West Highland Way – Through the Highlands on Scotland’s First National Trail

Hiking the West Highland Way Trail

Walking North Through History, Rain, and Highland Resilience

The West Highland Way stretches 154 km from Milngavie, a suburb of Glasgow, to the outdoor capital of Fort William, gateway to Ben Nevis. Following old drovers’ roads, military tracks, and loch-side paths, this trail marked Scotland’s first official long-distance route and has become one of the most popular hikes in the UK and Europe.

We arrived here after walking Wainwright’s Coast to Coast and finishing the Pennine Way, with only two weeks remaining in our UK journey before a return transatlantic voyage aboard the Queen Mary 2. What began as a spontaneous decision to head north quickly turned into a journey of contrasts: sublime Highland scenery met with the mental challenges of trail crowds, unpredictable weather, and the evolving definition of wilderness.

The West Highland Way offered us moments of unexpected solitude, wild beauty, and encounters with feral goats, ancient ruins, and the quiet resilience required to keep walking in the rain. But it also invited deeper questions: what happens when nature becomes saturated, not just by water, but by people?

Why Walk the West Highland Way?

• Scotland’s First National Trail: Officially opened in 1980, it laid the foundation for the country’s long-distance trail system.
• Lochs, Glens, and Mountains: Traverse the shores of Loch Lomond, climb Conic Hill, and cross Rannoch Moor.  Each of which are some of the UK’s most iconic landscapes.
• Rich History Underfoot: Follow ancient drovers' paths, military roads, and Telford’s Parliamentary routes.
• Part of the International Appalachian Trail (IAT): Connects to our previous routes through Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Quebec on the Trans Canada Trail.
• Accessible Yet Demanding: While many sections are beginner-friendly, the terrain, weather, and crowds can test even seasoned trekkers. 

Trail Details

• Origin: Milngavie, just outside Glasgow
• Destination: Fort William, Highland
• Distance: ~154 km (96 miles)
• Time Required: 6–9 walking days
• Best Seasons: May to September (be prepared for rain in all months)
• Terrain: Forest paths, loch-side scrambles, rocky climbs, moorland tracks
• Camping: Mix of wild camping, organized sites, and inns

Our Walking Itinerary and Stages

Our journey along the West Highland Way was both stunning and intense. Below is the sequence of our walk, reflecting both the terrain and our need to adapt to weather, crowds, and energy: 

About the West Highland Way

Beginning the West Highland Way : Milngavie to Drymen

Tourism Trials : Drymen to Rowardennan

Challenges Real and Imagined : Rowardennan to Inverarnan

Halfway and Hobbit Huts : Inverarnan to Tyndrum

Stormfronts and Self Reflection : Tyndrum to Kingshouse

The Devil’s Staircase : Kingshouse to Kinlochleven

Final Day on the West Highland Way : Kinlochleven to Fort William

Reflecting on the West Highland Way

Reflections from Hiking the Scottish Highlands

This wasn’t a wilderness trail in the way we understood it - raised in Algonquin, Bruce Peninsula, and Jasper, where wildlife meant bears, moose, or elk. Here, wildness was more nuanced: the sudden solitude of Rannoch Moor, the eerie quiet of a misted loch, or the strength needed to walk on through hail, wind, and sun all in the same hour.

And yet, those fleeting moments - feral goats scrambling up wet rocks, sunlight breaking over Ben Glas Burn, birdsong in foggy forests - reminded us of why we walk. To be in and be restored by nature.

The West Highland Way formed part of a greater arc - a slow pilgrimage that began in England after arriving from North America, and continued northward through Scotland on the Great Glen Way before ultimately turning south toward Hadrian’s Wall Path. It’s a trail that tested patience, prompted reflection, and delivered both challenge and reward.

From Sea to Summit and Back Again

This journey through the Scottish Highlands was part of a larger narrative - a bridge between two transatlantic ocean crossings aboard the Queen Mary 2. What began at sea ended in mountains, and will soon return to the waves again.  Having walked along Wainwright’s Coast to Coast, the Pennine Way, and now the West Highland Way we have just over a week of time remaining and two more trails to trek along: the Great Glen Way and Hadrian’s Wall Path.

The West Highland Way joins a growing collection of our slow travel journeys: 

• Long-distance hikes: Bruce Trail, Trans Canada Trail, and East Coast Trail
• Rail adventures: VIA Rail’s Canadian and Ocean routes
• Transatlantic voyages: Queen Mary 2 (Eastbound & Westbound), Wind Surf
• Pilgrimage routes: Via Augusta, Via de la Plata, Camino Francés, Camino Portuguese, and more

We invite you to follow our story - one trail, tide, and track at a time.

See you on the Trail!