In his own words
“The world is big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark.”
Walk in the Footsteps of John Muir: Scottish Beginnings · May 14–25, 2027
What is it about Scotland that made John Muir a mystic?
Before Yosemite, before the Sierra, there was a boy on the cliffs of Dunbar. This twelve-day walk follows Muir’s Scottish beginnings — from where he left for America on the western shore to where it all began on the eastern shore — his birthplace in the coastal village of Dunbar.
Where it began
It all began on the North Sea Coast
John Muir was born in Dunbar, on Scotland’s North Sea coast, and spent his first years there — scrambling over the cliffs and rock pools, learning wildness firsthand — before his family emigrated to America in 1849. The man who would become the father of the national parks carried that coastline with him for the rest of his life.
This walk returns to the source. Over twelve days we travel segments of the John Muir Way and the country of his early life, practising the close landscape observation his work teaches, and ending where he began: in Dunbar itself.
The route
Coast to Coast, following the John Muir Way
Twelve days, May 14–25, 2027 — Walking across Scotland to Muir’s birthplace.
- Edinburgh
We arrive in Scotland’s capital to begin — then drive about two hours west to Balloch on Loch Lomond. - Helensburgh
The western end of the John Muir Way, the coast-to-coast route that carries his name home to Dunbar. - Loch Lomond
The great loch at the edge of the Highlands — big water, big sky, and the first full taste of the landscape that formed him. - Stirling
Stirling Castle on its rock, gateway between Lowlands and Highlands, in the heart of Scotland’s story. - The Falkirk Wheel
The world’s only rotating boat lift, linking the Forth & Clyde and Union canals — Scottish engineering at its most joyful. - Edinburgh, again
East again through the capital as the route turns toward the coast and the final stretch. - North Berwick
Down the East Lothian coast — seabirds, volcanic hills, and the North Sea that was young Muir’s first wilderness. - Dunbar
Muir’s birthplace: his childhood home, the harbor, and the cliffs and rock pools where a mystic played. - Edinburgh
We arrive in Scotland’s capital again— before heading back to our homes after completing the coast to coast walk.
In his own words
“The mountains are calling and I must go.”
Your guides
Led by the filmmaker and the archivist
You may not know them yet — that’s the point of this page. Between them, Michael Conti and Mike Wurtz have spent years inside Muir’s life: one on film, the other in the archive where his papers live.
Michael M. Conti
Filmmaker, The Unruly Mystic: John Muir
Michael directed The Unruly Mystic: John Muir (2018), the film that asks this walk’s question — what it was about Scotland that made Muir a mystic — and traces his life from the Dunbar coast to Yosemite. He walks this route as the film’s next chapter, told on foot.
Mike Wurtz
Head of Holt-Atherton Special Collections and Archives, University of the Pacific
Mike curates and shares the largest collection of John Muir works in the world at the Holt-Atherton. On the walk he brings the archive with him — Muir’s own words, journals, and letters, read in the places they describe.
Start here
The film that asks the question
The Unruly Mystic: John Muir follows Muir from his strict Calvinist childhood in Dunbar through the thousand-mile walk, the Yosemite years, and the fight for the wild places he loved. Watch it on YouTube — then come and walk in the footsteps of John Muir.
Dates, price & booking
Everything you need to decide
May 14–25, 2027
12 days in Scotland, Edinburgh to Dunbar
$5,790
Per person from Denver — or $4,500 land-only
$500
Deposit holds your place
34 travelers
The group is capped — sign-up closes February 15, 2027
The package includes
- Round-trip airline tickets
- Meeting and assistance at the airport
- 10 nights in good 3- to 4-star hotels, all rooms with private bath or shower
- Air-conditioned motor coach
- Time for preparation leading up to the tour, and reflection afterwards
- John Muir Way passport and entrance fees to sites
- Muir docent-led trail guides
- Whispers listening devices for the whole trip
- All taxes, fees, and surcharges
More questions? Read the FAQ — what is included, how much walking there is each day, where we stay, and what to pack for Scotland in May.
I would like to have more information about the Saint Hildegard program. What is the total mileage walked and the average walked each day?
What kind of pack (weight) should one expect to carry? Thank you.
The entire Hildegard way is about 130 miles, and depending upon your needs, you would carry what you need daily. We are offering a 10 day trip that covers the highlights and is hotel based so no pack needed except for daily hikes. Please sign-up for the newsletter or visit https://sainthildegardway.eu