The West Highland Way is a long-distance trail in Scotland popular among walkers, hikers, runners or even mountain bike cyclists. This trail is about 150km long and follows ancient military roads, officially opened in 1980. I have planned to walk it some months beforehand. Looking at the weather forecasts seems Scotland is quite unpredictable.
With this in mind, I’ve decided to schedule a route and book in advance some bed and breakfasts or guest houses along the trail. I’ve come up with the following plan:
- Day 1 -> Milngavie to Carbeth ( 8km) .gpx .kml
- Day 2 -> Carbeth to Drymen ( 11.2km) .gpx .kml
- Day 3 -> Drymen to Rowardennan ( 23km) .gpx .kml
- Day 4 -> Rowardennan to Inverarnan ( 22.4km) .gpx .kml
- Day 5 -> Inverarnan to Tyndrum ( 19.6km) .gpx .kml
- Day 6 -> Tyndrum to Bridge of Orchy ( 11.2km) .gpx .kml
- Day 7 -> Bridge of Orchy to Kingshouse ( 19.2km) .gpx .kml
- Day 8 -> Kingshouse to Kinlochleven ( 14.4km) .gpx .kml
- Day 9 -> Kinlochleven to Fort William (24 km) .gpx .kml
The path is well-marked, and you will often see the West Highland Way sign . Nevertheless, I would advise you to buy a waterproof map of the trail and a compass.
I’ve just landed in Glasgow, Scotland. I can’t hide that I am a bit nervous… after all, this will be my first long-distance hiking trail. A bus takes me from the airport to the heart of Glasgow city centre, from there I get on a train to Milngavie. (pronounced ‘Mulguye’).
Day 1 - Milngavie to Carbeth
The trail starts in the centre of the town, and a granite obelisk marks the spot. I am travelling light, and since I do not have camping gear, I quickly arrive in Carbeth. The elevation is low so far. I feel I could continue to Drymen, but since I have booked accommodation in advance, that is not an option.
Day 2 - Carbeth to Drymen
The elevation is still low, and the path is still easy to walk, as described in the picture above.
Day 3 - Drymen to Rowardennan
In the picture above you can see Loch Lomond and the Conic Hill. The Conic Hill separates the lowlands from the highlands. From the highest point, the path descends steeply to the beautiful village of Balmaha where I stop for lunch by the pier. Nearby there is a statue of Tom Weir.
Balmaha is the last place I will find an automated banking machine until reaching Kinlochleven, so I take some extra money with me. The path follows Loch Lomond, which is quite beautiful.
At this point, because it is summer might be a good time to get your repellent spray because of the midges.
The rain fell hard on me during the day, and my legs start to feel tired. Luckily when I arrived at Rowardennan the sun shined again, and I could enjoy this view. There are some restaurants, a campsite and hotels in Rowardennan.
Day 4 - Rowardennan to Inverarnan
The path goes along Loch Lomond and it is slightly harder than in the previous days, the elevation is about 500 meters. It will take me about five hours to walk 22km until I reach Inverarnan. After this long walk, I stop in the Beinglas campsite there I found a shop and restaurant/bar with friendly staff. Nearby, there is a hotel with over three hundred years of history called Drover’s Inn.
Day 5 - Inverarnan to Tyndrum
From Inverarnan, the path becomes more mountainous, and the landscape is quite different from the previous days. The weather is now quite foggy, and these are the Highlands I had imagined: mountains surrounded by an air of mystery. In Tyndrum there is a small supermarket, a few restaurants and a campsite.
Day 6 - Tyndrum to Bridge of Orchy
Today is a shorter distance day, just 11km with little elevation from Tyndrum to Bridge of Orchy. I have time today to rest well before the last days. In this village, there is a restaurant in the local hotel.
Day 7 - Bridge of Orchy to Kingshouse
The Scottish breakfast helps me to get going in the morning. Today, the path follows an old military road until Kingshouse, from there you will be confronted with the impressive wild beauty of the Glencoe mountain. Close to Kingshouse, there is a campsite, in the campsite there is a restaurant. Nearby, there is an hotel.
Day 8 - Kingshouse to Kinlochleven
From Kingshouse, I continue along old military roads. At a certain point, I will reach the known ascent Devil’s Staircase. I do not find it very difficult compared with previous days. The elevation is about 400 meters. The weather is misty, so I descend quite carefully until Kinlochleven. Kinlochleven is a small village with some restaurants and a supermarket.
Day 9 - Kinlochleven to Fort William
This is one of the hardest days, you will pass through some isolated areas along a scenic route. It is quite impressive to sight Ben Nevis for the first time. The walking trail ends in the town of Fort William.
In Fort William, I bump into familiar faces I’ve been crossing paths with in the last few days. Everyone seems to express a feeling of accomplishment. Honestly, I feel it too. On the next day, I take a train back to Glasgow, and suddenly the noise of the city is just too loud for me… Overall, I have enjoyed the West Highland Way, the landscape and nature are diverse and extremely beautiful.
Since changes occur, some of the information I wrote might not be accurate today, so please check before planning your trip.
Under the Scottish Outdoor Access Code you can wild camp almost everywhere. Except for Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park areas. For that you have dedicated campsites such as the one of Sallochy. A map of the restricted areas can be found here.
Apparently, the months between June and August are popular for the West Highland Way. If I would do it again, I choose a different time of the year, probably May. Also, I would reconsider the length of the first day and walk straight from Milngavie to Drymen and maybe from Tyndrum to Kingshouse on the sixth day.
TLDR
- Travel light, the path can be difficult with extra weight on your shoulders.
- Take hiking boots and a jacket. Assure they are waterproof.
- Always take 2L of water with you.
- Beware the midges in summer.
- Use the .kml .gpx files above freely.
- The path is very well marked.
- Scottish have a very thick accent.