The Rough Bounds
Knoydart · Lochaber · The Trossachs

The Rough Bounds

A Highlands hiking & pub run to the Old Forge — Britain's remotest pub — and back, in time for a Saturday in London.

Crew  Brad · Alex · Tim Dates  Mon 3 – Fri 7 Aug 2026 Shape  Train up · drive the loop · ferry to Knoydart · train home Style  Day hikes · good pubs · no tents
The plan in one screen

Five days, a different bed each night, a hike most days

Everything is built around the one thing that needs a fixed time — the foot-passenger ferry into Knoydart — and around getting you home without fighting the Edinburgh Fringe. The notes were clear: casual day hikes, proper pubs over distilleries, characterful local stays, no Loch Ness.

4
Day hikes (Mon–Thu)
~370mi
Driving, Edinburgh→Glasgow loop
1
Ferry — the Old Forge
5×
Pubs within walking distance

Two ways to get home — pick one

Primary · recommended

Home Friday night

FRI 7 AUG · LONDON ~18:00 · via Glasgow

Exit through Glasgow, not Edinburgh — the Fringe opens Friday and Edinburgh is heaving. You see Glasgow, dodge the crowds, and keep all of Saturday free in London before Sunday's flights.

  • Hikes Mon–Thu; Friday is a scenic drive + train day
  • One-way car hire: Edinburgh → Glasgow
  • Matches what the three of you landed on in the call
Alternative

Home Saturday lunchtime

SAT 8 AUG · LONDON ~12:00 · early train

Squeeze in a fifth hike Friday (the Trossachs) and overnight near the city, then a very early Saturday train. The catch: you arrive into Edinburgh on the Fringe's first weekend, and there's no Saturday in London.

  • Adds Ben A'an; round-trip car hire from Edinburgh
  • Book Friday beds early — Fringe prices
  • ~07:00 departure to make a midday London arrival
Availability checked 25 Jun 2026: this version now marks bookable options for each night for 3 adults. The big change is Knoydart: no suggested Inverie/Knoydart overnight was bookable online for Wed 5 Aug. Use the Mallaig fallback below unless a Knoydart property confirms by email/phone. Rows marked call/contact required need a human to call, email, or Airbnb-message before treating them as viable.
The route

The whole loop, on one map

Tap any pin for detail. Use the control on the map (top-right) to switch on the Saturday-return variant or the optional pub/distillery/extra-hike stops. Solid line = driving; dashed blue = the Knoydart ferry; orange = the Saturday-return detour.

Overnight / hub Day hike Optional stop Drive Ferry Sat-return detour
Primary route · day by day

Edinburgh → Glencoe → Knoydart → Fort William → home

Stays are chosen for character and a pub you can walk to. Breakfast is wherever you sleep, lunch is packed, dinner is out. ★ = current Google rating.

DAY1MON 3 AUG

London → Edinburgh

▸ TRAIN King's Cross → Waverley · ~4h20 · ~every 30 min

Hike

Arthur's Seat easy 251m · ~1.5h · in the city · go at golden hour

Land AM, afternoon train, evening leg-stretch over the city. If flights slip, do it Tue morning instead.

Sleep · Old Town

Apex Grassmarket4.4★bookable
Checked: Mon 3 → Tue 4 Aug, 3 adults / 3 rooms available. Castle views, Grassmarket pubs, 15-min walk from Waverley.
book › · 0131 300 3456
House of Gods4.3★bookable
Checked: Mon 3 → Tue 4 Aug, 3 adults / 3 rooms available. Theatrical boutique on Cowgate; fun bar, good for a group.
book › · 0131 230 0445

Eat & drink

Makars Mash Bar4.8★
Hearty Scottish comfort food off the Royal Mile. Expect a queue.
The Last Drop / White Hart4.4★
Two classic Grassmarket pubs — the White Hart is Edinburgh's oldest (1516).
DAY2TUE 4 AUG

Edinburgh → Glencoe

▸ DRIVE pick up hire car · ~2h30 via Stirling & Crianlarich

Hike

The Lost Valley (Coire Gabhail) moderate ~2.5–3h · the hidden glen above the Three Sisters

Easy swap: the flat Glencoe Lochan trails by the village if legs want a gentle first day.

Sleep · in the glen

Kingshouse Hotel4.4★bookable
Checked direct: Tue 4 → Wed 5 Aug, 3 adults available. Best replacement for Clachaig/Ballachulish; proper walkers' hotel in the glen with breakfast.
book ›
Clachaig / Ballachulishcall/contact required
Checked and not safe online: Clachaig's direct engine shows all relevant room types unavailable; Ballachulish direct and Booking.com show no availability for 3 guests. Only use either if someone calls and gets a manual hold/cancellation.
check ›

Eat & drink

Clachaig Boot Bar4.5★
Mountain ales, fire, pies — the after-hike institution. No need to go anywhere.
The Glencoe Inn
Friendly Ballachulish bar nearby if you fancy a wander.
DAY3WED 5 AUG

Glencoe → Mallaig → Knoydart

▸ DRIVE ~2h to Mallaig (past Glenfinnan) ▸ FERRY 10:15 Mallaig → 11:00 Inverie · foot passengers only

Hike

Sgùrr Coire Choinnichean steep 787m · ~4–5h · the Corbett straight above Inverie

Gentler option: the flat coast walk toward Sandaig. Park the car at Mallaig and take only a daypack across.

Sleep · Mallaig fallback

West Highland Hotel, Mallaig7.7bookable
Checked: Wed 5 → Thu 6 Aug, 3 adults available as a 2-room combo (classic double + studio). This makes Knoydart a day trip unless Inverie confirms a room offline.
book ›
Inverie / Knoydart stayscall/contact required
Checked and not bookable online for Wed 5 Aug: The Gathering Airbnb says those dates are unavailable; Knoydart Lodge is 3-night minimum/enquiry-only; Knoydart House is a 2-person studio with 2-night minimum. Someone needs to call/email/message The Gathering, Knoydart Lodge, Knoydart House and any local B&Bs for cancellations before the Old Forge dinner plan is viable.
check ›

Eat & drink

The Old Forgethe pointcall/contact required
If sleeping in Mallaig, this becomes lunch / afternoon pints, not dinner: use the 10:15 ferry out and 16:15 ferry back unless arranging private transport. If an Inverie bed opens up, someone still needs to book/confirm the table directly.
book ›
The Lookout
Only practical as dinner if an Inverie bed opens up. Airbnb showed The Gathering available on similar dates Aug 6–7, not Aug 5–6.
DAY4THU 6 AUG

Knoydart → Glen Nevis → Fort William

▸ FERRY 11:00 Inverie → 11:45 Mallaig ▸ DRIVE ~1h15 to Glen Nevis

Hike

Nevis Gorge & Steall Falls easy–mod ~1.5–3h · dramatic gorge, big waterfall, a wire bridge if you're brave

Relaxed Knoydart morning first; with the afternoon free you can push up the glen past the falls.

Sleep · Fort William

Lime Tree Hotel4.3★bookable
Checked: Thu 6 → Fri 7 Aug, 3 adults available as 1 twin + 2 loch-view doubles. Art gallery + acclaimed restaurant in a characterful old manse.
book › · 01397 701806
Alexandra Hotel7.2bookable
Checked backup: Thu 6 → Fri 7 Aug, 3 adults / 3 rooms available. More practical than charming, but central by the station.
book ›

Eat & drink

Ben Nevis Inn4.7★
Cracking pub at the foot of the Ben — right by today's hike, live music, venison burger.
Crannog / The Geographer4.5–4.7★
In town: Crannog for seafood on the water, the Geographer for a buzzy bistro.
DAY5FRI 7 AUG

Fort William → Glasgow → London

▸ DRIVE ~2h45 down the A82 (Glencoe, Loch Lomond) · drop car ▸ TRAIN Glasgow Central → Euston · ~4h32 · home ~18:00

Optional leg-stretch

Conic Hill, Balmaha easy ~2h · a short detour to Loch Lomond if you want a fifth walk before the train

Leave Fort William ~09:30 to make an early-afternoon train; skip the hill if you'd rather not rush.

Why Glasgow

Edinburgh's Fringe opens today — the city and its beds go mad. Glasgow Central runs fast direct trains to London (~2/hour), it's a shorter drive from Fort William, and you get to actually see Glasgow.

Then

A full Saturday in London to recover and explore before everyone flies out Sunday — exactly the buffer you wanted.

If you want to tweak it

Three variations on the same loop

Variant A · +1 hike

Saturday return via the Trossachs

Keep Mon–Thu identical. Friday, drive out via the Trossachs and climb Ben A'an (~2–2.5h, knockout Loch Katrine views), overnight near the city, then a ~07:00 train Saturday for a midday London arrival.

+ a fifth hike · − into Fringe crowds, no London Saturday
Variant B · slow down

Two nights in Knoydart

Stay Wed + Thu in Inverie and give Thursday a full day in the Rough Bounds — a longer coast-to-loch walk or a gentle Munro shoulder — then ferry out Friday. Trades the different-bed rhythm for more time in the trip's centrepiece.

+ real Knoydart time · − later, busier journey home
Variant C · less driving

Fort William as a hub

Base two nights in Fort William and day-trip to Glencoe, Glen Nevis, Mallaig and Glenfinnan from there. Cuts a packing/unpacking cycle and a couple of hours behind the wheel.

+ unpack once · − loses the on-the-move feel
Distilleries, lightly: you'd rather pub than tour, so the only one on the doorstep worth a stop is Johnnie Walker on Princes Street in Edinburgh (an 8-floor, ~90-min experience, not a normal distillery). Ben Nevis Distillery sits on the edge of Fort William if anyone's keen — both are on the optional map layer.
The moving parts

Trains, the ferry & the car

The numbers that make the plan hang together.

Trains

London → Edinburgh (Mon): ~4h20, roughly every half hour from King's Cross. Cheaper Lumo trains too.

Glasgow → London (Fri): ~4h32 direct on Avanti, ~2/hour; advance fares from ~£37. Leave Fort William ~09:30 for an early-afternoon train.

Book both legs in advance for the cheap fares.

Knoydart ferry (Mon–Fri, summer)

Mallaig → InverieInverie → Mallaig
07:30 · 10:15 · 14:15 · 18:0008:00 · 11:00 · 16:15 · 18:30

~45 min · ~£18 return · foot passengers + one bag · weather-dependent. Book ahead. Bold = the sailings this plan uses.

The car

Primary: one-way hire — pick up Edinburgh, Tue AM, drop Glasgow, Fri midday. Expect a modest one-way fee.

Saturday variant: round-trip from Edinburgh (cheaper, no one-way fee).

No car needed Monday — Arthur's Seat is in the city.

Two things to remember

A driver each night. It's pubs-and-drives country and Scotland's drink-drive limit is low — sort a designated driver, or stay somewhere you can walk back to.

The Fringe (7–31 Aug). It opens on your Friday, which is exactly why the plan leaves via Glasgow.

Make it real

Book in this order

Scarcest first. The top three are the whole trip's bottleneck in peak August.

  1. Book the online-safe beds — Apex/House of Gods, Kingshouse, West Highland Hotel Mallaig, Lime Tree/Alexandra. These rendered as bookable for the exact dates and 3 adults.
  2. Call/contact Knoydart/Inverie — The Gathering, Knoydart Lodge, Knoydart House, local B&Bs. Online checks failed for Wed 5 Aug; needs a cancellation/manual hold.
  3. Call/contact Old Forge — table timing depends on whether you sleep in Inverie or Mallaig. Dinner only really works with an Inverie bed; otherwise make it lunch/afternoon pints.
  4. Book the Knoydart ferry — day-trip fallback: Wed 10:15 out / 16:15 back. Use Thu 11:00 return only if an Inverie bed is confirmed.
  5. Optional call list — Clachaig and Ballachulish. Both failed online; only worth pursuing by phone for cancellations. Kingshouse is already bookable.
  6. Trains — London→Edinburgh (Mon) + Glasgow→London (Fri). Advance fares.
  7. Car hire — Edinburgh pickup / Glasgow drop. Confirm the one-way option.

Who's got what

BradOwns this agenda — share it round, lock the ferry + Old Forge.
AlexSend the held flights; scout any extra hikes / diversions.
TimBook flights to land London early Mon, out Sun.
AllConfirm Friday-night vs Saturday-noon return so beds + trains can be booked.