Kevin Langan is the Glaswegian adventurer who decided to create a new long-distance walking trail, The East Highland Way, in Scotland. Here he tells me why – and how.

East Highland Way creator Kevin describes himself as a “country boy living in the city, who spends most of my free time looking for economical ways to escape the rat race, but inevitably ended up following the crowds ever northwards up the usual hills”.

And he says that for many years he did as many Glaswegian would-be adventurers tend to do: “I utilised the city’s busiest wilderness artery, the West Highland Way to escape the crowds.”

He is all praise for the WHW and other long-distance Scottish walking routes. He says: “Really, the WHW does a good job of giving the modern ‘experience-hunter’ a plethora of powerful memories in a short, controlled time-frame. This long-distance walking trail seems to fit in well with our fast-paced lifestyles as it offers a quick-fix holiday without taking too much precious time off work.”

Kevin has, during his many rural advenutres, walked other inter-connected trails such as the Great Glen Way, the Rob Roy Way, the Kintyre Way and the Cowal Way. It was by exploring these routes that he then became aware of a satellite group further east. “But,” he says, “The likes of the Speyside Way, Dava Way and the Moray Coastal Trail seemed to be cut-off and isolated by a series of lesser-walked glens.

“And so it occurred to me that a new connection at this point could theoretically fuse together the various national trails and create a much larger path network to explore.”

The missing link in question ran between Fort William and Aviemore, two towns already drenched in outdoor culture and heritage.

Over a number of years, Kevin set out to explore the area many times over, checking out various routes and taking an incredible amount of notes. It was through detailed analysis of the terrain and distances that he finally settled on the East Highland Way route, which now heads 78 miles (125km) through stunning Scottish countryside with lots of lovely waymarks and a detailed guide to navigate by. That was in 2007 and the route continues you to in popularity.

“Three websites and two guidebooks later the route is swiftly becoming more popular with each day and is currently undergoing yet another period of optimisation with the aim of identifying even better paths for the enjoyment of all,” says a smiling Kevin. The city-based-country-man has every reason to feel pleased with himself.

Isn’t it great to know that there are many more miles of waymarked walks on offer to Scottish people and visitors? What are you favourite routes in Scotland?