The Trail begins at Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders - the end point of the Pennine Way. It follows part of St Cuthbert's Way northwards to the town of Melrose with its picturesque Abbey, and then traces the course of the Southern Upland Way to Traquair.

The route runs by the River Tweed up to Peebles before climbing over the Meldon Hills and then the Pentlands to reach the capital city, Edinburgh. Towpaths give very easy walking alongside the Union Canal to Linlithgow and on to the amazing Falkirk Wheel. The Forth and Clyde Canal carries the route to the northern fringes of Glasgow before it strikes north to join the West Highland Way at Milngavie. At Drymen the trail switches to follow the Rob Roy Way to Callander, before a wilder stretch passes through Comrie and over the hills and glens of Perthshire to Aberfeldy and then Pitlochy.

From Blair Atholl is the first section of the route that requires backpacking, passing through glorious Glen Tilt and Glen Feshie through the Cairngorms National Park. The Corrieyairack Pass then leads over the Monadhliath to Fort Augustus and the Great Glen. The Great Glen Way is followed briefly before the route leads through Glen Garry and on to the great mountains of Kintail.

By this point the route has joined the Cape Wrath Trail - a more demanding route for backpackers. The rewards increase too, with the glories of the dramatic West Highlands - the Falls of Glomach, the wilds of Monar and the Great Wilderness of Letterewe beyond Kinlochewe. The route crosses wild country to Oykel Bridge and then northwards to Inchnadamph and into Sutherland. A final wild stretch leads through this lonely land, passing the iconic beach of Sandwood Bay en route to Cape Wrath - and journey's end.

The Walkhighlands Guide

Walker's website Walkhighlands has produced a series of detailed stage descriptions covering the whole route - written by on-the-ground researchers who have walked every step of the way to check it for you. Each stage is illustrated by a series of photographs and with Ordnance Survey mapping, as well as offering downloads in GPX format for use in GPS devices.

If you register on the site, you can also mark off each stage of the route as you complete it, keeping a record of your progress towards completing the whole walk.

Access the detailed Scottish National Trail guide.