Introduction

Introduction Milngavie Balmaha Rowardennan Ardlui Crianlarich Tyndrum Bridge of Orchy Kingshouse Kinlochleven West Highland Way travelled during September 1992

Stob Dearg (Buachaille Etive Mor) with Glen Etive on the left and Glen Coe to the right.

The West Highland Way (WHW) is the first and longest of the long distance trails in Scotland. It was opened in 1980 and stretches for 152 kilometres (95 miles) from the Glasgow suburb of Milngavie to the town of Fort William at the foot of Ben Nevis. The WHW features include:
A urban beginning in the outskirts of Scotland's largest city - Glasgow.
Trails through lowland forest and farmland.
Skirting the bonnie shores of Loch Lomond (Scotland's largest loch) along the flanks of the southern-most Munro, Ben Lomond.
Walking through grand glens to the pretty Loch Tulla.
A walk through isolated and wild country as Rannoch Moor is traversed to Kingshouse.
The arrival at the foot of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Britain.

The WHW is suitable for walkers of all types from the weekend stroller to the fanatic Munro bagger. Along most of it's route there is a nearby railway line or road with the exceptions being sections along Loch Lomond, crossing Rannoch Moor, going over the Devil's Staircase and the final day from Kinlochleven. The Devil's Staircase also provides the steepest climb of the route - along a zigzaging path climbing up to 550 metres (1850 feet) but only ascending 250 metres over a distance of 1.25 kilometres. Luckily the descent is gentler (but long).

It is possible to plan the route to end up each night in a hotel or B&B. I used a variety of accommodation: camping sites (Ardlui, Tyndrum, Kinlochleven and in Glen Nevis), bunkhouses (Bridge of Orchy), Youth Hostels (Crianlarich and Rowardennan), B&B (Balmaha) and hotels (Kingshouse). There are also two open bothies on the Loch Lomond section. The bothy at Rowchoish (William Ferris Memorial Shelter) is very basic but the roof is watertight. The Doune bothy at the head of the loch is more solid.

The best direction to walk the WHW is from south to north as this tends to put the sun at your back as you go. More importantly, wind and rain will be behind you or coming from your left-hand side rather than in your face. This also allows the easier southern sections to prepare you for the tougher northern sections. I definitely recommend ending up with Glen Nevis as the highlight of your trip.

The table below shows the points for and against the choice of when to walk the WHW. The best months are May and June. I choose September (1992) for the autumn splendour but had a run of cloudy weather with only one clear morning and another clear afternoon. On the other hand, there was only one day of rain.

For Munro baggers, the West Highland Way offers a multitude of Munros to climb. There are at least 20 Munros that are easily accessible from stops on the WHW with another 20 available just off the route (e.g. by camping in Glen Nevis). The highlights are Ben Nevis, the western, central and eastern Mamore Ridge across the glen from the Ben, Ben Lomond and the Ben Lui group.

The best guidebook for the West Highland Way is "The West Highland Way Official Guide" by Robert Aitken, published by the Countryside Commission for Scotland. This book comes with a strip map showing the route and surrounding areas. While the strip map has been cunningly skewed to allow the highest possible coverage of the landscape either side of the Way, you may want to also purchase the appropriate Ordnance Survey maps since they are useful for identifying far off features. The OS maps also provide inspiration for future trips in the vicinity of the WHW. The guidebook has tons of colour pictures, a comprehensive description of the route, plenty of planning and preparation hints and lots of information about Scottish history. The Ordnance Survey maps for the route (in order from Glasgow to Fort William) are from the Landranger Series:

• Sheet 64 - Glasgow, Motherwell & Airdrie
• Sheet 57 - Stirling & The Trossachs
• Sheet 56 - Loch Lomond & Inveraray
• Sheet 50 - Glen Orchy & Loch Etive
• Sheet 41 - Ben Nevis, Fort William & Glen Coe