Scotland in July / Aug - where can we go for serious hill walking and Harry Potter and no midges???

[Fishlegs]

I’d like to take the kids to Scotland next summer. The eldest (late teens) will come with us if there’s some serious hill walking to be done, and the middle child would be delighted to take selfies at any location that HP was filmed. Ideally there would need to be the possibility of indoor activities for the youngest child who may refuse to walk anywhere.

We’ve only ever been to Scotland in the wintertime, and DH is worried about going in the summer due to the midges. Could anyone suggest anywhere that would tick these boxes please, or am I kidding myself that this is possible?

Thanks!

You could stay in the Lothians or Borders and take a bus trip from Edinburgh to the Glenfinnan viaduct. They time the bus so that you see the train going over the viaduct.

Lots of nice hill walks and other interesting places to visit, without the midginess of the Highlands!

Agree, think about staying in Edinburgh. There are seven serious hills to climb within the city with stunning views. Plenty of opportunities to wander around the streets where JK wrote and got her inspiration from (they say).

How 'serious' do the hills have to be? Your DH is right to be wary of the midgies which does put places like Aviemore out in summer (posters will come on and say nonsense, but I'm allergic to midgie bites and just wouldn't do it).

Edinburgh is a must for HP, no doubt but you could potentially take the train somewhere else for a couple of days of proper climbing.

Agree about Edinburgh being a good base.

There is a shop in Falkirk though called The Lonely Broomstick, which would be perfect for your Harry Potter fan.

Thanks so much for the replies so far. The only other factor that I haven’t mentioned is the family dog, a nervous type who loves being outside and walking, but isn’t so good around people. I think this may rule Edinburgh out.

As far as serious hillwalking goes, he’s done many Lake District hills so I guess we’re talking Munros in Scotland.

I do hill walking in the Scottish highlands most years. I would suggest the Cairngorms. Most of the highest mountains in the UK are here. You can stay in the north Aviemore etc but Aviemore isn’t a great place. You could stay in Braemar in the south where there will be long walk ins to the mountains. Another alternative is doing the Angus Cairngorms from the South East. Be prepared for 10 -12 hour days and to pack appropriately. Even in July you might find snow on the tops. We try and go in May or early June before the midges get going. The midges can be horrible in July and August but get better the higher you get. The further East you go the better.
I would suggest looking at the website walkhighlands.co.uk for inspiration and routes.

Sorry I just wanted to add, sometimes the weather in the Scottish highlands can be bad. Two years ago we had diabolical weather and only got to the summit of one Munro (mountain over 3000ft). We attempted another on but were blown over half way up.

I don’t think the dog will be a problem. If you avoid the popular routes can can go all day and only see a handful of people.

Thanks Flossflower I’ll look at that website. I hear you about the weather.