Scottish Highlands · United KingdomWest Highland Way
From Glasgow's edge to the foot of Ben Nevis
About This Trip
The West Highland Way covers 154 kilometres with around 3,150 metres of climbing, walked south to north from Milngavie on the edge of Glasgow to Fort William at the foot of Ben Nevis. Most people take 7 to 8 days; the trail is waymarked with the thistle symbol the whole way, so navigation is easy and you can keep your eyes on the country. Expect a real mix of terrain: forest track and parkland in the first days, the rocky lochside path below Loch Lomond's east shore, open moor and old military roads in the middle, and the famous zigzag of the Devil's Staircase (548 m, the highest point) before the last day beneath the Mamores into Glen Nevis. Both endpoints are rail-connected: Milngavie has a frequent service from Glasgow, and Fort William sits on the scenic West Highland Line. Accommodation ranges from campsites and bunkhouses to small hotels; book the Kingshouse and Kinlochleven stages well ahead, as they fill months in advance in summer. May and September combine the best weather odds with the fewest midges; June to August is busiest. Stage lengths here follow the official 8-section split, giving days between 14 and 24 km.
The trail is a walk through Scottish history as much as scenery. The old military roads you follow were built after the 1715 and 1745 Jacobite uprisings, so government troops could move through the Highlands; the drovers' roads carried cattle from the isles to the Lowland markets; and Loch Lomond's shores, Rob Roy's country, set the tone for everything north. Glen Coe, Rannoch Moor and the Devil's Staircase, built by soldiers during the 1750s, are not just landscape: they are the chapters of why the Highlands look and feel the way they do.
Stages
Planning a multi-day hike often takes more time than expected. Which route matches your experience level? Where will you stay overnight? Are the accommodations available? We have done the preparation for you. With carefully curated routes, accommodations and highlights, you can easily plan your next adventure.
Milngavie - Drymen
Leaving Milngavie's pedestrianised town centre, the trail quickly trades suburbia for quiet woodland and the first of many lochs, Craigallian. Rolling fields and old drovers' roads carry you towards the Campsie Foothills, with a first proper leg-stretch at Dumgoyne's whisky distillery before the gentle finish into Drymen village green.
Drymen - Rowardennan
The day opens with the climb over Conic Hill, a small summit with a giant payoff: your first full view down the length of Loch Lomond. Then it's the east shore all the way, through Balmaha's oak woodland and quiet bays where ospreys fish, finishing at Rowardennan where the loch narrows and the Highlands properly begin.
Rowardennan - Inverarnan
Widely reckoned the toughest section: the path hugs the loch shore over boulders and slabs along old Rob Roy smuggling routes. The rewards come at the waterfall above Inversnaid and the hidden bothy at Rowchoish, before the glen opens up and you reach Beinglas Farm at the dramatic falls of the Falloch.
Inverarnan - Tyndrum
Into the Highlands proper. The trail follows ancient drove roads north through open glens with constant views of Ben More and the Crianlarich peaks. You pass the atmospheric ruins of St Fillan's Priory and cross the River Fillan several times on the way to Tyndrum, a classic West Highland staging post with two distilleries.
Tyndrum - Inveroran
A shorter, blissful day. The climb out of Tyndrum reveals the lonely grandeur of Strath Fillan and the ruined kiln at Auchtertyre. Then comes the highlight: the old military road over the shoulder of Beinn Odhar, with the wide green whaleback of Ben Lui ahead, before the welcome sight of the Victorian Inveroran Hotel.
Inveroran - Kingshouse
The great crossing. You walk the entire width of Rannoch Moor, one of Britain's last great wildernesses: black lochans, peat bog and distant Munros all around. The exposure is total and the silence enormous. Descend past Buachaille Etive Mor's pyramidal mass to the white Victorian Kingshouse Hotel, an island of civilisation at the head of Glencoe.
Kingshouse - Kinlochleven
The iconic day. The Devil's Staircase zigzags to 548 metres, the trail's highest point, over an old military road built to suppress the Jacobites. Views stretch to the Mamores and the length of Glencoe. The descent ends in Kinlochleven, a village built around what was once the world's largest aluminium smelter, now a warm welcome at the foot of the pass.
Kinlochleven - Fort William
The finale starts with a forest climb out of Kinlochleven onto the long heathery traverse beneath the Mamores, with Ben Nevis slowly filling the skyline. Glen Nevis arrives with waterfall and gorge scenery, then the last flat miles to the Old Fort, the official end of the West Highland Way, in the shadow of Britain's highest mountain.
FAQ
Below you'll find answers to some frequently asked questions.
Ready to Explore West Highland Way?
Start planning your adventure today!
Open this trip in the free Vandra mobile app and copy it to your own account, so you can edit it and plan freely, exactly the way you want.
More trips nearby
Discover other curated multi-day hikes nearby, handpicked by our community.
