Go long-distance walking

It started with the West Highland Way some 25 years ago - and now Scotland boasts a wealth of fabulous long-distance, waymarked walking trails. From the Southern Upland Way in the Scottish Borders to the Great Glen Way in the Highlands and from the Kintyre Way across to the Fife Coastal Path, walkers will find a long-distance walking route to suit their destination, as well as their scenic and terrain desires.

Waymarked walks offer walkers of all abilities the chance to safely navigate their way for days at a time through some of Scotland's most atmospheric scenery. (Good map reading skills are still essential in case you miss a waymarker.) It could be that walkers choose to tackle the whole route during one holiday, or they might decide to visit the walk for a day or a weekend at a time.

In the Angus and Perthshire areas there are several great long-distance walking trails, including the Cateran Trail. The circular, waymarked Cateran Trail is 64 miles long and starts/finishes in Blairgowrie, Angus. This trail offers walkers the chance to explore an unspoilt part of the Scottish Highlands and heads though atmospheric glens, farmland, forests and stunning mountainscapes.

The Cateran Trail takes its inspiration from the Caterans, the cattle thieves that roamed the lawless regions of the Highlands between the 15th and 17th centuries. The long-distance walking route makes use of many of the old drove roads and tracks once utilised by the Caterans. Today, signposts, stiles and bridges marked with the Cateran Trail logo, as well as direction arrows, allow for easy route identification for walkers. Glentrek have a five day self-guided walking break on the Cateran Trail.

You could choose to do the walk over less or more days and the type and style of accommodation can be booked to suit your budget or requirements. However you decide to walk this waymarked walk we reckon you'll find yourself hooked and keen to tick off a few more of Scotland's great long-distance walking routes.

Make tracks for a walking festival

If you thought that walking festivals were only for men with grey beards and rambler types brandishing walking poles then perhaps you should think again. There's nothing wrong with either (poles are great and in certain unkind lighting I can see the beginnings of a grey beard too) it's the image of walking festivals that's wrong..festivals attract a huge range of walkers, of all ages, with all kinds of interests and from an array of backgrounds.

With the number and diversity of walking fests growing every year in Scotland you may well wonder where to head for. Perhaps you'll choose an area that you've never been to before or you might decide to head to a festival in an already much-walked area so that you can join a guided walk that leads you along a route, or to a summit, that you've always fancied hiking.

There are many great reasons for attending a walking festival. First, you'll find an extensive range of guided walks, including historical themed walks, walks with nature, beginner-friendly walks, strenuous expeditions and a whole host more.

Walking festivals also offer a fantastic opportunity to meet like-minded folk. These festivals appeal to solo walkers, couples and families, but they also provide the ideal arena for getting to know new walkers. Single walkers WAKE UP - some walking events have led to romance - and even marriage!

Most walking festivals also offer a range of off-hill events, including evening entertainment and associated outdoor activities.

Of course, we're going to be a little biased here in the Angus Glens but we think that our long-standing four-day award-winning Angus Glens Walking Festival is a little bit special. The Angus Glens provide a beautiful landscape and backdrop for a wide range of fabulous walks, and for all abilities. Many walkers return year after year to take in more of the growing range of organised hikes. The evening entertainment is also a real treat.

New at this year's festival, which runs from June 3 to 6, are two history-themed walks that explore the past of JM Barrie, the author of Peter Pan who was born in the Angus town of Kirriemuir. There are another two new walks aimed at experienced walkers that head into Glen Clova and Glen Esk.

The festival is popular so it's worth sourcing your accommodation in advance – and booking on to the walks that take your fancy..All in all it's a great chance to see what beautiful Angus has to offer -see you there! .

Your (new) boots were made for walking

Recent reports reveal that there has been a dramatic rise in the sale of walking boots in the UK during the recent cold snap. And with many snowed in, it has been e-commerce sales that have seen the biggest climb. During the festive period, and in particular since January 4, the growth in sales of all kinds of walking and hiking boots has been impressive according to many high street and on-line outlets.

Other statistics across the outdoors clothing industry have also been showing a boost in the sales of boots, jackets and all kinds of walking kit since Britain slid into its current economic gloom. The theory is that with less disposable income people are looking for leisure activities that have a minimal initial outlay and offer plenty of scope for free/low-cost exercise and fun.

Here at Glentrek we're really excited by the news. Okay, so we know that some people have been having a difficult time due to the snow and ice over the last month or so. And we are not so callous as to be rejoicing in the general lack of cash in people's pockets. But we are delighted by the idea that more people might use their boots and outdoor clothing to get out and about in the countryside. (Of course, we also realise that some of the sales increase will have come from people buying boots to walk the streets around their homes!)

But we reckon it only takes one walk in the countryside to convince most people of the wonders of our great outdoors. Whether you decide on a riverside stroll, a ramble in the hills or a climb to the top of a Corbett or a Munro, you're pretty much guaranteed to benefit both emotionally and physically. Walking is an ideal activity for everyone and it's also amazingly accessible.

So come on, pull on your boots, tie the laces and take a walk that's a little more on the wild side than your local shops.