WEST HIGHLAND WAY
Distance - 96 miles
Location - Milngavie to Fort William, Scotland
September 2018
Itinerary
Day 1 - Milngavie to Milarrochy Bay, 20 miles
Day 2 - Milarrochy Bay to Inversnaid, 14 miles
Day 3 - Inversnaid to Tyndrum, 19 miles
Day 4 - Tyndrum to Inveroran Hotel, 9 miles
Day 5 - Inveroran Hotel to Kinlochleven, 21 miles
Day 6 - Kinlochleven to Fort William, 14 miles
The West Highland Way is a 96 mile trail, starting from Milngavie near Glasgow to Fort William, passing Loch Lomond, crossing Rannoch Moor and finishing in the shadow of Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis.
Day 1 - Milngavie to Milarrochy Bay, 20 miles
Day one and we are off! It was Sunday so was super quiet which was handy when taking our obligatory picture by the official starting point. We were excited to start our adventure.
It didn't take long for us to leave the town behind as the path took us through a wooded area. Before too long we passed a quirky little place which kindly reminded us that we had 92 miles remaining.
Before we reached Drymen there is the option to visit Glengoyne Distillery which is only a short distance from the trail. We chose not to as neither of us are big whisky drinkers, we also had a big day ahead of us. Shortly after we came across a lovely cafe/ restaurant called the Beech Tree, with a riddle which has to be spoken in your very best Scottish accent.
When planning the trip we considered camping in Drymen, however I am glad we didn't as we passed the campsite just before lunch with the actual town approx. 1 mile off route. It also didn't look great, although I know you can't judge a book by its cover.
After lunch we continued on, making good progress. We started a steady incline towards Conic Hill, to capture our first glimpse of Loch Lomond.
Conic Hill lies along the Highland Boundary fault, separating Lowland Scotland from the Highlands.
You have the option to walk to the summit of Conic Hill, a small detour from the path. We arrived mid-afternoon and it was very busy with day walkers who had headed up from Balmaha. From here the route takes a steep descent, luckily it was dry, but very testing on the knees. With all of the walkers, it becomes a bit of a bottleneck.
We finally emerged from the base of the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park through to a car park. We immediately saw The Oak Tree Inn pub and stopped for some well-deserved food and drink. A good recommendation with lots of outdoor space to enjoy the sunshine...if you are lucky enough to get sunshine, after all we were in Scotland!
From here we had a further few miles, and wow did those last few miles go slowly...probably because we had full bellies!
We finally made it to our campsite for the evening, which luckily was on the route. We had booked in advance however we didn't need to, and in fact, we even got money back as we were entitled to a backpackers discount, bonus! Within 1 min of us putting our tent up the heavens opened....we timed it well!
After a 20 mile day we were ready for bed and after doing a check on the old feet, unfortunately, I (Katie) had started to get blisters forming, another fail on the shoe front.
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Accommodation - Milarrochy Bay Camping and Caravanning Club Site
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Location - 5/5, on route
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Cost - less than £10 per person
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Facilities - toilet and shower facilities, basic kitchen facilities, onsite shop, washing lines
Day 2 - Milarrochy Bay to Inversnaid, 14 miles
Following a big 20 mile day, we welcomed a moderate 14 on our second day. The path was fairly easy to navigate, a mixture of path, road and woodland.
It was a relatively uneventful day, with pleasant views of Loch Lomond to enjoy.
There is a pub at Rowardennan which many of our fellow walkers stopped at for refreshments, however we pushed on and had our lunch a little further on.
We eventually reached a lovely waterfall where Said Burn meets Loch Lomond just before you reach Inversnaid Hotel.
We stayed at the Inversnaid bunkhouse which is a short distance off route however mostly uphill. The Inversnaid Bunkhouse was fantastic, very friendly staff, served excellent food and had great facilities. However there aren't many camping spots, so would suggest you book in advance.
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Accommodation - Inversnaid Bunkhouse & Top Bunk Bistro
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Location - 3/5, approx. 1 mile off route, uphill
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Cost - £10 per person
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Facilities - 5/5, new shower and toilet block, drying room, kitchen with appliances
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Tip - If you are planning on staying at the Bunkhouse when you reach Inversnaid Hotel give them a call and they will come and collect you. Trust us you will not wish to climb the hill after a long day of hiking!
Day 3 - Inversnaid to Tyndrum, 19 miles
We set off from the Bunkhouse pretty early around 7am (having been kept awake by a rowdy bunch of lads for most of the night!), as we knew we had a very long, challenging day ahead of us.
The next section is said to be the most challenging in terms of terrain, being quite short I (Katie) found this section tough with some of the boulders taller than me!
We walked beside Loch Lomond for majority of the morning, taking a break from the terrain in peaceful shoreline sections. But beware you will not wish to sit for long as the midges will be out in force!
Towards the end of the morning we left Loch Lomond behind, we had a natural break at Beinglas Farm which is a campsite with a shop and restaurant.
The path takes on the form of an old military road, which was crippling for my feet, feeling every rock and bump. We meandered in and out of woodland with steady ascents and descents.
As the day passed our tiredness started to set in, each step became a struggle. The final few miles were slow going but we finally reached Tyndrum.
After reading a lot of positive reviews we got fish and chips from the Real Food Cafe, but honestly, we were somewhat underwhelmed, we found the food pretty average and pricey for what it was!
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Accommodation - By the Way in Tyndrum
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Location - 5/5, on route
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Cost - £8 per person
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Facilities - great facilities, a vast site with many different forms of accommodation (pods, hostel, cabins etc.)
Day 4 - Tyndrum to Inveroran Hotel, 9 miles
Following a very long day we opted for a tame 9 miles, which my feet welcomed.
We reached the Bridge of Orchy just before lunch, passing under the railway line (very tempting to throw in the towel here and call it a day....but lets be honest that was never going to happen!). We proceeded onto the bridge past the hotel, which looked fabulous. Just over the bridge on the right-hand side was a wild camping area, a beautiful spot.
We continued on with an ascent up the path into a woodland which soon became another military road. The landscape becomes more open with grassy hillsides studded with heather. We began to climb up the northern hillside of Ben Inerveigh, with excellent views of Lock Tulla. The track then descends towards Inveronran hotel where we stopped for a snack and pint. It can however get very crowded so be prepared to squeeze in and get cozy!
Tonight we were wild camping which was a short distance (approx. 400m) up the road past the hotel. We arrived mid-afternoon and there were already a handful of campers set up, we later found that many other campers had the same idea and it became pretty crowded....no longer an idyllic 'wild camping' experience! Quite funny when I think back! If we were to do it again we may have continued walking a little further as we did see some perfect camping spots.
Within minutes of us setting up camp the heavens opened and it was set to rain for the remainder of the day. We made the strategic decision to have a well-deserved nap and then spend the remainder of the evening in the pub! If you are planning on eating we would recommend you book in advance, luckily they squeezed us in but they were very busy. The food was lovely, with generous portion sizes.
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Accommodation - Wild Camping
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Location - 5/5, on route
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Cost - N/A
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Facilities - N/A
Day 5 - Inveroran Hotel to Kinlochleven, 21 miles
Following a very sleepless night due to one very loud snorer in the tent next to us, we set off really early. As we left the campsite we had the pleasure of seeing a herd of deer cross the landscape, what a way to start the day!
The morning section of our hike was spent walking across a very barren landscape, Rannoch Moor, a vast inhospitable landscape but beautiful at the same time. Unfortunately it started raining, again....it was going to be a long day.
We passed the entrance to Glencoe mountain resort and headed across the A82 towards Kingshouse. Unfortunately, it was closed due to a huge renovation project, but we knew this before we arrived so was expected. Luckily they had a toilet and shower block open to walkers which was a welcome surprise. We rested here for lunch before making the push towards Kinlochleven.
The path runs alongside the A82, with some spectacular views of Black Mount. Zigzagging we approached Devil's Staircase which is not as devilish as its name would suggest.
Here we had a few moments of photo opportunities before the rain clouds set in, and wow within moments we got absolutely soaked...doing my best ninja turtle impression!! From previous days we had learnt to have our waterproofs to hand at any moment, the last thing you want is to be rummaging around in your bag. And word of wording, do NOT get a poncho!
We pressed on, hoping that the rain would stop....it didn't. We started to descend towards Kinlochleven, it was pretty tough going on the knees, in parts we picked up the pace and jogged just to take a little bit of pressure off the knees.
Not far off route we reached our final campsite, Blackwater. We arrived around 4pm and it was already starting to fill up, for good reason as it was a good campsite with some great facilities. Within a short walking distance, there are a few local shops, restaurants and pubs. This was the first night we had to wear our mosquito nets, so worth taking as you will soon get fed up of them nipping at your skin.
For a busy campsite, this was one of the quietest, everyone was tired and bunking down to get a good nights sleep ahead of the final day!!
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Accommodation - Blackwater Hostel, Glamping & Campsite
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Location - 4/5, close to the route and local town
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Cost - £10 per person
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Facilities - 5/5, clean toilet and shower facilities, two drying rooms, cleaning facilities
Day 6 - Kinlochleven to Fort William, 14 miles
The final day and the end was in sight!! We both knew that it would be a relatively short day but testing at the same time, we were tired, my feet were a mess but at the same time sad our adventure was almost over.
We left Kinlochleven fairly early, with the aim of beating the walker bubble. There was a steady climb out of Kinlochleven with a lovely view of the small town. Passing through Lairig Mor along the old military road, walking past a ruined bothy (Tigh-na-sleubhaich), realising how harsh the environment is. We also passed through a recently felled forest which would have been beautiful.
Following a long descent on a gravel track we reached the road which leads into Fort William. This felt like the longest section of the hike. We plodded on, using our walking poles to keep momentum and pace, after all its just one foot in front of the other right.
We reached the old finish point, which is on the edge of Fort William centre, and we marched right past it. We were not going to be fooled into thinking that we were done!!
We pushed on, past the train station to the start of the pedestrian street, lined with shops, restaurants and cafes. We had read that the finish was at the end of the pedestrian street, we were that close!!
And then it happened.... we were at the end, cozying up to the “Man with Sore Feet”. A sense of accomplishment, relief and joy set in, we had just walked 96 miles!! Although my feet were in agony, it was all worth it!
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Accommodation - The Garrison Hotel
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Location - 5/5
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Cost - £124, our treat!!
Review
Overall it was a fantastic walk, giving you a snippet of what Scotland has to offer, an area we would love to explore more.
In terms of food we took a mixture of noodles, pasta and mash potato, but we knew that we would want to stop for some pub grub also! We also took some of our favourite snacks, wine gums and jelly beans, which added weight, but well worth it when you need that sugar rush to keep you going. We packed all of our food in easy zip lock bags which you get from super markets. We carried a lot of food and snacks as we knew that there would be limited places to stock up.
In terms of water there weren't many obvious taps as such, however there were plenty of streams to filter from.
We used the Cicerone guide book and map, which we would highly recommend. It was super easy to follow and we tracked our progress with how many pages we had covered, surprising how motivated you get when you complete a page!!
Getting to and from the trail -
We drove up to Milngavie and parked our car at the Premier Inn where we stayed the night before starting the walk, only a short walk (approx. 10 mins) to the town centre. They kindly let us leave our car there for the week, on the basis that we made a donation to their chosen charity.
From Fort William we got the train back to Milngavie which took approx. 3hrs 50mins, £26.50 per person, with one change.
Lessons learnt -
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First-day mileage....probably not the best idea to start with a 20 mile day!!
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Katie's shoes!! The search for the perfect shoe to suit Katie's feet and walking style continues. So long to the Salomons......
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Earplugs - Do not forget them! We had the pleasure of listening to hours of snoring from fellow campers, we appreciate it can not be helped, but if you can drown out the noise even a little, it helps.
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Keep the pack light. We saw many walkers which huge packs, no doubt they were very heavy too. Although we were by no means ultralight, we aimed for as light a pack as possible.
The West Highland Way is a fabulous walk, one which we would highly recommend!