good pace. There are also a few short sections of easy scrambling. We should expect to spend over 10 hours on the hill for the full day out, however, it is also possible to descend after 4 summits and cut the day in half if thats what the weather, or our energy levels, demand.

Five Sisters of Kintail - 9.5 Miles, 1400m ascent over steep rocky ground with some easy scrambling and narrow ridge trails. This is one of Scotland's best mountain ridge walks and connects 3 Munros with magnificent views.

For our third hiking day we have loads of options to choose from including;
The Brothers Ridge - another 3 Munros in just 7 miles.
The Falls of Glomach - Possibly Britain's most spectacular waterfall.
The shores of Loch Duilch, forest and coastal trails, a great option if the summits are not possible.

ACCOMMODATION
We have booked dorm rooms for our exclusive use at the Ratagan Youth Hostel. This hostel has got to be one of the most tranquil locations in Scotland, down a quiet little road, right on the shore of Loch Duilch, a stunning sea loch.

The hostel sits in a quiet corner of Scotland with not many local options to eat out, there is one restaurant nearby. The hostel has good kitchen and dining room facilities for self-catering. We will be taking most of our supplies with us from Inverness, there will also be the opportunity to visit the SPAR supermarket 20 mins away.

TRAVEL TO SCOTLAND
We will pick you up from Inverness Airport at 14.10 or Inverness town centre at 14.45 on Saturday 23rd May. Or alternatively you can meet us at the hostel from 5pm onwards.

You can get to Inverness easily by train or you can fly. These are our recommended flight which fit with our pick up times.

Outbound - Saturday 23 May
easyJet flight EZY847
Departs London Gatwick 12.25
Arrives Inverness 14.10

Return - Wednesday 27 May
easyJet flight EZY848
Departs Inverness 14.55
Arrives London Gatwick 16.40

We will drop you off back in Inverness on Wednesday 27th at around 13.00pm so please consider that when planning onward travel. There will be a town centre and train station drop off as well as a stop at the airport.

DIFFICULTY
This will be a physically tough trip so please take a look at the hike statistics above and be sure that you want to undertake this challenge. A good head for heights is also required for these exposed mountain trails.

WHAT IS INCLUDED:

• 4 nights hostel accommodation in shared dorms.
• All transport in Scotland and airport transfers from Inverness. (unless not required)
• Guided hikes. Our leaders are Mountain Leader trained and qualified first-aiders.
• Financial protection in accordance with the Package Travel Law 1992

WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED:

• Meals - our accommodation will have self catering facilities and there one restaurant nearby.
• Travel to Scotland.
• Travel insurance.

HOW TO BOOK A PLACE ON THIS TRIP:
To confirm your place on this trip use internet banking your RSVP is not enough to reserve a space on this trip. Please use GLENSHIEL as your payment reference. The account details are:

Account Name: BACKABUSH XPLORERS
Sort Code: 090127
Account Number: 22440622

The following "terms and conditions" apply to all trip reservations:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ngc5A61k76qb6HGMeTK96AVaXn0565yPS9p42IPzIy8/

Only payment secures your place. Please email nathancapay@googlemail.com as soon as you send payment so that we can confirm everything with you. Thanks. :)