The Wet Highland Way

In case youre wondering my spell-check is working. To my way of thinking, when it rains for, at least part of, six out of the seven days, Wet Highland Way is more appropriate. Unless, of course, youve been brought up in Fort William in which case anything less than ten and a half hours constant rain in a twenty-four hour period can be classed as a dry day.
Anyway, day one started with an early morning alarm for my wife, Susie and myself, Sandy and then picked-up by Ann and Bruce. The introductions over, we headed south; next stop the world famous, (well, world famous for anyone travelling the A9 at least.), Ballinluig service station for bacon butties and a brew. More introductions to Nan, Raymond and Trish and a familiar face in Sandra. Suitably refreshed, including the first toilet stop of many, we rejoined the A9 and aimed, roughly, for Milngavie.

Day one: Milngavie to Drymen (12 miles)

Bruce left us to bag another Munro in the shape of Ben Lomond and Raymond joined us for day one as we set off. If truth be told, although we were all itching to get started, I think we were all a little daunted by what lay ahead, (maybe that was just me), and just getting started was a relief. So we left Milngavie, (pronounced, Mullguy), and took the Way to Drymen, (pronounced, Drimmen.). It must be some sort of Weegie humour I suppose, to confuse the tourists, (pronounced, mugs.).
The first part of day one was quite a nice walk out of Milngavie and past Mugdock Loch, through the woods, where, apparently the standard of dog walker was pretty good according to the female section of our group, and following the route of an old railway line until we reached the Beech Tree Inn, instantly determined by the fact that theres no Beech tree anywhere to be seen. Apparently there used to be one but it had to be cut down. Probably split its trunk laughing at the walkers, (wicked sence of humour, Beech trees, you know!).
,Suitably refreshed by soup, sandwiches, Guinness and various, girlie, half pints of lager and cider, (all of which were to play an important part in keeping us hale and hearty for the rest of the week.), off we went again, this time on probably the dullest walk of the whole Way. Right from the off we had to navigate our way through the paddy fields of north Milngavieshire, (pronouncedoh never mind!), and then onto a, seemingly, never ending road section whose only purpose seemed to be shredding our feet before the walk had started properly.
,Finding the Buchanan Arms was easy enough and we checked in, Sandra and Trish into the palatial Presidential suit, leaving NannAnn along with Susie and myself slumming it in, what appeared to be, staff quarters. The girls went for a quick dip in the leisure pool and I, still in nightshift mode, slipped into unconciousness, (which I was to pay for the following morning.
We nipped out for dinner at the oldest Inn in Scotland, the Clachann, (established 1734. Personally I dont see why this is seen as a selling point. After all we had our meal there just two and a half hours later at 2005.). The locals had laid on a Pipe Band, along with Highland dancers, just to make us feel welcome. Which was nice.
After an excellent meal we dropped in to see how the other half live and had a wee nightcap. Conversation turned to Cocktails, somehow, and at this point one of the group, (who shall remain nameless to protect the guilty), explained that shed had an Orgasm while she was on holiday. Id kind of lost track for a moment, I think we were still on cocktails, anyway, itd been fantastic, whatever it was we were talking about.

Day two: Drymen to Inverbeg (15 miles)

,For me, day two started at 05:30 so I passed an hour and a half reading my book on the bathroom floor before daring to wake Susie. The two of us then went down to the leisure suite and had a wee swim. At the time she wasnt too impressed but, by the time shed had her swim, eaten breakfast and woken up, (in that order), she agreed that it had been a good idea. After eating, we all packed up and deposited the bags at the pick-up point and rejoined the way.
,An easy start, we left Drymen and had a short climb through a wooded section, where we first met a lone Swiss walker who was also heading north.
,At the end of the woods we had a short break and the company split up. Sandra, Trish, Susie and myself made the, rather foolish as it turned out, choice to go up and over Conic hill, (for the spectacular views), while NannAnn decided to talk, ooops, I mean walk, around the base. You might even say that, on the way to Loch Lomond, we took the high road and they took the low road and they were in Balmaha before us. Then again, you might not.
,It was a hard slog up Conic hill, right into the low cloud and mist. Spectacular views? Em, not really. Well, in between mist and clouds it did open up for a few seconds, showing us Loch Lomond for the first time.
NannAnn 1 The rest 0. Down the hill and through Conic wood...

The Wet Highland Way

In case youre wondering my spell-check is working. To my way of thinking, when it rains for, at least part of, six out of the seven days, Wet Highland Way is more appropriate. Unless, of course, youve been brought up in Fort William in which case anything less than ten and a half hours constant rain in a twenty-four hour period can be classed as a dry day.
Anyway, day one started with an early morning alarm for my wife, Susie and myself, Sandy and then picked-up by Ann and Bruce. The introductions over, we headed south; next stop the world famous, (well, world famous for anyone travelling the A9 at least.), Ballinluig service station for bacon butties and a brew. More introductions to Nan, Raymond and Trish and a familiar face in Sandra. Suitably refreshed, including the first toilet stop of many, we rejoined the A9 and aimed, roughly, for Milngavie.

Day one: Milngavie to Drymen (12 miles)

Bruce left us to bag another Munro in the shape of Ben Lomond and Raymond joined us for day one as we set off. If truth be told, although we were all itching to get started, I think we were all a little daunted by what lay ahead, (maybe that was just me), and just getting started was a relief. So we left Milngavie, (pronounced, Mullguy), and took the Way to Drymen, (pronounced, Drimmen.). It must be some sort of Weegie humour I suppose, to confuse the tourists, (pronounced, mugs.).
The first part of day one was quite a nice walk out of Milngavie and past Mugdock Loch, through the woods, where, apparently the standard of dog walker was pretty good according to the female section of our group, and following the route of an old railway line until we reached the Beech Tree Inn, instantly determined by the fact that theres no Beech tree anywhere to be seen. Apparently there used to be one but it had to be cut down. Probably split its trunk laughing at the walkers, (wicked sence of humour, Beech trees, you know!).
,Suitably refreshed by soup, sandwiches, Guinness and various, girlie, half pints of lager and cider, (all of which were to play an important part in keeping us hale and hearty for the rest of the week.), off we went again, this time on probably the dullest walk of the whole Way. Right from the off we had to navigate our way through the paddy fields of north Milngavieshire, (pronouncedoh never mind!), and then onto a, seemingly, never ending road section whose only purpose seemed to be shredding our feet before the walk had started properly.
,Finding the Buchanan Arms was easy enough and we checked in, Sandra and Trish into the palatial Presidential suit, leaving NannAnn along with Susie and myself slumming it in, what appeared to be, staff quarters. The girls went for a quick dip in the leisure pool and I, still in nightshift mode, slipped into unconciousness, (which I was to pay for the following morning.
We nipped out for dinner at the oldest Inn in Scotland, the Clachann, (established 1734. Personally I dont see why this is seen as a selling point. After all we had our meal there just two and a half hours later at 2005.). The locals had laid on a Pipe Band, along with Highland dancers, just to make us feel welcome. Which was nice.
After an excellent meal we dropped in to see how the other half live and had a wee nightcap. Conversation turned to Cocktails, somehow, and at this point one of the group, (who shall remain nameless to protect the guilty), explained that shed had an Orgasm while she was on holiday. Id kind of lost track for a moment, I think we were still on cocktails, anyway, itd been fantastic, whatever it was we were talking about.

Day two: Drymen to Inverbeg (15 miles)

,For me, day two started at 05:30 so I passed an hour and a half reading my book on the bathroom floor before daring to wake Susie. The two of us then went down to the leisure suite and had a wee swim. At the time she wasnt too impressed but, by the time shed had her swim, eaten breakfast and woken up, (in that order), she agreed that it had been a good idea. After eating, we all packed up and deposited the bags at the pick-up point and rejoined the way.
,An easy start, we left Drymen and had a short climb through a wooded section, where we first met a lone Swiss walker who was also heading north.
,At the end of the woods we had a short break and the company split up. Sandra, Trish, Susie and myself made the, rather foolish as it turned out, choice to go up and over Conic hill, (for the spectacular views), while NannAnn decided to talk, ooops, I mean walk, around the base. You might even say that, on the way to Loch Lomond, we took the high road and they took the low road and they were in Balmaha before us. Then again, you might not.
,It was a hard slog up Conic hill, right into the low cloud and mist. Spectacular views? Em, not really. Well, in between mist and clouds it did open up for a few seconds, showing us Loch Lomond for the first time.
NannAnn 1 The rest 0. Down the hill and through Conic wood...

I only walked a short distance on the West Highland Way but it is really good that there is a route you can take through some spectacular scenery. I walked a short distance in the Fort William area and the route is well signposted and well maintained.

If you like good scenery and have a sturdy set of walking boots then this is a good place to go.

I only walked a short distance on the West Highland Way but it is really good that there is a route you can take through some spectacular scenery. I walked a short distance in the Fort William area and the route is well signposted and well maintained.

If you like good scenery and have a sturdy set of walking boots then this is a good place to go.

Unforgettable hiking experience! The West Highland Way is a must-do. This iconic trail offers some of the most breathtaking landscapes in Scotland, with stunning views of rugged hills and serene lochs.

Let's be clear, this is a hike and not a walk. I and my wife are in our 50s and found it challenging but very doable with preparation and some training. We hit the best week of weather Scotland had all year. This certainly impacted our experience.

As for Gemini Walks, they offer an exceptional experience. Gemini Walks provides a fantastic way to tackle the West Highland Way with expert support. The accommodations were tailored to our desires. The team was very communicative and met every need. I have no reservation in recommending the group!

Top 3 trips I have ever taken.