When did you last see a hitch hiker? And if you do see one do you stop and give them a lift? We recently tried our hand at hitch hiking for the first time for many years. We had perfect weather while we were in Glencoe, sunny with pretty much wall-to-wall blue skies. We were camping at The Glencoe Mountain Resort and I was keen to walk the section of the West Highland Way from Kingshouse to Kinlochleven that goes over the dramatically named Devil’s Staircase. This is a steep section of one of General Wade’s military roads and it was the soldiers who built it who gave the path this dark name. This was continued by the workers from Blackwater Dam who used it to reach the hotel at Kingshouse for a pay-day drink and unfortunately some of them never made it back.
We planned a linear walk, starting from our campsite, we suffered no mishaps and enjoyed a fantastic 16 km walk up Devil’s Staircase and along the high path that rewards walkers with tremendous mountain views. We could see Ben Nevis in the distance and looked down on the expanse of Blackwater Reservoir, built for Kinlochleven’s aluminium smelter.
In Kinlochleven we had time for drinks in the climbing centre before catching the bus to Glencoe. We then had a four hour wait for a bus to take us back the 20 km to our campervan. Unbelievably there is no regular bus service through Glencoe, one of Scotland’s most popular walking areas. Linear walkers just have to wait for one of the infrequent buses linking Skye and Fort William with Glasgow.
We considered sitting the wait out in The Glencoe Inn (not a dreadful way to spend a few hours) or ringing for a taxi but decided to firstly try the frugal option and stuck out our thumbs without much hope of success. ‘No one hitch hikes these days and anyway who would pick up two folk loaded up with rucksacks and walking poles,’ I said as another car sped by. Then, a miracle happened, after just 15 minutes of hitching a car slowed down and pulled in.
As every hitch hiker knows chatting to people on the road is a big part of the enjoyment of hitch hiking. Our knight in shining armour was on a solo road trip and welcomed some company. He not only took us right up to our van, he also told us all about his plans to plant thousands of trees on the farm land that had belonged to his parents, shared his thoughts on the short comings of tourism services in Scotland (Glencoe’s lack of bus service giving us a good starting point for that topic) and told us about the ailing aunt in the south he was on his way to visit.
Of course, there were two of us and we felt safe. As a teenager with little money I did hitch hike alone and without a thought. These days although the risk is low I would think carefully before hitching on my own. We do pick up hitch hikers when we can, although only having one travel seat in our campervan limits us. Every time we have picked up a hitch hiker we have met interesting people with a story to share.
I’m pleased to report that hitch hiking isn’t quite dead in the UK, although since our own experience in Glencoe we’ve not seen another hitch hiker to have the chance to help keep frugal travelling alive.
Back on the road again 
You were brave – I’ve never picked up a hitch hiker – fear I suppose – on the other hand I’ve not seen anyone for a long time. Then last week, saw one chap with trade plates in hand stood at a motorway slip road. No, I didn’t stop – as a lone female driver I thought it was too risky… shame really. I’m sure people are generally OK.
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You’re probably right, people are generally okay but you’re also right to be cautious. I think I wish we lived in a world where we didn’t have to be concerned.
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I would always pick up a hitchhiker in mountain country, it can be a long and lonely road at the end of a day. Forces personnel were once upon a time assured of a lift due to the uniform.
In these days of social media and instant communications, one could always tell the driver that you are just going to message a friend to say ‘I have just hitched a ride with someone, they are driving a (give vehicle details including registration). Then at the end of the journey message the same friend to let them know you arrived safely. You could also agree with the friend a word or phrase to alert them to a potential problem.
As a driver I would consider suggesting they do the same if I picked up a hitchhiker to ensure my peace of mind.
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Thanks for commenting and a great tip. I’ll use this next time.
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I’ve hitchhiked quite a bit whilst living in the Scottish islands- several times because my own van had broken down, because we’d missed 0ne of the infrequent busses or because there were none. Because the year round community is quite small, hitch hiking is safe- you’re likely to have an acquaintance in common with anyone who happens to stop and offer a lift. In the summer it’s also not unusual to be given a lift by friendly visitors.
I’ve also picked up plenty of hitchikers in the van- a friend and i were travelling to work one day and gave a lift to 5 Dutch sailors who were headed to the village- on the mainland it definately could have been a risk for us being two women, but because we were already late for our boat i think they ended up more scared than we were! Would always pick up hitchers on the island, not so sure on the mainland!
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Thanks for adding to this conversation. It is always safer getting lifts in small communities. When I lived in a village hitching felt safe too. It is true when you take a lift you’re in the driver’s hands and not all of them drive as carefully as I would like:)
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I don’t pick up hitch hikers now if I see them but waaaay back in the day I would all the time. I also didn’t think twice about hitch hiking solo às a teenager. I think the kids now days are much smarter than we were back in the 60s and 70s
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Yes, I agree they are certainly much savvier these days.
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So I have often wondered if hitch hiking is dead in the United States. It seems that in other countries it is still very much alive and often considered safe. I personally did a lot of Hitch Hiking in Trinidad & Tobago and we had to trust some people in India. I never thought about doing it in Scotland but perhaps it was because I wasn’t alone. I think Hitch Hiking worries me when I travel with Darcee as I suddenly become something of a protector of her..being the most precious thing in my life. However, I am a bit more reckless and adventurous when solo travelling.
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Thank you for commenting. We have hitch hiked in Spain in the past and it seemed more common there. That is very sweet that you would be more cautious with Darcee than on your own.
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I haven’t seen anyone trying to hitch hike in ages. You are brave to give it a try.
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Pretty desperate in truth – but there were also two of us. I probably wouldn’t have done it alone!
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