Sustainable Highlands Travel: Leave No Trace and Support Local Communities

Caleb Drummond Nov 9 2

Walking through the Scottish Highlands isn’t just a hike-it’s a conversation with ancient landscapes and quiet villages that have held space for centuries. But too many visitors treat these glens like backdrops for Instagram photos, not living ecosystems and communities. If you want to see the Highlands the right way, you need to do more than pack out your trash. You need to respect the land, the wildlife, and the people who call it home.

Leave No Trace Isn’t Just a Slogan

The Leave No Trace principles aren’t optional guidelines-they’re survival rules for the Highlands. These mountains don’t have trash cans, sewage systems, or park rangers on every corner. When you leave behind food wrappers, cigarette butts, or even biodegradable apple cores, you’re not just being rude. You’re poisoning the soil, confusing animals, and setting a bad example for others.

Real hikers know this: if you carried it in, you carry it out. That includes toilet paper. Yes, even the ‘biodegradable’ kind. In wet, cold conditions, it doesn’t break down fast enough. Pack a small trowel and dig a cathole at least 60 meters from water sources, trails, and campsites. Bury it deep. Cover it well. And never, ever burn it. Fires in peat bogs are a disaster waiting to happen. One spark can turn centuries-old carbon stores into smoke.

Stick to marked paths. Even if the grass looks tough, walking off-trail kills slow-growing mosses and lichens that take decades to recover. In the Cairngorms, a single footstep can crush a patch of rare Arctic-alpine plants. These aren’t just pretty green bits-they’re part of a fragile ecosystem that supports ptarmigan, mountain hares, and rare insects.

Respect the Wildlife-From a Distance

You might spot a red deer stag in the mist, or a golden eagle circling above. That’s magic. But getting too close for a better photo? That’s stress. And stress kills.

Wildlife in the Highlands doesn’t have the luxury of escape routes. A deer that flees from a group of hikers loses energy it needs to survive winter. A nesting golden eagle that abandons its eggs because of noise won’t raise chicks that year. Keep your distance. Use a zoom lens. Never feed animals-not even out of kindness. A handout of bread or a biscuit can ruin their natural foraging instincts and make them dependent on humans.

And if you’re camping? Store food in bear-proof containers or hang it from a tree at least 100 meters from your tent. Even in Scotland, a hungry fox or badger will tear through your pack if they smell food. Don’t make it easy for them.

Support Local, Not Just the Big Brands

The Highlands aren’t just about scenery-they’re about people. Small villages like Glenfinnan, Ullapool, and Fort William rely on tourism to keep their shops, post offices, and schools open. But too many travelers stick to chain hotels, supermarket snacks, and tour buses that bring in outsiders and take profits out.

Here’s what works instead:

• Stay in family-run B&Bs or croft cottages. Ask if they’re locally owned-many list it on their websites.
• Buy food from local butchers, bakeries, and farm shops. Try Arbroath smokies, Highland venison, or Orkney cheese. These aren’t just tasty-they’re part of the region’s identity.
• Use local guides. They know the safest routes, the hidden waterfalls, and the stories behind the stones. A guided walk with someone from the area costs a little more, but you’re paying for knowledge, not just a map.
• Avoid big-name tour operators that fly in staff from Glasgow. Look for small companies with names like ‘Highland Horizons’ or ‘Glen Echo Walks’-they’re usually run by locals who grew up here.

When you spend money locally, you’re not just buying a meal. You’re helping a single mother run her croft, keeping the village pub open, and ensuring the next generation stays in the Highlands instead of moving to Edinburgh for work.

Travel Off-Peak, Travel Slow

July and August are beautiful-but they’re also packed. Crowds damage trails, overload parking, and strain water supplies in small communities. In 2024, the Cairngorms National Park recorded over 1.2 million visitors in just two months. That’s more than the entire population of the Highlands.

Try visiting in May, September, or early October. The weather is still decent. The midges are quieter. And you’ll have the lochs and peaks mostly to yourself. You’ll also find better prices on accommodation and fewer queues at cafés.

And slow down. Don’t try to cram the entire West Highland Way into three days. Pick one stretch-maybe Glencoe to Fort William-and spend two nights there. Walk slowly. Sit by a stream. Watch the light change on Ben Nevis. That’s when the Highlands reveal themselves.

Be a Responsible Photographer

That perfect shot of a waterfall? It might have taken someone hours to find. But now, every tourist tries to replicate it. And in the process, they trample sensitive ground, climb unstable rocks, or even move stones to get a better angle.

Respect the spot. Don’t climb fences or ignore warning signs. If the trail ends at a viewpoint, stay there. If the photographer before you left a pile of rocks to create a ‘frame,’ don’t add to it. Natural landscapes aren’t props.

And don’t post geotags that send hundreds of strangers to a quiet glen. A hidden waterfall near Loch Maree became a viral hotspot after a single Instagram post. Within a year, the path was eroded, the water was polluted with plastic, and the local ranger had to close it for repairs. You don’t need to tag it to remember it.

What You Can Do Today

You don’t need to be perfect. But you do need to be intentional. Here’s a simple checklist before your next Highland trip:

1. Pack a reusable water bottle and refill at taps or streams (use a filter if unsure).
2. Bring a small bag for your trash-and your neighbor’s, if you see it.
3. Book accommodation with a local owner, not a corporate chain.
4. Buy one local product: a wool scarf, a jar of honey, a handmade knife.
5. Walk one less kilometer off-trail. Stay on the path.
6. Leave one thing behind: your assumptions.

The Highlands aren’t a theme park. They’re a living, breathing place that’s been shaped by wind, ice, and centuries of quiet resilience. You’re a guest here. Be the kind of guest who leaves the door unlocked, the fire low, and the kitchen clean.

Frequently Asked Questions