Isle of Rùm Expedition
A truly wild adventure on a remote island in the Scottish Inner Hebrides
Isle of Rùm Expedition
A truly wild adventure on a remote island in the Scottish Inner Hebrides
DURATION
4 nights
LOCATION
United Kingdom
ANNUAL LEAVE
3 days off work
SEASON
April-Oct
GROUP SIZE
Up to 10 people
MEETING POINT
Mallaig, Scottish Highlands
ACCOMMODATION
Classic
Wild camping · Hostel
DIFFICULTY
Challenging
This is a challenging trip with full days and steep ascents carrying your own gear and wild camping out in the elements
Traverse the 6 peaks of the Rùm Cuillin ridge, topping out on Askival (812m) for the ultimate panorama of the Western Isles
Soak up life on Scotland's hidden gem; an island of no roads, forgotten castles and a mere 29 residents
Wild camp in deserted spots alongside rocky shorelines, keeping watch for eagles, otters, seals, dolphins and the ubiquitous red deer
Day 1
Hop on the ferry to Rùm and hike to Harris
Hiking
4hrs · 13km · 310m up · 310m down
Meet your guide at the port in Mallaig. Hop on the 10 o'clock ferry and settle in for the 90-minute crossing with views of the Western Highlands and the nearby Isles of Skye and Eigg. Arriving at Kinloch on Rùm you'll start the hike straight from the jetty, following an excellent trail cutting through the wild interior with spectacular views of the Rùm Cuillin. End up at Harris Bay, a beautiful spot to wild camp, grab a swim in the sea and explore the nearby mausoleum.
Day 2
Harris to Papadil
Hiking
5-6hrs · 9km · 550m up · 500m down
Breakfast and coffee overlooking the bay, keeping watch for otters, sea eagles, seals, dolphins and if you're super lucky orca and basking sharks spend time in the waters around Rùm. Load up the pack for the next hike around the coast, tackling rougher terrain off the trail today with some rocky sections, moorland and bog. You'll definitely see a good number of Rùm's large red deer population around here, and if conditions are good you'll scramble up your first of the island's peaks: Ruinsival. Wild camping tonight is at Papadil, an abandoned settlement on the coast a short walk from Loch Papadil.
Day 3
Papadil to Dibidil
Hiking
4-5hrs · 5km · 400m up · 375m down
Today you’ll continue along an old pony path that steers you through some tricky terrain, it can be slow going as you navigate the rough ground in this wild area. On a clear day, you can see the distant silhouettes of the Outer Hebridean chain of islands; Barra, Uist, Lewis and Harris. Skirt around the edge of Sgùrr nan Gillean as the full arc of the Rùm Cuillin comes into view while you descend towards Dibidil bothy. The camp tonight is in a beautiful spot next to the Dibidil River which flows down from the Cuillin, forming a waterfall into the sea while the Isle of Eigg hovers in the distance. You have your choice of wild swim spots in the river or ocean before some much-needed sleep ahead of tomorrow.
Day 4
The Rùm Cuillin Traverse
Hiking
7-8hrs · 13km · 1590m up · 1625m down
Today is the big day of the expedition with the aim being a full traverse of the Rùm Cuillin. You’ll take in six peaks with lung-busting climbs, exposed ridges and summit scrambles including to the high point of the island at the top of Askival (812m), rewarding you with 360-degree views back along the Rùm Cuillin, across to the Outer Hebrides and over to the famous Black Cuillin mountains on the Isle of Skye. After high-fives on the top of Askival, embark on a fun frolic to the finish line, scrambling down the boulder-strewn peak, along a ridge, up and over Hallival (722m) and down into Kinloch - the only hamlet on the island and home to 29 people, one of whom will cook you up a sumptuous feast while you sip a well-earned beer overlooking the bay.
Day 5
Wave goodbye to the Isle of Rùm
It's time to say cheerio to your new favourite Scottish island as you head back to the jetty to hop on the 10:40 ferry back to Mallaig. Stand out on deck for farewell vistas of the Rùm Cuillin which you successfully traversed yesterday. The adventure ends as the ferry pulls into Mallaig at 14:00.
Included
Guides
Local, certified mountain guides
Accommodation
3 nights wild camping, 1 night in a bunkhouse
Meals
Expedition-style meals throughout
Transfers
Return ferry tickets from Mallaig to Kinloch
Equipment
Expedition tents
Not Included
Travel to and from the start point
Personal expenses
Travel insurance
Visas where required
Day 1
Wild camping · Solo tent
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 2 – Day 3
Wild camping · Solo tent
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 4
Hostel · Solo tent
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 5
Departure day
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
What is the food like?
The food on the trip is proper expedition style since there are no shops at all until you reach Kinloch on the evening of Day 4. Your host will bring along lightweight but hearty expedition meals to be distributed so that everyone carries their own food. Expect oats and coffee for breakfast, sandwiches and fruit for lunch and a selection of curries, risottos, pasta and couscous from the array of dehydrated dinners. Make sure to bring along a good supply of your own energy and protein bars. After the big Cuillin traverse on Day 4, you'll be cooked a delicious dinner by one of the locals in Kinloch who runs a small restaurant called Kim's Kitchen. Here you can tuck into venison from Rùm itself, almost certainly the most sustainable meat found anywhere, given the lack of food miles and the need to control the deer population to allow trees and shrubs to regenerate on the island.
Most dietary requirements can be accommodated, including vegetarian and vegan diets.
What is the accommodation like?
Wild Camping
You'll be wild camping at spots on Harris Bay, Papadil and next to the Dibidil River. The locations are stunning and make for a big part of the adventure. You'll stay in a solo tent supplied by your host - you'll need to pack your own sleeping bag and lightweight sleeping mat such as a Thermarest. If you'd prefer a twin tent your host can provide one, please request this at the time of booking.
Rùm Bunkhouse
Your final night is spent at the Isle of Rùm community bunkhouse in Kinloch. You'll stay in 4-bed rooms, or twin rooms depending on group size and availability. The bunkhouse is situated on a gravel track right on the waterfront a short walk from the jetty. It has a spacious and comfortable living and dining area with a log burner, plus all-important hot showers after your days in the wilderness.
Upgrades
Due to the very limited space at the bunkhouse and a lack of alternative accommodation on the island, private room upgrades are not possible on this trip. You will automatically have a solo tent for the 3 nights of wild camping.
The Area
Logistics
Starts
Mallaig
09:00 on Day 1
Ends
Mallaig
14:00 on Day 5
Transfers
The start and end point of the trip is in Mallaig. You'll need to make your own way to the Mallaig ferry terminal at 09:00 to leave plenty of time ahead of the 10:10 ferry departing for Rùm. Your host will meet you at the ferry terminal. There is a Co-op store round the corner to grab any last-minute supplies.
Travel options
Rail travellers are in for a treat. You can take the West Highland Line to Mallaig through one of the most scenic rail routes in the world, passing over the Glenfinnan Viaduct – used in the Harry Potter films for the Hogwarts Express. If you're taking the train to Mallaig you'll need to arrive the day before the trip starts and spend the night in Mallaig as there are no trains that will get you into Mallaig in time for the 10:10 ferry.
Mallaig is roughly a 3 hours and 30 minutes drive from Glasgow, 4 hours from Edinburgh. You can leave your vehicle for free in the long stay car park adjacent to the ferry port, on the left as you drive into town. There are three rapid electric vehicle charging points available in Mallaig at the West Bay Car Park, approximately 300m from the ferry terminal.
Mallaig is easily reached by bus from Glasgow with a change in Fort William. Shiel Buses operate a service departing from Fort William which will officially link up with the ferry departure at 10:10 on day 1.
Enjoy 12.5% Off Outdoor Gear
In need of a few more items? All bookings receive a 12.5% discount to use at Cotswold Outdoor, Snow + Rock and Runner's Need.
What's included?
- Solo expedition tent
- Sleeping mat
Your host will also carry essential group equipment such as a first aid kit and group shelter.
What do I need to bring?
Pack as light as you can, you'll be carrying everything for the whole trip.
BAGS
- Hiking rucksack (we recommend 45-60 litres) with waterproof liner
- 2 x drybags: one for your tent and one for your sleeping bag
CLOTHES
- Good quality waterproof hiking boots (not shoes)
- Long hiking trousers (not shorts)
- Hiking socks, two or three pairs
- Thermal base layer, merino best
- Fleece top – not cotton
- Synthetic or down jacket, ideally lightweight and packable with stuff sack
- Heavy-duty waterproof jacket and trousers
- Hat
- A pair of good gloves
- Neck buff
- Biodegradable wet-wipes
- Personal first-aid kit (inc. blister treatment)
- Insect repellant - Smidge is good for when the midges are around
- Power bank or solar charger
OTHER
- Sleeping bag, season 3 rated, ideally as lightweight as possible
- Lightweight camping pillow
- Head torch
- Reusable water bottle
- Energy snacks
- Sunglasses
- Sun cream
- Lightweight towel
- Tick remover
OPTIONAL
- Walking poles (if you like to use them)
- Extra dry bags for clothes or valuables
No optional extras are available for this trip.
Absolutely excellent guides, views and crew - an extremely wild adventure I will never forget!
Excellent adventure.
Rum was unfortunately closed due to bird flu outbreak but we ended up with an equally great trip on knoydart! Our guides Jamie and Rachel were fantastic, the scenery was amazing as well and even though we weren't on rum, the sense of wilderness on knoydart was quite something! Make sure you're happy walking long distances with a heavy pack on this trip!
Looking for great scenery, and not bumping into lots of other hikers, do this trip. Absolutely gorgeous landscapes - I will be thinking about the views and the trip for years to come. Admittedly, we were lucky with the weather, which helped. (Even the train journey from Glasgow - Mallaig has stunning views before you even start hiking).
This was a fantastic trip - I was excited about it and it went far beyond what I expected. Helped along by great weather, but largely that was due to a top leader - in Jeannie - and a great (and eclectic) group! 3 days of trekking and camping without meeting another living sole - you'd have to travel some to match that. Campsites to die for. Challenging peaks. Great swimming holes. Kit better than my own. Top food (if anything too much!) - all rounded off with a local venison steak and wine at the Rum Community Centre. A1+
We wanted to do Isle of Rum expedition, instead we got a much better adventure. Namely, weather conditions on Isle of Rum during our planed tay were extremely bad and basically dangerous. The amazing guide, Connor, was quick on his feet and instead of us being miserably stuck in tents or cancelling our tour, he proposed to take the adventure to Cairngorms, where weather forecast was drastically better. After the whole group enthusiastically agreed, he created a matching itinerary of our hiking program on Rum and we had a truly lovely time! He even taught us the basics of scrambling and showed us "the roads less traveled" in the area, so our trip felt truly special ! All in all, it was a wonderful adventure ! Thanks Connor !
We didn’t go to the Isle of Rùm due to terrible weather, so we went to the Cairngorms instead- where we ended up camping in a gale! The tents broke, so for the final two nights we were in accommodation in Fort William. Connor was a fantastic guide and helped us to make the most of a trip that definitely didn’t go according to plan!
Although we didn't get to Rum, Connor bent over backwards to make this trip an experience for us and he was constantly thinking on his feet in the most unexpected adverse conditions! The food was great, the company was great, and we all had a fantastic adventure, despite it not being quite what we'd signed up for!
Don’t mind what the Scottish weather throws at you? Feel fit and have some experience of walking with a big pack? Want a challenge? Then this is the trip for you! The guides, Jeannie and Duncan, were fantastic and incredibly knowledgeable. I haven’t done much scrambling before so felt in very safe hands particularly up on the ridge. If you want to try more scrambling this is a great way to do so. The packs are heavy so I would definitely recommend some practice walks to get used to carrying everything. Rùm is beautiful. Sadly it likes to be mysterious and hide behind a lot of rain and cloud at times…. So, be sure to make the most of breaks in the weather. Conditions can change quickly but that’s part of the fun. The food that is provided is filling and will keep you going. If, like me, you’re not a huge fan of energy bars you should bring some treats of your own to have as snacks. Just avoid anything too heavy unless you plan to eat it on the first day! The kit that is supplied is a tent, a sleeping mat, eating/drinking utensils, and stoves that are shared amongst everyone. For a group of 6 we had two stoves so carried the stoves and gas canisters between us. Be sure to pack ALL your stuff in dry bags. Furthermore, use a waterproof inner liner of some sort - I used a sturdy bin bag. Waterproof socks like Sealskinz are useful and decent waterproof jacket/trousers are a must. The trip is knackering and exhilarating. The walk on day 1 (Kinloch to Harris) is a gentle introduction to the island. Expect things to get much more rugged on the following days.
A brilliant experience overall, the local guides Jeannie and Duncan are superb and look after everyone well. This trip is truly wild - the animals, the terrain and of course the weather! Make sure you have good waterproofs and hiking boots. The difficulty of the hiking and scrambling is adjusted to the abilities of the group and the weather, it's tough but achievable. The equipment and food provided was of a high standard, much like the terrible dad-jokes provided by Duncan. Rum is a beautiful place and I'll definitely be back. Would recommend!
We've crunched the numbers to work out the total carbon footprint of this trip, and plant enough trees to suck 2x as much back out the atmosphere.
What's the number?
It works out on average at 49kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, guides, staff and office operations.
The only thing it doesn’t include right now is flights and travel to the destination. We do make an overall estimate across all our customers separately, but as we don’t book flights, have customers from all corners of the world, and no way of reliably knowing their travel plans, we simply can’t include an individual number in the figure on display here. We’ve got a goal for 2023 to fix that, so that when you book, there is a way to measure and mitigate the carbon emitted by your flight too.
But what does the number mean?
Yep, hard to picture eh? To give you an idea:
- Driving 1000miles/1609km would be approx. 281kg of CO2 in an average car (or 140.5kg per person if there was 2 of you in it).
- A return economy class flight London - New York would be approx. 1,619kg (1.66 tonnes) per person.
- 10 trees in a temperate forest are estimated to remove approx. 250kg of CO2 from the air in a period of 5-10 years.
What are we doing about it?
Our trips are relatively low-carbon by design, and we're working with all our hosts to develop long term carbon reduction plans. For every person booked with us since 2016 we’re planting enough trees to suck at least 2x more carbon out the atmosphere than is emitted by their trips. All native trees, as part of amazing projects that are re-foresting degraded land, tackling the biodiversity crisis and supporting local communities at the same time. We go further than that too, also funding re-wilding projects worldwide to help protect important keystone species from extinction. See the reforestation and re-wilding schemes we support. See our carbon action plan.
Want to know more?
Amazingly, no international travel company has ever publicly published their carbon measurements before, as far as we know. We believe that must change, quickly. So we’re openly sharing the method we used in the hope that other companies will be able to more easily follow suit and build on what we've done so far. You'll find it all here.
A good level of fitness is recommended - you'll be out for up to 9 hours in a mountain environment moving over challenging terrain and ascending considerable heights on Day 4. Some previous hillwalking experience is recommended, and we suggest putting in some light training for this adventure by going on some hikes carrying a backpack in your local area in the lead up to the trip. You will be carrying your gear throughout the hike, including a sleeping bag, tent and food. Your load will be lighter on Day 4 for the big push over the Rum Cuillin. The scrambling along the Cuillin ranges from grade 1-3, but all sections are more than doable alongside your experienced and highly qualified mountain guides. Make sure to bring along a sense of adventure and a willingness to go with the flow on account of Scotland's ever-changing weather! Nights can be cold even in the height of summer, and of course, this being Scotland, it can rain. A lot.
Yes. As the mountain weather on Rùm can be unpredictable your guide will be making regular decisions regarding which routes to take, particularly on Day 4 for the traverse of the Rùm Cuillin. If the conditions are not good, the traverse can be shortened so that you hike half of the range, including the two highest points which is still a tough but brilliant day! There is also a coastal hike to Kinloch if conditions are so bad as to not allow any part of the Cuillin to be attempted. Your guide will make the ultimate decision on routes based on safety considerations. There will be two guides on the trip, allowing for the group to break off if some people wish to tackle the Cuillin ridge, while others wish to take the easier coastal route back to Kinloch.
Each guide holds the Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor Certificate - having been assessed and approved by Mountain Training UK. This is the highest professional certification for Summer Mountaineering in Great Britain. They all hold First Aid certifications as well.
Sure can! Over 50% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
The weather in the Western Isles can easily offer all four seasons in one day so you should be prepared as such. Your guides will be assessing the weather constantly and will adjust the route based on wind and wet weather predictions. Weather is important for the Cuillin traverse with wet rock taking twice as long to cross as dry rock so this will be factored into the plan for the day. It's important to bring good waterproof clothing, dry bags and ideally Goretex hiking boots - see the kit list for more detail.
You'll be filling up your water bottle throughout the trip from burns and rivers that flow down from the Rùm Cuillin. These are safe to drink directly from, with no water treatment necessary. Make sure to bring along a reusable water bottle. In Kinloch you'll be able to fill up from the islands tap water supply, which again is safe to drink from.
Our recommended travel insurance provider is Campbell Irvine.
Travel insurance is compulsory on all of our adventures. Your insurance should include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation/repatriation, your baggage and equipment and the specific activities involved on your adventure.
Your insurance policy should also include specific Covid-19 cover, including cancellation and curtailment cover if you, your travel companion or a close relative are diagnosed with Covid-19.
We fully endorse Campbell Irvine as their insurance offers all of the above, so get in touch with them or call on 020 7938 1734 to get your insurance sorted. We suggest that you book travel insurance as soon as you book your adventure, just to cover you for any last minute life changes. We know you’re an active lot and injuries do happen!
We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.
If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.
All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy (18+) as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. Children can be accommodated on some private departures.
You're in good company. Our adventures are typically made up of a mix of solo travellers and small groups of two or three friends who simply love adventure, pushing themselves and meeting awesome like-minded people. See here for more info about our lovely bunch of Much Better Adventurers.
Want to book a private trip? Just tap ‘Private Group’ in the dates and prices tab.
Your trip is led by carefully curated local hosts and expert guides. See here for more info about the guides we work with.
Pay In Installments
You can choose to pay for this trip in as many installments as you like, with no interest or fees.
Full Financial Protection
Your money is safe. Every booking is fully financially protected.
