West Highland Way Big Trail Adventures
West Highland Way

Your walk from
Milngavie to
Fort William

You'll walk 154 kilometres through the southern Highlands, along loch shore, drove road and old military road rather than open hill — the Highland Boundary Fault crossed by mid-morning of day two, Rannoch Moor crossed in a single stage. A route that earns its reputation by walking you into the country it belongs to.

Distance
154 km · 96 mi
Ascent
3,155 m
Duration
3–9 days
Trips from £889pp See packages →
From — per person
Plan your trip

Three ways to walk it

Pick one to see the full plan — or scroll for the trail in detail.

The Explorer

9 days · unhurried pace
From £—

The Classic

7 days · most booked
From £—

The Challenge

5 days · demanding pace
From £—

Prefer to talk it through? Call us on 0131 560 2740

Visiting From Australia

A lot of the people on this trail have flown a long way to be here, and the trail is one part of a longer trip.

We store the luggage you don't want on the walk, move what you need ahead of you each day, and shape the days around what else you've planned.

How we look after visitors from Australia
Scotland UK
Trail Essentials
Start
Milngavienear Glasgow
End
Fort WilliamHighlands
Distance
154 km96 miles
Total Ascent
3,155 m10,351 ft
Difficulty
Moderate
Hilliness
Hilly
Time to Complete
Explorer
9 days ~17 km/day
Hiker
7 days ~22 km/day
Fastpacker
5 days ~30 km/day
Trail Runner
3 days ~51 km/day

When to Walk

Best Good Avoid
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
The West Highland Way runs 96 miles from the suburban edge of Glasgow at Milngavie to the foot of Ben Nevis at Fort William — past the Milngavie obelisk and the Glengoyne distillery, over Conic Hill and the Highland Boundary Fault, along the eastern shore of Loch Lomond, up through Glen Falloch and Glen Coe, across the wilderness of Rannoch Moor, and up the zig-zag of the Devil's Staircase to the foot of Britain's tallest mountain. It's the trail Scotland built its long-distance walking on — long, varied, well-supplied, walked by people from every continent in any month it's open. The character changes underfoot: the early days are gentle, the middle is loch-shore work, and from Tyndrum onwards the country lifts and stays lifted.
Walking the West Highland Way

How The Trail Unfolds

Your trail divides naturally into three parts — not by day, but by altitude. You leave Glasgow's edge and cross the Highland Boundary onto Loch Lomond's shores; you walk up the loch and out into Highland glens; and from Tyndrum the country lifts under you all the way to Ben Nevis.

Across the Boundary
Milngavie to Rowardennan

Across the Boundary

Suburban park gives way to drove road and oak wood, and one hill puts you over the geological line that splits Scotland.

You leave the obelisk in Milngavie and walk out of suburban Glasgow on the bed of an old Victorian railway, past Mugdock Country Park and the Craigallian Fire memorial. Glengoyne distillery sits to your right, the Dumgoyne hill behind it. By the time you're on Drymen's quieter lanes the country has thinned out. Then comes Conic Hill — 361 metres of grass and exposed rock sitting directly on the Highland Boundary Fault. From the top, the islands strung across Loch Lomond mark the same fault line. You're in the Highlands now.

Loch and Glen
Rowardennan to Tyndrum

Loch and Glen

The eastern shore at its hardest, then up the glen with the river beside you and the Highlands fully open.

From Rowardennan the path becomes properly hard work. The northern shore of Loch Lomond is rocky and root-laced — boulder fields, scrambles, Rob Roy's Cave above the water. You pass the RSPB reserve at Inversnaid and emerge at Inverarnan, the loch finally behind you. Then up Glen Falloch with the river to your side and the Falls of Falloch dropping ten metres through a gorge. Past Crianlarich and the ruins of St Fillan's Priory you reach Tyndrum, a small Highland crossroads.

The High Country
Tyndrum to Fort William

The High Country

Drove road across Rannoch Moor, the zig-zag climb to the trail's highest point, and the long Mamores walk down to Fort William.

From Tyndrum the trail tilts upward. You climb past Beinn Dorain to Bridge of Orchy, then out onto Rannoch Moor — fifty square miles of bog, lochan and heather crossed on Telford's old Parliamentary Road. Glen Coe opens ahead, Buachaille Etive Mòr at its mouth. Above Kingshouse you climb the Devil's Staircase — named by Wade's road-building soldiers — to the trail's highest point at 550 metres. Down to Kinlochleven, then up through the Mamores on the old military road. Ben Nevis fills the view; Fort William sits below.

— Now Make It Yours —

Find Your West Highland Way

Most people walk it in 7 days. Some want longer to take it all in. Others want the challenge of doing it quicker. Pick the trip that suits you — or customise yours below.

ABTOT 5690 · Financially protected Guidebook authors on every trail 72-hour confirmation or no charge Refund promise if we can't deliver
Your personalised Trail Book — trip overview, day by day itinerary and accommodation details

Included with every trip

Your personalised
Trail Book

Everything you need for every day of your trail — built around your exact itinerary. Your route, your accommodation, your packing list. Ready before you leave, works offline when you're out there.

Tonight's accommodation

Check-in time, room type, phone number and directions — all in one place

Day-by-day trail description

Route map, elevation profile and written description for each stage

Packing list and pre-trip checklist

Everything you need, nothing you don't. Tick items off as you go

Works offline

Open it once with data and it's yours — no signal needed on the trail

Included with every trip

Your route on every device you use

Your custom GPX file is built around your exact itinerary — day by day, door to door. Load it onto any device or app before you set off and navigate with confidence.

Works with

GPX route on Komoot iPhone app and Garmin watch
Jennifer’s First Big Trail: The West Highland Way

Hear it from the trail

Jennifer Stevens

Jennifer Stevens had never walked a long-distance trail when she shouldered an 18-kilogram pack and set off alone into the Scottish Highlands. What she found on the West Highland Way was something no video had prepared her for.

“If you're able to, add an extra day. Allow room for the unexpected.”
Read Jennifer’s story →
Craig, Trail Specialist at Big Trail Adventures
Talk to a Specialist

Knows the trail. Plans yours.

Craig Trail Specialist
The West Highland Way is the trail I send people to when they want a proper Highland walk without it being a slog. The loch shore section is harder than most expect, but then you're across Rannoch Moor and over the Devil's Staircase before you've quite settled into it. Pace it slow enough to look up.

Craig has walked the West Highland Way more than once over the past decade. He knows where Loch Lomond's eastern shore gets properly slow, which Bridge of Orchy night is worth holding out for, and how the Devil's Staircase descent compares to the climb. Ten years in adventure travel; this one he talks through from his own boots.

Ask Craig about the West Highland Way

If you want to talk through your timing, your fitness, your pace, or anything the planner can't answer — call. Most of our customers do, and Craig's the one who'll answer.

Call us · 8am–6pm 0131 560 2740 hello@bigtrailadventures.com
The Practical Side

Before You Book

The things walkers ask us most often — answered plainly, so you don't have to ring to find out.

How fit do I need to be?
You'll want to be comfortable walking around 22 km a day with a daypack on mostly well-graded path. The longest day on the Hiker pace is the Rannoch Moor crossing at around 30 km, and the rocky stretch on Loch Lomond's northern shore is the trail's most technical section, though not its longest. If 22 km a day feels punishing, the nine-day Explorer pace breaks it down to about 17 km daily.

When should I walk it?
May and September are the trail's best windows. May gets you long days, fewer midges and the country still freshly green. September has post-midge clarity and autumn light, with daylight just long enough for the longer stages. June and July are walkable but the midges arrive in earnest, especially on Loch Lomond's eastern shore and around Kinlochleven. August adds the busiest accommodation. April and October are shoulder months — colder, sometimes snowy on the higher passes.

Do you include luggage transfer?
Yes — your bag is moved between accommodations every walking day, up to 20 kg per bag. You walk with a daypack carrying the day's essentials. The route is well-served by transfer companies and every village on the Hiker pace is on a road, so you'll find your bag at your next bed regardless of where the day ends.

What kind of accommodation do you book?
Family-run inns, B&Bs and small guesthouses, with the occasional historic Highland hotel — never chains. Every stay is en-suite, with breakfast and drying space for wet boots. On the West Highland Way that often means the historic Kingshouse beside Glen Coe, a traditional inn at Bridge of Orchy, and lochside houses that have been hosting walkers for decades. In the busiest weeks of June and August some of the most-loved places book up six months ahead.

Can I walk it solo?
Yes — the West Highland Way is one of the most solo-friendly long-distance paths in Scotland. The route is signed throughout, the villages are close enough together that you'll see other walkers most days, and accommodation is set up for single rooms across the whole trail. The technical northern Loch Lomond stretch is best walked in daylight — start early from Rowardennan and you'll have the whole day for it.

What's the realistic total cost?
Our Classic package starts at £889 per person for the seven-day Hiker pace, based on two people sharing. That covers accommodation, breakfast every morning, baggage transfer, a route pack with maps and trail notes, and our trail support. On-trail extras — lunches, drinks, the occasional taxi when the day overruns — typically run £35 to £50 a day. There are no permits or park fees on the West Highland Way.

Still not sure? Ring us on 0131 560 2740 — Craig usually answers.

Still Thinking?

Speak to Craig

If you've scrolled this far, we need to help you get onto this trail. The bit the planner can't help with — "is the pace right for me?", "is August really that busy?", "can we add a rest day in Keswick?" — that's a two-minute phone call. Most people who book the West Highland Way ring first.

Call us · 8am–6pm 0131 560 2740