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John Muir Way Walking Tour

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John Muir Way Walking Tour
From $1,950USDBook Now
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12 days from $1,950USD
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Green pastures of Scotland
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Opened in 2014, this long distance walking trail honours Sir John Muir, the famous conservationist whose legacy includes the Sierra Club and Yosemite National Park in the USA. It forms a Scottish Coast to Coast from Helensburgh in the west, through the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park (the first one in Scotland) to finish in his birthplace of Dunbar.

The route links together attractive landscapes, countryside and places of historical and natural interest, following a mixture of seaside, river and canal side paths, with some forestry walking.

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John Muir Way Walking Tour

Walk from village to village through the beautiful countryside of Scotland
4.70
(45 reviews)
12 days from $1,950USD
Easy quote
Duration
12 days
Season
Mar-Oct
Activity
Walking
Type
Self-guided, Private
Accommodation
Hotels
Difficulty
Hard (4/5)
From $1,950USD (see prices for this tour)
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National Geographic
Guardian
Green pastures of Scotland
Personalized Service
Let our experienced travel advisors plan your perfect adventure

Opened in 2014, this long distance walking trail honours Sir John Muir, the famous conservationist whose legacy includes the Sierra Club and Yosemite National Park in the USA. It forms a Scottish Coast to Coast from Helensburgh in the west, through the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park (the first one in Scotland) to finish in his birthplace of Dunbar.

The route links together attractive landscapes, countryside and places of historical and natural interest, following a mixture of seaside, river and canal side paths, with some forestry walking.

rating
Read about our scale for Tour Difficulty Ratings.
Trip highlights

Walk from coast to coast through the Scottish countryside

Observe the views over Loch and Ben Lomond and the Trossachs along the route

Visit numerous historic towns including Linlithgrow and Falkirk, plus historical features including the Antonine Wall, Roman forts, Linlithgow Castle and the Forth Rail Bridge

Enjoy the tour on your own pace, with the logistics being taken care for you

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Trip map

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Day by day itinerary
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Day 1
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Arrival in Helensburgh
Make your own way to Helensburgh. Train links to Glasgow. Make your own way to the attractive coastal town of Helensburgh founded in 1776 as a spar resort and then modelled on a grid base of Edinburgh New Town. Handsome buildings, wide elegant tree-lined streets, long promenade with attractive parks and gardens create a pleasantly distinguished atmosphere, even more so in summer as pleasure cruisers jostle at the pier. It is said that a quarter of Britain’s millionaires resided here in the 1800s, these were tobacco and shipping magnates and the town operated the World’s first steam ship ferry service from 1812 across the Clyde.
Distance None
Overnight Location Hotel/BB in Helensburgh
Included Meals None
Day 2
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Helensburgh to Balloch
The John Muir Way climbs steeply up past National Trust for Scotland ‘Hill House’ before turning onto the forest track heading across ‘Bannachra Muir’ and up steeply towards and around ‘Ben Bowie’. The walk then winds across the desolate area of ‘Darleith Muir’ before an attractive, scenic descent onto the ancient drove and coffin route known as ‘Stoneymollan Road’ with views over Loch Lomond and ‘The Highland Fault.’ You then arrive at the tourist village of Balloch on the Shores of Loch Lomond. If you arrive early, you could enjoy a cruise on Loch Lomond and visit the ‘Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Gateway Centre’.
Distance 15.2km
Overnight Location Hotel/BB in Balloch
Included Meals Breakfast
Day 3
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Balloch to Strathblane
This is a long and beautiful day with a few undulations; it is also the hardest and highest day of the tour. Much of the walk is on quiet tarmac or gravel roads, and a newly laid gravel track in the Kirkpatrick Hills, with views to start towards Loch and Ben Lomond. There are sections of moor and woodland as well. The highlight of the day, is the Burncrook reservoir and the views to the north from the southern side of the Highland Fault. You will reach a cafe and pub at Garbeth, just when it is needed and then observe the chalets of the Garbeth Hutters Association. You then enjoy views towards the Campsie fells. Finally the walk descends a long woody ridge to the village of Strathblane and a small comfortable hotel.
Distance 29km
Overnight Location Hotel/BB in Strathblane
Included Meals Breakfast
Day 4
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Strathblane to Kilsyth
Another long section with lovely open stretches on good surfaces. Head off to Clachan of Campsie underneath Cort-ma Law Hill and then onto Kirkintilloch’s rich, historic town centre for morning tea. Here you join the first canal stretch, enjoying flat walking on the old towpath before encountering your first Roman Fort at Bar Hill. Take some time out to recreate in your imagination the ancient settlement and rest weary legs after a steep pull up to the summit. You could continue onto Croy Hill and to successive Roman sites, or drop down to the canal and then walk or bus into Kilsyth.
Distance 24km
Overnight Location Hotel/BB in Kilsyth
Included Meals Breakfast
Day 5
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Kilsyth to Falkirk
Today’s walk is an easy stroll largely on gravel and woodland trails to the large town of Falkirk. Much of the distance is on the Forth and Clyde Canal, which was very active in John Muir’s day, but is now solely a recreational feature. The final section of the walk before Falkirk is on the Union Canal. An ideal lunch stop would be at the ‘Falkirk Wheel’ an extraordinary and unique engineering feature that connects the canals together via a rotating boat lift. Other attractions include a great section of the Antonine Wall. Even more than yesterday you will be able to see what a huge labour it was to construct. Falkirk is famous for two battles, the one where Sir William Wallace was defeated in 1298 and the one in 1746 when Bonny Prince Charlie‘s forces were victorious over the government troops, but for the Jacobites it was a pyrrhic victory.
Distance 19.3km
Overnight Location Hotel/BB in Falkirk
Included Meals Breakfast
Day 6
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Falkirk to Linlithgow
Today is the shortest day and a mixture of walking through Callandar Park and woodland, on the Union Canal and beside the beautiful River Avon. Walking out of Falkirk and into Linlithgow there is also some street walking. The main attraction of the day is the old part of Linlithgow which sits above its own small loch and was the birth place of Mary Queen of Scotts. The Stuart Palace, although today a ruin is quite magnificent and is in an attractively ensemble with St. Martins Church and the ‘Town Cross’ with its old buildings. The Church was where Henry IV of Scotland was warned not to fight the English at Flodden Field, but he did not heed the warning and was cut down with the ‘flower of Scotland’.
Distance 13.2km
Overnight Location Hotel/BB in Linlithgow
Included Meals Breakfast
Day 7
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Linlithgow to South Queensferry
Today, in good weather, is certainly one of the most memorable of the walk with interesting historical features. Leaving Linlithgow you travel through some wonderfully rural countryside until you arrive at the Firth of Forth,which is the estuary or Firth of Scotland’s River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea, between Fife to the north and Lothian to the south. The Fisher Row Walk gives you superb views and was used by wives of fishermen travelling between Bo’ness and Linlithgow to sell their catches. Bo’ness itself is a delightful town with an architectural mix that ranges from 16th-century housing to the Hippodrome Cinema from the 1920s. Look out for steam railway and bird-watching opportunities by the shore. Further on you journey through the large, beautifully managed Hopetoun House Estate*. On the way you can visit remarkable Blackness Castle which is shaped like a ship. Along the Firth of Forth, enter South Queensferry and pass under the three Forth bridges. The most extraordinary is the Forth Railway Bridge from 1890.
Distance 23.9km
Overnight Location Hotel/BB in South Queensferry
Included Meals Breakfast
Day 8
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South Queensferry to Edinburgh
From South Queensferry you start to enter the outskirts of Edinburgh, passing through the attractive coastal Dalmeny Estate before turning inland. There is some walking through golf courses, parks and housing estates into the capital with all of its delights. Eventually you walk beside a river called ‘Water of Leith’ before joining the ‘Union Canal’ into the city centre.
Distance 22.6km
Overnight Location Hotel/BB in Edinburgh
Included Meals Breakfast
Day 9
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Edinburgh to Port Seton
Today is a pleasant walk out of town on the Union Canal and then besides parks to follow quiet valley walking routes to the seaside near Joppa and Musselburgh. From there you take a coastal walk to the old fortified sea town of Prestonpans, site of a victorious Jacobite battle in 1745. There are also some attractive old gardens, market cross and old house. Your accommodation is normally 3km further along the coast in the attractive tiny fishing village called Port Seton.
Distance 21km
Overnight Location Hotel/BB in Port Seton
Included Meals Breakfast
Day 10
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Port Seton to North Berwick
Today’s walk is a coastal affair passing around several golf courses. There is some walking along sandy trails on sand dunes and there is quite a lot of road walking so comfortable shoes recommended. You will appreciate how big an industry golfing is in Scotland, if you haven’t already. People who are not so keen on golf will like the beautiful village of Aberlady with its bird reserve you can visit overlooking golf courses. The final couple of hours walking brings you into North Berwick, a town enriched by golf. The official route dodges the golf courses and housing estates inland, but especially at low tide, you could follow the beach all the way round for the last few kms. You will also see Bass Rock way out to sea like a beached white whale. The rock is encrusted not with barnacles, but with thousands of gannet birds.
Distance 24km
Overnight Location Hotel/BB in North Berwick
Included Meals Breakfast
Day 11
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North Berwick to Dunbar
Today is your final walking section on this trip and it is an absolute beauty. Very little road walking, mainly field and farm track, woodland and finally along the cliff tops before you arrive into the interesting historical town of Dunbar. Leaving North Berwick southwards we would thoroughly recommend that you take time to walk up the volcanic plug called North Berwick Law (187m). You can get great views both east and west of the town, to Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh and Tantalum Castle south of Dunbar. It has always sported whale jawbones and when the last ones decayed, fibre-glass replicas were installed. After a few miles on country tracks and quiet lanes you’ll reach the popular village of East Linton, whose National Trust for Scotland attractions of the ‘Phantassie Doocot’ and ‘Preston Mill’ are well worth a look. You now follow the River Tyne for a while, until the J.M.Way takes you onward to the coast and beaches of the John Muir Country Park, before reaching Dunbar. Don’t miss the free little house museum in Dunbar where John Muir was born.This actually marks the official end of the John Muir Way. They will be able to make a certificate for you having completed the route, and you can find out a lot more about John Muir and his legacy.
Distance 24km
Overnight Location Hotel/BB in Dunbar
Included Meals Breakfast
Day 12
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Depart After Breakfast
Arrangements end after breakfast.
Distance 22.3km, 739m of ascent
Overnight Location None
Included Meals Breakfast

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Dates and prices
👇 Prices below are per person

Solo Traveller

Single Room (2+)

Double/Twin Room

DatesSolo TravellerSingle Room (2+)Double/Twin Room
Apr 1, 2025 to Oct 31, 2025$3,925USD$3,625USD$2,225USD
*Please note that the prices depend on the size of your group
What’s included

Meals

11 breakfasts are included. Packed lunches can be booked and paid for on arrival at your accommodation.

Accommodations

Accommodations for 11 nights are included.

Transportation during the Tour

This tour includes luggage transfers for your luggage; however, you are in charge of any personal transfers needed.

Also Included

  • Detailed documents, guides, route maps, and GPX tracks
  • Emergency telephone support hotline for the duration of the tour
  • Pre-planned route

Not included

  • Flights
  • Travel insurance
  • Visas if required
  • Meals, drinks, or snacks not previously mentioned
  • Guide services
  • Tourist hotel tax, payable each night at hotel
  • Airport transfers
  • Gratuities for drivers, servers, or other staff if desired

Optional Extras

  • Single occupancy upgrades

Accommodation for John Muir Way Walking Tour

There is a variety of accommodation along the route ranging from bed and breakfasts, country inns and small hotels. They are run by walker friendly hosts offering rooms and a tasty breakfast to get you ready for the walk ahead. Further facilities such as washing and drying facilities, packed lunches and packed lunches are available in some accommodations, you will be advised on your listing of what is available.

In some cases, the accommodation listed below may need to be substituted for other comparable accommodations.

Single Rooms and Solo Travellers
Rooms are double occupancy. You can pay a supplement to have a private room in a hotel where possible. Solo travellers may be required to pay a supplement.

Frequently asked questions

How hard is the John Muir Way Walking Tour?

We rate this tour as a 4 / 5. The walks are mostly unsurfaced tracks; footpaths, forest trails and some tarmac roads.

I’ve never been on a self-guided trip! How does it work?

Self-guided travelling is not difficult! For many, it is a preferred type of travel since you are in charge of your own time and pace. You are provided with all the information you’ll need to follow the route each day and often have access to phone support or other kinds of assistance. However, self-guided travelling requires good navigation skills and those who don’t feel confident in unknown places should consider booking guided tours.

Do I need a visa to travel to Scotland?

Check with your local country about visa requirements. You could also try this website, though you should verify with your government.

Are meals included on the John Muir Way Walking Tour?

11 breakfasts are included. Packed lunches can be booked and paid for on arrival at your accommodation.

Do I need insurance?

Yes, it is mandatory to have health and medical insurance to join this trip, and your insurance should cover walking. Get your travel insurance.

How do I get to Helensburgh to start this tour?

The best way of getting to Helensburgh is by train from Glasgow Queen St. (which has good connections to Glasgow and Edinburgh Airports as well as Manchester, Birmingham and London).

Where does the John Muir Way Walking Tour end?

This tour ends in Dunbar. It’s less than 30minutes from Dunbar back to Edinburgh by train. From there you have good connections to Glasgow and Edinburgh Airports as well as Manchester, Birmingham and London.

Do I need special vaccines to travel to Scotland?

Check with your family doctor.

Are there any travel restrictions for Scotland?

Please check with your local government about travel restrictions before you book your tour. This map from the US Department of State provides an overview of the current status in countries around the globe. The UK‘s Foreign Office and Government of Canada also provide advice on foreign travel. Note that the travel advice may change depending on your nationality.

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