Hiking the West Highland Way: A Dazzling Walk With Plenty of Pints to Share

The West Highland Way is an amazing long distance hiking trail that leads from Milngaive to Fort William in Scotland. Most people head out from the small suburb of Glasgow: Milngaive (pronounced MULL-guy)(wait, really?)(yes, MULL-guy)(but-)(I know…). Aaron and I, however, decided to be bold and walk South, starting in the small, pub-filled town of Fort William. The trail is 96 miles long, that took us 7 days, with 6 nights of wonderful camping in the wilds of Scotland. The West Highland Way is a beautiful trail that takes you across the sweeping vistas of the Scottish highlands to the intimate forests of Loch Lomond. One note: Aaron and I had some of the most amazing weather on the trail, and we were told time and time again that our journey was not typical. While we are sure the trail will be beautiful in any weather, keep in mind that our experience is not how most people will experience the trail.

 

Day Zero: Fort William

Fort William is often filled with young adventure seekers, either finishing the West Highland Way or climbing Ben Nevis or setting out for the whisky filled lands of the Great Glen Way. All this activity makes for a fun little diversion filled with quaint coffee shops and friendly pubs.

 

We stayed a couple of nights in the Bank Street Lodge, recovering from the ass-kicking we took climbing Ben Nevis. The lodge was comfortable, if over priced – but still one of the cheapest options in town. Fort William is an outdoor tourist hot spot, so accommodation can get expensive, and the food and coffee is not cheap. If you’re on a budget, Fort William will not provide the price points you are looking for. But, we are sure after walking 96 miles across the Scottish Highlands, most people will be fine with spending £20 for a bunk in a clean bunk house with a hot shower.

 

Even with its expensive room and board, Fort William is a lovely town filled with friendly people who are always down to share a pint at the pub. We really didn’t mind spending a few extra days taking in the hospitality.

 

Day 1: April 19, 2019 – Fort William to Kinlochleven, 15 Miles

For our first day on the trail, we walked 15 miles out of Fort William to the industry town of Kinlochleven. This was our hardest day, as it was our only rainy and cold day on the trail. Walking south also meant we were walking into the wind for most of the trip, which was a real problem in the rain. This section of the trail also goes through some stunning, tight valleys which funneled the wind right into our faces for much of the walk.

 

The first 2 miles of the trail out of Fort William were on the side walk along the road to Glen Nevis. This section was really easy and pretty ugly. You got a couple of glimpses of Ben Nevis towering over the valley, but other than that, this section is little more than a glorified warm up for what is to come.

 

Once you turn off the road outside of Glen Nevis you really begin the trail. Unfortunately, when we were walking the trail, this beginning section was actively being logged by Scottish Forestry Commission, so logging trucks and workers were driving up and down the trail, leaving much of the trail torn up and the hillsides full of felled trees. It wasn’t until we got out of the industry that we felt like we were really getting the West Highland Way experience.

 

Just outside of Glen Nevis is and ruins of an Iron Age Hillfort called Dun Deardail. While it is now little more than a dirt mound with remnants of a wall, we really loved the views from the fort and the feeling of inhabiting a space built in the 800s CE. The fort is a little ways off the WHW it we suggest taking the short easy walk. It was really cool, plus for South Bounders you can get a good view of the walk to come.

The rest of the walk was along an easy, rock paved path through some stunning valleys in the Scottish Highland. Unfortunately, we were forced to keep our heads down due to the driving rain and wind, but when we did remember to look up we were always amazed with the view. Once you get up into the valley there isn’t much elevation change, so the walk itself is easy and if you are like most people and are going North, the wind will be pushing you along the entire way. For us, however, the wind and rain made it a challenging hike that left us cold and wet.

Finally, we got to the climb down to the small town of Kinlochleven. The steep but manageable ascent into the town was a welcome relief from the windy, wide open valleys we spent much of the day walking though. The guide books we bought loved to hate on Kinlochleven because of its industrial past, but we found the town charming and inviting and a welcome respite from the cold winds of the WHW. We grab a bite of eat and a pint of beer from the local pub, and resupplied from the small Co-Op grocer before hunkering down in our tent for the night. Day 1 was a true Scottish day: rainy, windy and cold. But, with 15 miles under our belts, and a promising weather forecast, we were feeling great about what was to come!

 

Day 2: April 17, 2019 – Kinlochleven to Bà Bridge, 15 Miles

We woke up the next day to clearing skies and a hopeful forecast. We packed up our camp site, made a cup of instant coffee, and then started on our way out of Kinlochleven. The climb out of the city was a gradual incline that followed large water pipes that were used for aluminum smelting during the industrial revolution. The path was not the prettiest, but once again we were soon out of the low industrial valley and up on to the stunning ridge lines of the highlands.

The trails gradual incline soon brings us to the top of the infamous Devils Staircae. Being southbounders, we had the advantage of going down the steep windy switchbacks, which made this days trail much easier to manage. From the top of the Devi’s Staircase l, you get spectacular views of valley that leads to Kingshouse and Glen Coe. These mountains are the famous images of the WHW, and every time we looked up there was another angle and vista to fall in love with.

The trail leads down the valley to the inn of Kingshouse. The site has been the location of an inn for over 300 years as this valley was once a popular stop for cattle and sheep farmers bringing their goods to market. Just a couple of weeks before, Kingshouse had opened a stunning new expansion, including a new high class hotel, pub, bunk houses and camp site. The facilities were top notch, but we mainly avoided them due to their price. But for a weary walker in look for a pint and bite to eat before starting the climb up Devils Staircase, Kingshouse is the perfect respite. And the views of the valley cannot be best.

Past Kingshouse, we continued on the easy paved path as it continued across the windy valley and winding its way back up to the high valleys of the WHW. The trail continued to amaze with its stunning views and easy walking. However, we quickly started to fear we may have made a mistake as we neared the end of the day and started looking for a place to camp. The wide open grasslands and valleys do not provide great shelter from the famous Scottish wind, and finding a suitable place to pitch our tent was becoming a problem. There were several conifer plantations that seemed hopeful, but they were either fenced off or planted to tightly that pitching a tent in these man made forests was almost impossible.

Luckily, in the boggy highlands, there were a few patches of small mounds that provided a little shelter from the winds. We pitched our tent and spent our night enjoying the peaceful remote wilderness of Scotland. And waking up the the sun illuminating the hillsides in a soft warm light was truly breathtaking.

 

Day 3: April 18, 2019 – Bà Bridge to Crianlarich, 18 Miles.

 

This day we bit off more than we could chew by pushing ourselves to almost 20 miles. But the flat trail with only a couple of real inclines, plus a couple of short stops at Inveroran Hotel and Tyndrum made the hike manageable and worth it.

 

Waking up in the morning we were only 2 miles from the Inveroran Hotel, a quaint hotel with a cafe made for hikers and people wanting to enjoy the WHW. At the bite we grabbed a couple of real coffees (thank God, because I was really tired of the instant stuff), and made our breakfast. We sat outside on a small patio and chatted with several other groups of hikers enjoying the way and swapped stories and gear tips. It was a lovely morning and a great way to start the day.

Leaving the Inveroran Hotel, we walked up a short hill with great views of Loch Tulla and the valley we just walked through. From there it was another couple of hours to impossibly quaint and small town of Bridge of Orchy. The town is really just a hotel and a train station, but it has charm and appeal to make it worth a stop.

The next couple of sections of the WHW from Bridge of Orchy to Inverarnan were some of the easiest walking but offered the least inspiring views country side. The trail meets up with the A82 roadway, and spends much of the day criss-crossing the road and train tracks as it winds its way through the valleys. We stopped in the rest-stop city of Tyndrum for a bite to eat from an American-themed diner that didn’t quite get the decor right and quickly continued on across some nice wetland habitat that soon turned into industrial farmland. Finally, once we past Strathfillan, the trail left the road and became a wonderful woodland hike through neon-green forests filled with streams song birds.

Camping was surprisingly hard to find in the man-made forests of Scotland, due to the tight placement of the trees and the uneven ground. So, we just kept walking. Fortunately it paid off and we found a wonderful spot on a bluff a mile or so outside of Crianlarich. A babbling brook kept us company all night as we slept under the Scottish sky.

 

Day 4: April 19, 2019 – Crianlarich to Inversnaid, 13 Miles.

 

Day 4 took us through some of the easiest walking on the trail and some of the hardest. The path from Crianlarich to Inverarnan was gentle and easy, following the road and trail for most of the way. The valleys were lush farm land filled with sheep and cows, making for some picturesque sights.

Inverarnan was a great stop for us, as they had free showers, a small shop and pub with decent food and a good selection of beers. We had our first shower in a couple of days here at their mostly clean facilities, and felt refreshed after a pint of beer and small lunch. We ended up spending almost 3 hours at this small inn, and were feeling great when we left, ready to tackle to challenging trail around Loch Lomond to Inversnaid.

We walked a couple of miles from Inverarnan and got our first views of the stunning Loch Lomond. We arrived on a clear day and got great vistas down the Scotland’s largest body of water. From the tip of the lake, the trail turned into a technical scramble across forested climbs and rocky descents. The trail along the lake was much more difficult than the paved trails of the northern sections; it reminded us of the trails in the Smokey Mountains, much more wooded and technical. The trail made for slow going but honestly it was more interesting and fun walking over the harder terrain.

 

Plus the views of the lake were breathtaking.

We walked along the lake for the rest of the day until we reached the free camping area near the Inversnaid hotel, where we pitched our tent along the lake shore.

 

The Inversnaid Hotel is an opulent resort that was filled with old, rich Londoner’s on holiday for the sunny Easter Weekend. Fortunately, the posh hotel also knows it’s on the WHW and provides a delightfully well appointed “walkers entrance” with a place to store your bag and boots and a bar area to grab a beer and charge your phones without bothering the Bourgeoisie. Here we grabbed a pint, checked our email on the free WiFi and researched our next couple of days in the trail.

We spent the night on the lake, and woke up to crystal clear morning overlooking the still-as-glass lake and were once again wowed by the beauty of Scotland.

 

Day 5: April 20, 2019 – Inversnaid to Milarrochy, 12 Miles. Plus an aborted attempt up Ben Lomond.

From Inversnaid, the trail continues to be a technical journey along the lake shore, with many small up and downs and scrambles over rocks and roots. The trail does venture in and out of some pleasant woods and by some cool ruins, which keep the path interesting and enjoyable.

About 6 miles into the walk we reached the rest area of Rowardennan. Here the trail has an optional detour to take up the nearby mountain of Ben Lomond, 3195 ft climb that Aaron was adamant to try. And we did try it. But once we got about ⅓ of the way up, we realized the hazy day was seriously limiting the view – plus my legs were exhausted from our walking so far. The trail up Ben Lomond was steep – much steeper than Ben Nevis as the trail itself is much shorter. Needless to say, we stopped the ascent and turned around and continued on the WHW.

 

The area from Inversnaid to past Conic Hill is a Loch Lomond managed camping area – meaning wild camping is not allowed. We had to find a campsite, and unfortunately it was Easter Weekend and the U.K. had bank holidays on Friday and Monday – meaning the campsites were packed! Most campsite won’t turn backpackers away, as they can always find a piece of grass for a tent to be popped, but often it’s not in an ideal location.

 

Luckily after walking a little further than we meant to, especially with our failed climb up Ben Lomond adding miles but no distance, we landed at Milarrochy Campsite. The site was packed with RVs and trailers, but hikers hadn’t started pouring in yet and we got a prime tent spot on the good lawn. The facilities were great and we got to meet several hikers going northbound and tell them tales of the journey ahead.

 

Day6: April 21, 2019 – Milarrochy to Dumgoyne, 16 Miles.

Outside of Milarrochy is the quaint village of Balmaha, which marks the end/beginning of the Loch Lomond section of the way. From Balmaha, we turned inland and up Conic Hill, a 1,000 foot climb that unofficially separates the highlands and the lowlands. The Hill offered great views of Loch Lomond and the surrounding countryside. It also marked the end of the interesting trail and the beginning of boring walks through endless sheep pastures and flats railroad beds.

 

We had heard that this section of the trail was not that great, but wanted to see for ourselves. Well, it’s not that great. It’s easy, it’s flat, it’s… nice? But it’s not interesting, and in the summer months it would be unbelievably hot and filled with midges. Again, we were so fortunate to have great weather because if we didn’t, we would have probably caught a train at Drymen and been done with the trail.

Again, the walk isn’t horrible, it’s just boring and bland. If you are starting northbound, we would suggest starting the trail at Balmaha and walking up Conic Hill from there, then continuing along Loch Lomond. But the boring and bland trail can be good also, as you get used to walking long distances with your gear. You may need a day or two to adjust to life on the trail and these first 20 miles or so provide that. It just wasn’t our cup of tea.

 

We stopped in the town of Drymen for our last resupply and to book our AirBnB for Glasgow since we now knew when we’d be in town. Then we started walking and walking and walking looking for a campsite. There was hardly any wild camping along this section, as the trail stays right between sheep pastures and follows a railroad bed and sewage pipe for long stretches. We finally found a site near Dumgoyne and Dumgoyach. We think there once was a trash fire at the site that cleared enough flat land for our tent.

 

On the plus side – we did see a lot of wee little lambs on the trail which made me smile. Lambs are super cute.

 

Day7: April 21, 2019 – Dumgoyne to Milngavie, 5 Miles.

Our final day was a short one, and we closed out the final 5 miles to Milngavie (MULL-guy). The final miles were easy and a great way to end the trail. Once you get into town you walk along a series of parks along the creek that wind their way to the center of town. There you’ll find an amazing village of coffee shops, pubs and a train every 15 minutes to Glasgow Queen St. It was a great place to end the West Highland Way, with nice people congratulating us on our walk fresh new hikers lining up to take pictures at the West Highland Way Obelisk.

 

The West Highland Way is an amazing trail with great views and beautiful scenery. It is made even better by the joyous people that fill the pubs, hotels and hostels along the way. Each stop brought joy to us as we met interesting hikers and got to taste local culture and lifestyles. The trail is special in it’s accessibility, meaning hikers of all skill levels can enjoy its rustic beauty and each night you can, if you want, have a hot meal and bed to sleep in. We highly suggest however that you take advantage of Scotland’s lax camping laws and really enjoy the wilderness by sleeping under the stars. Food supplies are frequent enough that you don’t need to carry much food or water, and waking up to the Wild West Highland Way is an amazing experience unlike any other.

 

But of course, you can always grab a pint from the pub before walking the final miles to sleep in the wild.