6 walks to try in Scotland this spring

As the winter's snow slowly, but surely, makes its retreat up to the tops of the country's highest peaks, wildflowers have started to introduce flashes of colour to the Scottish landscape. Enjoy the country's new lease of life with one of these fine spring walks.

According to local legend Finnich Glen was once visited by the Devil. Fear not though today the steep-sided glen is merely the perfect destination for a spring walk.

Flowerdale Glen, Gairloch

The abundance of wildflowers which grow in the pleasant piece of northwest Scotland saw it given the anglicised name Flowerdale Glen.

A stroll up and down the length of the glen rewards hikers with views of hidden beauty spots, including a picturesque waterfall. Incorporating a stint through the glen's woodland is essential in spring due to the presence of bluebells.

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Fairy Glen, Rosemarkie

A hike up the whimsically named Fairy Glen may only take an hour, but the pint-sized route is rich with flora and home to a pair of enchanting waterfalls. In years gone-by children of the nearby village would decorate one of the glen's pools with flowers as a gift to the resident fairys.

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West Kip, East Kip and Scald Law, Edinburgh

With many of the Scotland's peaks still out of bounds for summer Munro baggers, it's worth trying some of the peaks on offer in the lowlands. A circuit route incorporating East Kip, West Kip and Scald Law is a great walk in close vicinity to the capital. Scald Law in particular delivers a unique perspective of Auld Reekie.

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Finnich Glen, Loch Lomond

This desperately steep sided gorge in west Stirlingshire was supposedly once visited by Satan himself and is home to a pillar of rock known as the Devil's Pulpit. In recent years the fairytale like setting was featured in hit television show Outlander.

Reaching the banks of the Carnock Burn is no easy feat - intrepid hikers are required to descend a treacherous staircase with the use of a rope bannister. The sight of the flowing river through the hidden glen, however, make any difficulty worthwhile.

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Suilven, Sutherland

Spring is arguably the best time to take on this iconic mountain. Situated in Sutherland, the prominent peak is typically snow-free within the first couple months of spring.

Though Suilven looks near impossible to summit from its foot, a well pathed - albeit steep - route means that the Graham is perfectly accessible.

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Aberlady Bay, East Lothian

The nature reserve which surrounds Aberlady Bay is home to 550 species of plant, a herd of roe deer, flocks of wildfowl and wading birds. A walk through the heart of the nature reserve to the River Forth and back through GUllane is three hours well spent.

If you visit the sandy stretch during low tide look out for the wrecks of two midget submarines which saw action during World War Two.

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