Trip Report West Highland Way, Scotland
Trip Report West Highland Way, June 5 – 13, 2016
By Laurel Bradley and Sam Demas
Overview:
Opened in 1980, the West Highland Way (WHW) is the oldest long distance route in Scotland.
As described on interpretive signs: “The WHW links Milngavie to Fort William – from the outskirts of Scotland’s largest city to the foot of its highest mountain, following the shores of its largest freshwater loch. It passes from the lowlands, across the Highland Boundary Fault, and on into the Scottish Highlands. Much of the way follows ancient and historic routes of communication” (e.g. drove roads, military roads, and old coaching roads).
The WHW progresses from suburban through rural and pastoral farmlands, to forests, moors, and into wild mountains cloaked in green.
Tips:
If possible avoid starting on a Saturday to avoid the weekly crush; Sunday – our start day — was busy enough.
Bring a mosquito headnet and/or insecticide (or Avon’s Skin so Soft) to ward off midges.
Midges appear to be a particular problem for campers; they congregate in damp places and are attracted to folks sitting around in the out-of-doors.
There is usually a place to fill water bottles and/or get lunch about halfway through a day’s walk.
Be prepared to yield to mountain bikers!
Getting to the end of the WHW in Fort William involves several miles of walking on a sidewalk by the road and through the town. This feels a bit underwhelming after the glorious nature experience.
We hear that April – June and Sept – Oct. are the best months for this walk.
The Way generally takes 5-8 days to walk, with most people opting for 6-7 days. Our pace is slow; we opted to walk the Way in 8 days and add two additional rest days. On average, we walked 10-15 miles per day, spending 6-9 hours on the trail at a pace of 3-4 km per hour.
Book ahead for accommodations in high season. Many stopping points have limited hotels and B&B’s that get crowded with walkers and other visitors.
Hiking South to North is customary. This option gives walkers a chance to gain strength before the Highlands and puts the wind and sun at your back.
The guidebook we used and liked was The West Highland Way by Jacquetta Megarry, published by Rucksack Readers.
Day 1, June 5, Milngavie to Dryman, 12 miles, 6 hours
Spent the previous night in Milngavie at the Premier Inn, which turns out to be Walkers’ Central. The pile of baggage at 9 AM in the lobby for transfer was impressive! The trail’s starting point in town, marked by a bench, an arch, and a vertical cement marker, was crowded with various jolly groups posing for pictures. Walkers, bunched together at the beginning, gradually spread out during the day.
Bench at Beginning
The first day proved to be a surprisingly pretty, pleasant walk considering proximity to suburbia and nearby roads. We made our way across flat country all day, through beautiful oak woods – a remnant of a great estate, and into rich, open agricultural country. In the afternoon, we passed a remarkable collection of holiday huts at Carbeth, where workers from Glasgow, and their families, access healthy country living. We rested at the Beech Tree Inn, a walker friendly operation, providing picnic tables outside, and commercial diversions within the restaurant premises. That afternoon, we walked beside the impressive but non-intrusive pipeline bringing drinking water from Loch Lomond to Glasgow. Scottish broom and mountain ash were in full bloom; birds trilled in the woods. The final 2-3 mile stretch on country roads made for a grueling end to a hot, sunny day. Way finding was easy, except at the point a half mile before Dryman, where one should continue on the road instead of turning right off the road to continue on the WHW.
Dryman is a small town with a nice village square, alas marred by intense traffic. Lots of B&B’s, a grocery store and post office, and options for eating and drinking. We stayed at large old Inn Buchanan Arms, which is now a Best Western Hotel.
Day 2, Dryman to Rowardennan, 15 miles, 9.25 hours
The trail leads across beautiful fields and then up and around Conic Hill skirting the high peak, which offers a brief side trip. We descend steeply down to Loch Lomond and the delightful Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Visitors Center at Balmaha. After consulting with rangers about wildflowers discovered along the way, and filling water bottles, we buy an ice cream at the row of shops, restaurants and other tourist venues. We settle down to lunch at a gorgeous beach along the grand expanse of Loch Lomond, and then venture into the water for a swim. The water temperature is chilly but refreshing. Resuming our hike, we pass a second beach that looks even larger and more swimmer-friendly (fewer sharp, slippery rocks). We continue along the lakeside to arrive finally at our destination. A long day – with beautiful spots to take a break. The Rowardennen Hotel – the only game in town (NOT a town, just a hotel with a nearby hostel) was rather thin on customer service but full of friendly, tired hikers. We pursued our passion for swimming with both an evening dip off the nearby dock, and another before breakfast to ease aching bones.
Day 3, Rowardennan to Ardlui, 12 miles, 6.5 hours
In the morning, we set off to hike along the lake. Midges greeted us for the first time on this trip; but for most of the day they were not a problem because of the breeze. We chose not to make the additional trek up Ben Lomond, the most southerly Munro (peaks over 3000 feet), but instead carry on along the lake, past a gorgeous waterfall and intersection with another network of trails, to the grand scale old Hotel Inversnaid, distinguished by a pier for tour boats, a special walkers’ entrance, and snacks. The afternoon walk was rough, with jumbles of rocks and roots making every step a deliberate decision. This rugged, remote lakeshore section should be approached as a walking meditation. We passed Rob Roy’s cave as we passed through beautiful mature forests of oak, alder (largest I’ve ever seen!), and rowan trees.
Last mile or so brought us to a wondrous green glen of green and finally, a ferry landing. By lowering an orange ball down a pole, we summoned a small ferryboat, which carried us across the lake to Hotel Ardlui for the night.
Day 4, Arduli Hotel, Rest Day!
The rest day was dedicated to sleep, a swim, laundry, reading and outdoor dining in a beautiful location at the North end of the lake.
Day 5, Ardlui to Crianlarich, 8 miles
We resumed the WHW, leaving Loch Lomond for wide forest roads after the ferry delivered us across the lake. We paused at Beinglas Farm,which features a campground, motel-style rooms, a store, and a restaurant/pub, plus “camping pods”. The Way today was easy going, following the Falloch River through exclusion zones designed toexclude deer and livestock and promote forest restoration. Passed through farms and woods, ending up at a bridge near a cottage labeled Derrydorach Farm at a lovely bridge, where we paused for lunch and a swim in the rock-lined channel. For any swimmers: the safest access to the water is on the downstream side of the bridge, where you can plunge into the depths to swim upstream for about 10 yards, then back downstream for 15 yards or more.
Swimming in the channel under the bridge!
The trail veers uphill, under the railway and highway, away from the river and into open agricultural land populated with grazing sheep. Arriving at a juncture, marked as the midpoint of the WHW, we took the right hand spur path down to the village of Crianlarach. As we made our way into town, we passed a few hikers who had just arrived by train. We spent a pleasant evening, dining at the Rod and Reel Pub on excellent curry, and sleeping at the Hillview B&B. A beautiful day’s hiking was slightly married by highway traffic noise and construction sounds related to construction on the hydoelectric power system.
Day 5, Crianlarich to Bridge of Orchy, 13 miles, 7.25 hours
We set off on the wide forest road in the rain, passing a demonstration farm (name here). The ruins of St. Fillans’ Priory were beautiful, and the Holy Pool evocative. Pretty walk through woodlands with gleaming green mosses and grasses. Didactic signs taught us not only about by-gone saints, but also about major historic battlefields we passed by today. As the WHW paralleled the main road, our walk today was accompanied by traffic noise. We finished the day with easy walking over open moors. Instead of sleeping at Bridge of Orchy – where hostelries were full – we were transported back to Tyndrum by taxi for an overnight.
Day 6, Bridge of Orchy to King’s House, 12 miles, 5.5 hours
Today we knew ourselves to be in the Highlands as the Way led through Rannoch Moor along well-maintained military and parliamentary roads. Beautiful views of large, looming domed mountains opened up on all sides. Finally, we escape traffic sounds on this remote stretch lacking any shelter from the elements. Towards end of the day, a few runners and walkers pass — the vanguard of the annual Calendonian Challenge, a 24 and 54 mile run/walk fundraising event. The King’s House Hotel and Pub was a nice place to spend an hour or so waiting for the taxi to our B&B in Glencoe.
Day 7, King’s House to Kinlochleven, 9 miles, 8 hours
Upwards through open territory, leading to a famous ascent known as the Devil’s Staircase. This stretch, full of switchbacks, proved not so bad. We rested happily at the top – where two cairns mark the highest point of the trail and some hearty souls ventured to the nearby peak. After lunch, we began the long descent into Kinlochleven, passing the impressive dam site at a distance. A complex piping system, delivering water for hydroelectric generators, paralleled our downward path toward the seat of a former aluminum works (closed only in 2000).
Day 8, Kinlochleven, Rest Day
Panoramic View from Iron Fort
Day 9, Kinlochleven to Fort William, 16 miles
Beautiful ascent through the birch forest with views back over Loch Leven, and then we join the wide military road through logged off mountainsides. Eventually, Ben Nevis – tallest peak in the UK – looms up on our right. We greet the mountain and hike on, opting to take a spur trail up to an ancient Iron Age fort – no longer visible but worth visiting for glorious panoramic mountain views. From here on, we descend endlessly via road toward Fort William, stopping briefly at the bottom to check out the Ben Nevis Visitors Center. The Walk winds up at the far side of downtown Fort William, where the walker can rest along-side a bronze statue of a tired but happy male walker.
Bench at End of WHW