Hiking with dogs: top tips for tackling mountains and long-distance trails

Hi Hollie! First, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how your hiking journey began?

Hello! I am Hollie, I’m 29 and I live in Edinburgh with my 2 dogs, Hugo (8.5 years) and Spencer (6 years). It all started for me with the pandemic lockdown – I was living alone with 2 dogs, and all I could really do was go outside and walk. My dogs (‘the boys’) were my bubble, and seeing how happy they were to be roaming and exploring sparked something in me. It was initially a few hours in the Pentland Hills, but when restrictions ended, I went on a trip to Glencoe with a friend and found I loved the longer, more challenging hikes. For my 25^th birthday, I decided to climb Ben Nevis and suddenly caught the Munro-bagging bug. I completed all 282 in exactly 2 years, and following that, started making changes to allow for my life to include more time outdoors. Now, I am a full-time content creator, doing my best to showcase dog-friendly adventures on our platforms.

How was the transition from walking to backpacking with dogs? 

I have done lots of summit camps with the boys, and so I thought of a long-distance trail as an extension of those. When bagging the Munros, I found I either loved the shorter, more technical hikes or the longer, flatter massifs, so once the Munros were done, I started eyeing up some of Scotland’s long-distance routes. The boys are always happy being outside, and they love camping, so I knew they’d enjoy a multi-day backpacking trip.

How does a long-distance trail compare to day walking in the mountains? 

We’ve done plenty of back-to-back long Munro days, but nothing following a particular route from A to B. I think it’s both similar and different to Munros! Similar in that you still need to develop the mental and physical ability to keep your body moving for multiple hours of a day, but different in that there are more logistics involved, and you’re ending each day in a totally different place from where you started. It’s also different in that, with a Munro, your goal (the summit) is usually reached just over halfway through the time, and so the way down, you’re celebrating. On a long-distance trail, the goal is a lot more delayed – often days away! 

How did you find the Great Glen Way as your first thru-hike? Would you recommend it?

I really loved this route! The mix of terrains and environments was brilliant, and the route is very well signposted throughout. You pass through a town/village each day, where you can refuel and top up water, so it would be a good first route if you haven’t done a multi-day before. The towns also make it possible for you to complete the route by staying in hostels or B&Bs each night, if you want, which would mean you’d save a significant amount of pack weight without carrying camping & cooking supplies. The Cicerone guidebook was great for finding out the facilities in each place in advance.

There are two variants to the route, and I always opted for the high ones. If you’re able, I’d definitely recommend this – my favourite section of the whole walk was the high route from Invermoriston to Drumnadrochit, specifically when you reach the highest elevation of the entire route and then start your descent. The view over Loch Ness is stunning, and the plants & trees around you are beautiful.

How was walking the Great Glen Way with dogs?

Bringing the boys definitely made it a little harder as I required more kit, which means more to carry, and had additional logistical considerations like finding dog-friendly places for food. BUT, it was very worth it! Especially hiking alone, having them with me gave me company, and it was brilliant to see them enjoying themselves in new places. When passing through towns, I was very pleasantly surprised to see how dog-friendly (and hiker-friendly) everywhere was, which made stopping for food a lot easier. 

How do you plan and prepare your routes? Are there any additional considerations because you're hiking with dogs?

Before any trip, I like to thoroughly check the route – both by reading the route guides and looking at the map (OS, and satellite for terrain). I also check the weather across multiple sources so I know what I’ll need to pack, and also to check I’m comfortable with us going out in it! After that, I’ll create a packing list and start pulling everything together. 

With dogs, I also need to consider water sources, types of terrain and how the weather will impact them. I usually end up carrying double the water and additional kit, such as dog coats/fleeces, so that I have what they might need too. 

Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to hike or long-distance walk with their dog?

For day hikes: Start small and build up. Begin with flatter, shorter routes and gradually increase the time, distance and difficulty of the hike. This gives both you and your dog time to increase in fitness, but possibly more importantly, it gives you time to build up your bond/trust in each other when out. It can be really nerve-wracking taking your dog up a big hill for the first time, so make it easier on yourself by picking a less stressful route initially. 

Then, when you're ready to move on to long-distance trails, ensure your dog’s fitness is up before you go – try taking them on longer walks (4 or 5+ hours) and see how they are the next day. If they’re absolutely wiped, they’re probably not ready for a multi-day yet. Also, get your pups some dog boots! Hugo and Spencer's paws are toughened to longer days, but they still looked a little sore by day 5, and I had put boots on them from day 2! I use the sock-style ones because they don’t restrict their toe movement/spread. 

Now that you've completed your first long-distance trail, is there anything that you would do differently next time? 

If I were to do it again, camping, then yes, I’d do some things differently. For a start, I’d plan in a ½ day of rest around the 3rd or 4th day. I had condensed the walk into 5 days, where days 1 and 5 were ‘short’ (~18km), and days 3 & 4 were longer (~30km). If I hadn’t been carrying a heavy pack with food and water for the 3 of us, then I think it would have been a bit more manageable, but with the weight, by the last 5km on day 5, my body was really complaining. Days 3 and 4 were also the main ascent days, so I really felt it! Having a rest on one of those days would be good. 

I’d also test all of my gear beforehand – I made the mistake of taking a brand-new power bank for the trip, and unfortunately, it was a dud, so I was scrambling for points to recharge every time we came across a town. Something I hadn't really noticed when we've done summit camping before is that where the seams on your clothes are matters when you're carrying a heavy pack for long days. Next time, I'd pick my clothes a little more wisely. 

It sounds like you had a fabulous trek! What adventures do you have planned next?

We have a few trips away planned where we’ll be hiking and trail running, but as yet, nothing as big or as challenging as the Great Glen Way! However, I can already feel that I’ve caught the multi-day trek bug… so ask me again in a few weeks, and I’ll probably have a different answer.

Thank you! 

Photos: Hollie @ TheEdinburghSpaniels