Everyone has heard about the West Highland Way and most walkers in Scotland could give you a fairly accurate idea of where it starts and finishes.

But what about the Great Glen Way, the Southern Upland Way and the John Muir Way?

Scotland boasts a flurry of long distance trails, together recognised as Scotland’s Great Trails (www.scotlandsgreattrails.com).

Here are six waymarked adventures you can get in training for over the winter that are not as busy as their more famous sibling. As with all walking make sure you’ve got the right gear, check the weather and let someone know where you’re going. And when you expect to be back.

Robin on John Muir WayRobin on John Muir Way (Image: Robin McKelvie)

John Muir Way
Famous as the father of America’s National Parks, Muir is less renowned here. This coast-to-coast walk was set-up in 2014 aiming to change that. Quite what Muir, who famously declared “The mountains are calling and I must go”, would make of the largely low-level route between Helensburgh and Dunbar is debatable. Few hikers take on the whole 134 mile route, but it's designed so a swathe of Scotland’s urban population can snack on sections. The largely low-level nature of it also makes it a fine winter option. The first section to Loch Lomond is perhaps the most spectacular and is actually quite hilly, as is the continuation on to Kirkintilloch. The coastal sections in East Lothian star too and the Forth-side route between Boness and South Queensferry soars to a gorgeous crescendo beneath the famous trio of Forth Bridges.
www.johnmuirway.org

Hiking the Fife Coastal PathHiking the Fife Coastal Path (Image: Robin McKelvie)

Fife Coastal Path
Those Forth bridges again star on a route that follows the coast closely as it snakes for 116 miles right around the peninsula of Fife, from Culross in the south on the Forth, right up the Newburgh on the Tay to the north. It is seriously underrated, with some epic sections especially in and around the East Neuk. The most dramatic is the not-for-the-fainthearted ‘Elie Chain Walk’, though arguably the walk around route up the cliffs is even more scenic. The section from Kingsbarns to St Andrews is surprisingly wild and a brilliant way to approach the famous resort town as its spires slowly materialise. Big skies and the cobalt blue of the Forth and North Sea are your constant companions. www.fifecoastandcountrysidetrust.co.uk

Dryburgh AbbeyDryburgh Abbey (Image: Robin McKelvie)

Borders Abbeys Way
The quartet of Borders abbeys are some of Scotland’s most dramatic historic sights in their own right. Grouping them together as a 68-mile long distance walk was a brilliant idea that really opens up how they fit into the geography and history of the Borders towns. You start and finish with Bruce’s heart at stately Melrose Abbey, before cutting southeast in search of Sir Walter Scott’s last resting place by the Tweed at dreamy Dryburgh Abbey. It is further east still pushing on to the grand façade of Kelso Abbey. It’s time to turn south now in search of Jedburgh Abbey, arguably the most striking ruin. This long distance trail also weaves in and around the Southern Upland Way and the cross-border St Cuthbert’s Way.
www.scotborders.gov.uk/

Southern Upland WaySouthern Upland Way (Image: Robin McKelvie)

Southern Upland Way
Until recently this epic coast-to-coast adventure was officially 212 miles. Thanks to walkers with accurate mapping software we now know it is even longer – 214 miles, and that is not just due to the better new start on the waterfront in Portpatrick. The section from this picturesque seaside village north to Killantringan Lighthouse is a deeply scenic one, as is the section through the Galloway Forest Park. Things get surprisingly wild in the rugged hills of the Southern Uplands pushing further east from Dumfries and Galloway in search of the Scottish Borders, where this challenging route finally terminates at Cocksburnpath.
www.dgtrails.org/southern-upland-way

Arran Coastal WayArran Coastal Way (Image: Robin McKelvie)

Arran Coastal Way
I was torn between this and the neighbouring West Island Way on Bute. Both are brilliant walks, but I chose Arran given it is a longer and more demanding challenge, with more options. The route vaults 65 miles around an island rightly touted as ‘Scotland in Miniature’. You walk from the Highlands to the Lowlands and back again, tackle craggy coast, ease along beaches, ramble through forests and soar over wee hills. Every section is a stunner so you really are best tackling it all if you can. This has to be the only one of Scotland’s Great Trails you’ve a good chance of seeing all of our wildlife Big Five on.
www.coastalway.co.uk

Great Glen WayGreat Glen Way (Image: Robin McKelvie)

Great Glen Way
In the tourist smokescreen generated by Scotland’s beloved Loch Ness Monster it’s easy to forget just how deeply spectacular the Great Glen is. This hulking geological fault line scythes all the way from Fort Willian northeast to Inverness, cutting the country in two. 
On each flank much of it is jaw-dropping, with vertiginous slopes soaring up to Munro height and above the faultline. Lochs pepper the Great Glen Way, giving us Norwegian-style fjords. The Great Glen Way works its way for 75 miles through this remarkable landscape. There are great places like Fort Augustus to stop off en route. Public buses on the A82 below make snacking sections and getting back to base on a multi-day adventure straightforward too. 
www.highland.gov.uk/greatglenway