West Highland Way, Scotland

I had decided to walk the West Highland Way in Scotland in mid-June 2018, which was one of the most spontaneous decisions I’ve ever made in my life. I’d booked a flight to the UK a week before its departure and I only decided on walking the WHW after I arrived in Edinburgh. I started doing real research a few days before I started walking and my last-minute planning meant a lot of frantic googling on the internet and numerous calls to the cheapest accommodation available during one of the busiest seasons of the year.

If you are planning to camp out, then this won’t be a problem since you’ll be carrying your own accommodation. Also, if you’re willing to pay the money, there are many agencies that sell packages with accommodation, baggage transfer and other support all included.

However, if you are walking for the first time on your own, want to keep it low budget, and don’t have your camping gear with you, I hope this will be helpful. One of the things I found most helpful on the internet were personal accounts of how they walked the trail and where they stayed.

My Itinerary #

One thing I wish I could’ve done was to climb Ben Nevis (near Fort William) with an extra day at the end. However, due to a trail-running race on that particular weekend, all the accommodation was fully booked out. If you do decide to climb Ben Nevis, book Glen Nevis Youth Hostel which has great access to the mountain and is on the trail (£19 in 2018).

About the West Highland Way #

Elevation Profile #

• Total distance: 151km
• 30-minute train ride from Glasgow (although you could take an extra day to walk from Glasgow to Milngavie)
• One of the oldest and most famous Scottish walks
• Many solo hikers, first-timers, father-son duos and female hikers wild-camping for the first time!

Booking Accommodation #

I wanted to walk the entire way in 6 days and so I tried finding accommodations in recommended places for a 6-day itinerary. I booked all the hostels through Hostelworld. I found accommodation lists on baggage transfer service websites very useful — they often include a full list of stops with contact details. There is also an official website for the walk with lots of useful information.

Packing for the Walk #

Must-Bring Items #

• Buff, gloves and a woolly hat — even in summer, it gets pretty cold up there
• Midge spray — essential
• Head net for midges — not essential for non-campers but worth having just in case
• Compeed anti-blister stick and blister protection plasters (both!)

Maps #

You can buy all of these at a local outdoor shop and also at little village shops along the trail. The West Highland Way XT40 Route Map is a special map that fits the whole path into one single map by cutting it into sections.

Guidebooks #

West Highland Way (Trailblazer) by Charlie Loram — after comparing about a dozen guidebooks that people from all over the world brought, we came to the conclusion that this was the best one. It’s relatively cheap compared to others and although it’s mostly in black and white and doesn’t look as fancy as some, it gives you information on the details of the walk, the historic backgrounds and other must-know details to give your experience a lot more depth. Highly recommended.

My Story #

Here’s a record of my days on the Way.

Day 1 #

8:30 Edinburgh → 10:30 Milngavie (train) 11:00 Milngavie — 16:00 Drymen (19km) weather: cloudy → sunny

Accommodation: Kip in the Kirk B&B ★★★★★ Fantastic host, pretty building, warm clean showers and comfortable beds. Afternoon with freshly out-of-the-oven scone with jam and butter were waiting for me when I arrived. People from literally all over the world — from Texas, Germany, Israel… and me from Tokyo! There is a supermarket right across the road.

Notes: Milngavie (pronounced ‘Mull-guy’) had lots of shops so if you need last-minute shopping, you can do that at the village center. Walked by a big group from the US, lots of female hikers in pairs (and they all seem to have their camping gear!). Walked most of the way with a woman from Austria, her first time solo-camping a trail. A very lovely woman and fantastic company to spend the first day of the trail (we later kept in touch throughout the journey to let each other know where we were).

Day 2 #

9:00 Drymen — 11:00 Conic Hill — 12:00 Balmaha (2h break and lunch at the Oak Tree Inn) — Rowardennan (23km) weather: cloudy with a bit of rain toward the end

Accommodation: Rowardennan Lodge Youth Hostel ★★★ Clean with nice hot shower. Breakfast and dinner are optional (with extra cost) but there is a big canteen and an eating space where you can bring in your own food. However, there are no shops nearby so make sure to stock up on some food in Balmaha or Drymen. The hostel was ok, although it was a bit lonelier than the previous night since there was only one other person in my 6-bed room.

Notes: The view from Conic Hill of Loch Lomond and the Highlands right before arriving at Balmaha was absolutely beautiful. We had lunch at the Oak Tree Inn but I recommend leaving early to arrive at the pub just before lunch if you want to get a seat. Tried traditional Scottish haggis for the first time. Most of the walk was right along the coast of Loch Lomond all the way to the hostel.

Day 3 #

7:00 Rowardennan — 11:00 Inversnaid — 15:00 Inverarnan — 18:00 Crianlarich (32km) Probably the most difficult section in the entire walk. The footing wasn’t great and it was a super long walk so my feet were killing me by the time we arrived at the hostel. weather: sunny with occasional clouds

Accommodation: Crianlarich Youth Hostel ★★★★ Clean, hot shower (although water pressure wasn’t great), overall nice bedrooms and big canteen. Very close to the train station if you want to take a shortcut the next day. A decent shop with a lovely lady (with ATM) round the corner from the hostel, open from 7am–7pm. There were two pubs nearby too.

Notes: The toughest day ever. E (whom I met on the first night in Drymen) and I decided to walk together and it was amazing how much I could talk about stuff that I never told anybody to this stranger who happened to be walking the same trail at the same time. He was from England and I was from Tokyo and we were both at a similar time in our lives, figuring stuff out, and there was so much I could relate to despite coming from two opposite ends of the planet. We went past some amazing woods in different greens, said our farewell to Loch Lomond that glistened under the sun, walked with the sheep, and just talked for 11 hours. By the end of the walk, my legs felt heavy like iron but my heart felt a bit lighter than when I started out. Walking is so therapeutic sometimes, when you have good company.

The night at the hostel was very interesting. Every person in the room was from a different part of the world!

Day 4 #

10:00 Crianlarich — 12:00 Tyndrum (2h break) — 18:00 Bridge of Orchy (21km) The road was a lot flatter, nicer on the legs, compared to the previous day. There are buses and trains connecting Crianlarich, Tyndrum and Bridge of Orchy if you feel like taking a rest day. There’s nothing much at Bridge of Orchy so make sure to do your shopping in Tyndrum. weather: super sunny with clear skies!

Accommodation: West Highland Way Sleeper ★★★★ The bunkhouse is literally on the platform — you can wave at the passengers on the train in your pyjamas from the bunks. It’s very cosy with about 12 beds, 2 showers and 2 bathrooms. They serve some croissants and toast in the morning if you tell the lady the night before, but there’s a pub down the road where you can have a proper big breakfast. The warm water for the shower seems to run out pretty quickly so you might want to get there first.

Notes: Woke up pretty late, my knee was killing me and so I decided to send my big backpack to Bridge of Orchy for the day and walk with the minimum baggage. The hostel arranged it nicely for me. I walked slowly for my knee and it was the first time to actually walk on my own. Because I started walking pretty late, there weren’t many people on the trail and it felt nice to be able to feel the tranquility of the vast nature all for myself. I felt my senses come alive a lot more and I was taking in my surroundings like I never had before.

From Tyndrum to Bridge of Orchy was a straight long path through the high mountains on both sides and I saw nobody for miles and miles and felt so alone but safe and overwhelmed by the beauty of my surroundings. Since I was in no hurry and I was on my own, I would occasionally stop to lay down on the grass to stare up at the blue skies, open up my sketchbook and watercolours to do some sketches and journal in my diary. I would walk behind a mother sheep and a baby lamb playing around with each other with so much affection.

After arriving at Bridge of Orchy, I ordered my first ever pint of beer at the pub, played cards with people from all over the place — Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland. I also met a very nice couple from Czech Republic.

This day was probably my favourite out of all days, maybe because of the amazing weather, but also because I really took my time to enjoy my surroundings.

Day 5 #

8:30 Bridge of Orchy – 14:00 Kings House (2h cakes and coffee) – (hitchhike) — 16:30 Glencoe Village (wandering around) — 21:00 arrive at hostel (21km) weather: sunny with a bit of cloud at Kings House but clear sky toward the end of the day — amazing sunset.

Accommodation: Glencoe Independent Hostel ★★★★ This independent hostel is located about 20km off the WHW to the west, near Glencoe Village. You can take the bus from Glencoe Mountain Resort, but hitchhiking is usually easy. Note: Kings House Hotel was under construction in 2018, making accommodation in this area difficult — check current availability before planning. Staying at one of the Glencoe hostels is one of the more affordable options. Glencoe Village and the surrounding area is a popular place to visit, with culture centres, historical sites and some nice short hikes around the lochs. The hostels are about 3km walk from the village centre, so make sure to stock up on some food in the village shop before arriving.

Another option is to stay at the Glencoe Mountain Resort in one of the pods, which sits right along the WHW. A third option is to walk on to Kinlochleven, where there are more accommodations available — there are also buses from Kings House if you’re too tired to make the full section.

Notes: Had a big breakfast at the pub and walked to the Mountain Resort with E and two Germans who shared their interesting stories. We arrived at Kings House in about 4.5 hours, had a break and some of us hitchhiked down to Glencoe Village. It was my first time hitchhiking and the woman who gave us a lift was very adventurous — walking from the west coast to the east coast of Scotland on her own, rock-climbing and more. In Glencoe, I took a walk around Loch Leven and Glencoe Lochan, munched on some bread and apples, sketched and journalled a bit, then went back to the hostel. Glencoe Village is famous for the Glencoe Massacre and there are lots to see so I wish I could’ve stayed another day. The hostel was way too far away from the village center to walk though. But it was cheap and the facility was great so no complaining.

Day 6 #

6:20 Glencoe Village — (hitchhike) — 6:40 Kings House – 10:00 Kinlochleven – 16:00 Fort William (36km) weather: sunny/cloudy

Took the last train at 17:25 from Fort William to Edinburgh (approx. 5h). Fort William is a large town with most amenities. There’s not much along the route until Fort William so make sure to stock up before that.

Although the easiest and the fastest way to travel to Glasgow or Edinburgh from Fort William would be to take the bus, you’d have to book it in advance. Also, the view from the train is just so amazing that it was worth the money and time.

Notes: My original plan was to skip the section between Kings House and Kinlochleven — which includes the Devil’s Staircase — and get a bus to Kinlochleven and walk from there to Fort William to catch the last train. However, I really wanted to complete the whole walk. So instead of waiting for the first bus in the morning, I woke up at 5:00 and tried hitchhiking to Kings House where I left off the previous day. It had to be early so that I could walk 36km in time for the last train. If I couldn’t catch a ride by 6:30am, I was going to give up and take the shortcut bus to Kinlochleven.

I wasn’t successful and I was almost in despair, about to give up, when a car stopped. Three Irish guys who happened to work at Kings House Hotel offered me a ride. Perfect location, perfect timing — how kind. I felt like God was with me that day, and the morning breeze felt cold against my skin but I felt exhilarated for the 36km adventure. Running down the hills after the Devil’s Staircase felt so amazing. No words can describe it.

Managed to catch the train back to Edinburgh on that day. Great view from the train. My feet were sore and worn out but my heart and soul had been filled with so much energy, love and encouragement. I felt a bit more confident about myself, for being able to plan a trip and go through with it, and I was surprised by how much I didn’t mind walking for hours on my own. I also learned how therapeutic nature was — I should do this more often. And the people I met on the trail all had amazing stories to share.