Planning Your West Highland Way Adventure

Shannon K
53 minutes ago
10 min read

The West Highland Way had been on my bucket list for a while, and I finally made it happen! If you're thinking about tackling this amazing Scottish trail, read on! In this post, I’ll walk you through exactly how I planned the trip, where I stayed each night, what I ate (spoiler: lots of pub meals and Scottish breakfasts), and what the whole experience was actually like—from midge attacks to unforgettable views.

Sections to Jump To: Start Planning, Our Route, Accommodations, How to Pack, The Hike,

West Highland Way Facts:

Posted as a 96 mile trail (though each day was about a mile longer than it was supposed to be!
Formed from 18th century military routes
Route runs from Milngavie (near Glasgow) to Fort William
Typical timeline to complete: 6-8 days
Accommodation options: Camping, hotels, bed & breakfasts, hostels (this particular post will focus on bed & breakfasts and hotels)

Start Your Planning:

If you will be hiking in the summer, keep in mind that this is the busiest time on the trail. If you are planning to stay in hotels or bed & breakfasts, these will fill up very quickly. I booked over 4 months in advance, and in some cases I was reserving the last room in a hotel. I would suggest booking hotels 5 months or more in advance.
- Also, think about food when you are booking! Most of the hotels and bed & breakfasts will offer an option for a bagged lunch. If you pay in advance when you are booking your room, it will be cheaper than when you arrive at the accommodation. There is rarely a grocery nearby your accommodation, and the lunch option comes in clutch!
I chose the summer because it's the most favorable weather in Scotland where you'll have a chance at the least amount of rain. Even with that, we had rain 3 out of 7 days.
Our total time for our trip was 9 days in Scotland. We flew into Glasgow the day before we started our hike, and we flew out of Glasgow the day after we finished. The one change I would make (if you are tight on vacation time like me and can't extend the trip a significant amount) is I would stay in Fort William after finishing the hike and then head back to Glasgow the following day, flying out the day after. So, instead of 9 days, I think 10 days is ideal.
When you are deciding your route, you really just need to think about how long you are comfortable hiking each day, and choose accommodations based on that.
Download the All Trails App and you'll be able to put in your chosen route and download it so that when you are out hiking, you know the exact route to take. (The trails are marked, so this isn't a MUST, but it did give great peace of mind when it was a long time between WHW markers.)
A great feature when hiking the West Highland Way is that there are options for baggage transfer. This means, before you even begin the trail, you drop your bag(s) off and then it will be waiting for you at your lodging each day. I used Travel Lite and I cannot recommend them enough!

Our Route:

Day 1 Milngavie → Drymen (This says 12 miles, but ended up being 13.5)

Day 2 Drymen → Rowardennan (This says 15 miles, but ended up being 16.5)

Day 3 Rowardennan → Crianlarich (20 miles)

Day 4 Crianlarich → Bridge of Orchy (13 miles)

Day 5 Bridge of Orchy → Kingshouse (13 miles)

Day 6 Kingshouse → Kinlochleven (9 miles)

Day 7 Kinlochleven → Fort William (This says 15 miles, but ended up being 16)

Accommodations:

Drymen: Braeside B&B

Rowardennan: Rowardennan Hotel

Crianlarich: Craigbank Guesthouse

Bridge of Orchy: Bridge of Orchy Hotel

Kingshouse: Kingshouse Hotel

Kinlochleven: Tailrace Inn

How To Pack/Prep:

Packing list essentials (boots, waterproofs, blister kits)
- Hiking Boots (waterproof preferred because you will encounter rain)
- Retractable hiking poles with rubber stoppers (If you're someone that uses hiking poles, the rubber stoppers are the way to go with all of the rocks when you're going up and down)
- Breathable pants (waterproof are great, but not required. Mine weren't waterproof)
- Tshirts, but also long sleeve
- 1 sweatshirt or fleece lined shirt because it gets cold sometimes!
- Rain jacket
- Hiking socks (my dad would switch out his socks everyday mid hike and he said that was a game changer for him)
- Baseball cap or a bucket hat
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen
- Phone and Chargers
- UK power adapter if you're from out of the country
- Cash for Honesty Boxes
- Refillable water bottle
- 2 AirTags: 1 to put into your suitcase, and 1 to keep on you while you hike
- 2 Tide Pods in a small plastic bag for laundry
- Ultra-fine mesh face net (I would have never thought to bring this had I not read about it in advance and I used this several days)
- Small first aid kit with bandages (bring more than you think you'll need), gauze pads, antiseptic wipes, and antibiotic ointment, and ibuprofen
  - Note: We did laundry at Rowardennan Hotel and also at Bridge of Orchy Hotel. It was included at Rowardennan Hotel and very inexpensive at Bridge of Orchy Hotel. That said, we only packed for a 3 day hike which helped us each only have a carry-on luggage item, and then a small hiking pack for the day.
What I brought, but didn’t need:
- Toiletries - because every hotel/bed and breakfast had toiletries
- Protein bars - I brought some from home, but really didn't need them. There a grocery store in Drymen on the first hike and we purchased lunches at each hotel, so we never really needed the extra snacks.
- A coat - I'm sure this one could go either way, but hiking in July was very warm and I was usually hiking in a tank top, except when it was raining and I put. my rain jacket on.
Training:
- This will sound silly... but I walked a lot to prepare. The longest hike we had was a 20 mile walk and I honestly didn't know if I would be able to hike 20 miles, so I found 3 days within 2 months of the trip to go and walk 20 miles which helped my confidence for the trip and helped my legs prepare. I also made sure to at least walk 3 miles per day everyday, but most days I was walking more than that.

The Hike!:

Day 1 Milngavie → Drymen:

This is a great way to ease into the hike. It's an exciting start with all of the signage in the town of Milngavie. We dropped our bags off with Travel Lite before starting which only took about one minute.

Entrance to the West Highland Way hike in Milngavie

This first day is quite flat, but still very beautiful. Some advice I would give is to take note of the other hikers you pass on this first day. A lot of hikers will complete this trail in about 7 days, and you will see so many of the same people day in and day out (and in many of your accommodations as well, so it's fun to potentially make a few acquaintances for the week!)

Also, you will pass Glengoyne Scotch Whiskey Distillery around the 7 mile marker. You will walk right by it. It's the one Scotch Distillery you will walk right by and I can't recommend a tasting enough! I am not even a scotch drinker, but it's a phenomenal experience where you will learn so much about history of the distilleries around the country.

The small issue with doing a scotch tasting is that you still have about 7 miles to Drymen. Luckily, it's pretty and it's flat. We stayed at Braeside B&B which was phenomenal. Very comfortable with breakfast included at The Drymen Inn and the option to pay for a bagged lunch for the next day. There is also a grocery store in Drymen and plenty of Honesty Boxes you will pass the next day as an option for food on your Day 2 hike. Also, When you get into Drymen, I highly recommend making a reservation at The Clachan Inn which is one of the oldest licensed pubs in Scotland.

Day 2 Drymen → Rowardennan

This will be a long day, but oh so beautiful! There are two routes you can choose and definitely let your level of fitness choose that for you. If you aren't sure about your stamina on a longer hike, then avoid Conic Hill and go straight from Drymen to Balmaha and onto Rowardennan. If you are up for a longer hike with elevation and gorgeous views, then take the path to Conic Hill with views of Loch Lomond. After being the only person on the path coming into Conic Hill, you will be completely shocked when you get to the summit. It will be absolutely packed, as well as coming down to Balmaha. There is a parking lot at the base of the hill in Balmaha, and people park to summit the hill and come back down.

Starting our way up Conic Hill with Loch Lomond in view

When you come into Balmaha, you will find free toilets to use and also free water refills. There's a small store where you can buy some snacks or drinks if you need. At this point, you have another 6.5 miles to Rowardennan Hotel. It's a paved path along the banks of Loch Lomond in Milarrochy Bay. I loved this stretch of the hike to see people on holiday and just enjoying the Loch and the campgrounds.

These last couple of miles are a grind. They are flat and they seem to last longer than they should, so it feels very good when you finally get to Rowardennan Hotel. This hotel is gorgeous with beautiful views of the loch and a great pub for dinner. There's also a small store at the hotel to get snacks and food for your next day's hike.

Day 3 Rowardennan → Crianlarich (20 miles)

We originally planned to hike the 20 miles along Loch Lomond to Crianlarich, but that just wasn't in the cards for my dad's legs. We hiked the 11 miles from Rowardennan Hotel to the ferry dock in Inversnaid (which - this hotel can be as far as you go this day) and paid $20 for a one way ferry ticket to Tarbet using the Loch Lomond Waterbus.

Once you're off the ferry in Tarbet, you'll walk around 1 mile to the Arrochar and Tarbet train station which will take you right into Crianlarich. Once we arrived in Crianlarich, we were happy to see an actual grocery store. We stayed at the Craigbank Guesthouse which was so cozy and welcoming. There are several pub options for dinner and the owners at Craigbank Guesthouse give you the option to purchase a bagged lunch for the following day's hike. Breakfast is also included in the price of your stay.

Day 4 Crianlarich → Bridge of Orchy

I don't know how else to say it, but this day is needed after Day 2 & 3. This hike is beautiful, but also fairly easy. We had beautiful weather and mostly had the path to ourselves. This hike is mostly flat through several farms. You'll see big horned sheep, highland cows, and beautiful terrain.

There isn't really a town in Bridge of Orchy. Just Bridge of Orchy Hotel, and train station, and the actual Bridge of Orchy. This is a great day to relax. You'll get to the hotel early in the day and the rooms and very comfortable, and the restaurant in the hotel is excellent. Make a reservation for dinner and order a bagged lunch for the following day as you won't come across Honesty Boxes on Day 5.

Day 5 Bridge of Orchy → Kingshouse

This is another beautiful hiking day on a mix between concrete and stone paths. Day 5 offers excellent highland views with a lot of flat walking on crushed stone paths. When you're coming into Kingshouse, you know it in advance because there is nothing else around Kingshouse except the hotel. But, the hotel is absolutely beautiful with a gorgeous fireplace and pub, a delicious restaurant, and a laundry space to get your clothes washed. The service was excellent and our room was spacious. The breakfast is an expansive buffet to prepare you for a VERY strenuous day of hiking. Kingshouse Hotel also has the option for bagged lunch the following day, which I would recommend purchasing if you don't have food on you. There are no stores or honesty boxes between Kingshouse and Kinlochleven.

Day 6 Kingshouse → Kinlochleven

Day 6 is only 9 miles, but it's one of the more difficult days of the journey. This is the day when you will finally encounter Devil's Staircase that you have probably been thinking about since you started this hike. Yes, Devil's Staircase is a steep climb for about 45 minutes or so, but after the last five days of hiking, you will summit this climb much faster and easier than you thought you could.

We hiked Devil's Staircase on a rainy and foggy day, but the views were still incredible.

Hiking to the top of Devil's Staircase is part one of the difficulty of Day 6. What was more surprising for us was how difficult the descent to Kinlochleven is. After a gorgeous hike through the Highlands, you start a steep 2 mile descent into Kinlochleven that your knees and shins will remember for the rest of the day.

Kinlochleven is the most unexpected town. In the early 1900s, it was the biggest manufacturer of aluminum and hydroelectric development in the United Kingdom. Now the town relies heavily on tourism, mostly from WHW hikers.

We stayed at the Tailrace Inn and absolutely loved it. The pub is welcoming and the staff were wonderful. The town is picturesque and they even have a museum on the history of aluminum manufacturing.

Day 7 Kinlochleven → Fort William

The final hike!! It's important to know ahead of time that this hike is 16 miles, not the 15 it tells you. It starts with a steep climb out of Kinlochleven, but most of the route is beautiful and fairly flat.

You'll descent down to Fort William, coming out of the hills and into this vibrant town. Now, it's a little anticlimactic, but the final 2 miles to the official end of the West Highland Way are on a flat sidewalk, along the freeway coming into Fort William. And, I don't know how else to say it, but it will feel like the longest 2 miles of the entire journey.

Once you make the turn into the town center, your energy will pick up from the energy of the town and other hikers finishing alongside of you and celebrating in the final steps.

You finally make it to the statue of "The Man with Sore Feet", and it will be one of the most overwhelming feelings you'll have. If you're lucky like my dad and I were, you'll finish alongside some of the trail friends you made along the way. What seemed so impossible in the beginning, finally comes to an end!

"Man with Sore Feet" - End of West Highland Way

Getting back to Glasgow from Fort William is much faster that how you arrived. The Fort William train station is right in town, and will take around 4 hours to get you back to Glasgow. Although we didn't stay the night in Fort William, both of us would say that was one of our biggest regrets! Definitely plan to stay a night or two in Fort William. Enjoy the town, and hike Ben Nevis if your legs have any life left.

Enjoy this journey. It will be one of the fondest travel memories you'll ever make.