The view from the top of Cairn Gorm mountain in late June

Scotland’s Cairngorms National Park is a great place to get away from it all and do some walking (or skiing, in winter), but getting to them is pretty difficult if you do not have your own transport.

If you are not local, the Cairngorms are a fair way from most other places in the UK; visiting the area is likely to involve a fair drive for most people.

If you can all fit in one car, it’s not too bad, but if your group is large enough to necessitate two or more cars, it can become quite costly and inconvenient to travel around.

One way of transporting up to 17 people efficiently and cost-effectively is to hire a minibus. Minibuses come in a variety of sizes – usually, 8, 9, 12, 15 and 17 seats (including the driver). The most popular sizes are probably 9, 15 and 17 seats – with the latter being the largest size that can be driven without a bus driver’s licence.

If you are flying to Scotland to begin your walking holiday, then you will probably be landing in either Inverness or Aberdeen – both large cities with good minibus hire facilties. If you are driving from further afield, you will probably be able to find a minibus hire company near your departure point with our self-drive minibus hire search engine – just enter your location or postcode to see a list of possible companies in your area.