Born to walk
To be honest, I don't remember when I made the decision to start long-distance hiking. After several experiences with car-bound trips, I was fed up. I wanted to travel independently of everything, no dependence on accommodation, vehicles or other people. I hate knowing that I have to arrive somewhere at a certain time because there is an arrival window or whatever. So it was clear to me that my next trip would be on foot.
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/57bae3_946bf30b758343e0a452f0b733ab1001~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_110,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/57bae3_946bf30b758343e0a452f0b733ab1001~mv2.jpg)
My next step was to decide on my destination. I've always had an obsession with Scotland and Norway. As Norway seemed a bit too expensive, I looked for flights to Scotland and found tickets for €170 both ways with a large piece of luggage included. Of course, I was aware that it could be cheaper, for example if I flew from Berlin. But I was excited as it was and wanted to make the whole journey there and back a little less stressful. And with success. In the end, the journey to Berlin and back would have cost me almost the same, except that now I only had to travel two stops by train! YAY!
After extensive research into which hiking trail was the easiest to reach, I ended up with my first destination and my absolute favourite so far: West Highland Way.