Brian O’Mahony

May 18, 202312 min read

West Highland Way

The West Highland Way is Scotland's first and most popular long distance trail, traversing the lakes and hills of the highlands from Milngavie to Fort William. The 154km route is typically done in 6-8 days, and has well maintained paths with gradual climbs that make it ideal for beginners. As such it can get very busy.

Approximately 36,000 people hike the entire trail each year, with more again doing shorter sections or day hikes. It's known to be a sociable route where you're guaranteed to meet others in the campsites, towns or while walking. This makes it far from an "off the beaten path" adventure, but one I was excited to take on none the less. Everything about the trail is great and I loved the whole experience.

Preparation & Planning

The hike is usually done between April and October, but midge can be an issue from June to August. You'll hear horror stories of swarms turning the sky black at the worst times, so I played it safe and chose May. I decided to hike it in seven days, saving maps with my route and campspots. Normally I would have opted for less days, but I wanted to take it slow and be well rested for a more difficult hike I had planned in France the following week. It also let me align with those I met, rather than overtaking everyone. I tried to treat this as a fun holiday, rather than a challenge for once.

I booked the short 1hr flight to Glasgow, a return flight from Edinburgh (so I could meet a friend after), and any buses and hostels in between. I packed all my usual camping kit, making sure I had full rain gear, my bug net, a water filter and the first two days of food. I brought a plastic jar for cold soaking instead of a stove, knowing I'd likely eat out on a few of the nights and that a cold meal would be fine for the others. I packed a mix of cous cous with dried vegetables and curry seasoning that I planned to top with pepperami, cheese, nuts & raisins.

Finally, I wrapped my sleeping bag and clothes around the tent poles to protect them on the flight, and repacked the bag properly after landing in Glasgow. It's easier to find the right train when you can pronounce Milngavie (Mill-Guy), but I eventually figured it out. It was a sunny morning at 8am when I, along with a train load of other hikers, rolled into the station.

Day 1 - Milngavie to Drymen

Distance: 22.9km. Ascent: 335m

In the centre of Milngavie is a tall obelisk that marks the start, conveniently beside a Gregg's which was perfect for breakfast. There were hikers everywhere, in various sized groups or with charity t-shirts on, all wanting the same photo. After I got mine I set off, past the cool metal signs and benches that told a history of the trail. It was instantly calm, following a river through beautiful parks with big trees and squirrels, leading away from the streets of the town and towards the mountainous backdrop that was appearing ahead.

I instantly loved the gates. They were the same for the whole route; spring loaded with a huge handle that barely slowed you down. It's a minor thing, but so much better than the farm gates and stiles on Irish trails. Between the gates, the views and the sun beating down; I was having a great day. I spotted a cool frog enjoying the sun, and spoke to some nice people as I passed them. I caught up to a guy named Luke who was attempting to hike the trail in three days. It seemed ambitious and ultimately he gave up due to injury on his second day, but we hiked for two hours together and had great chats about a lot of things we had in common.

Our fast pace had me at my planned campsite at 12:00am. They weren't even letting people in until 2:00pm, so I continued on to the town of Drymen and left Luke from there. I had my lunch in town and chilled out for the afternoon, then opted to wild camp just after rather than backtrack. I found the most beautiful woodland by a stream, where I watched a movie, had a big dinner and a great sleep. My mind was telling me to keep hiking but I'd promised myself this wasn't a speed challenge.

Day 2 - Drymen to Loch Lomond

Distance: 19.4km. Ascent: 506m

I heard other hikers passing early but chose to sleep in. A light rain shower meant I had to pack a wet tent, but it was very pretty when I got walking so I didn't mind. Big hills were covered in a rolling fog, which framed the silhouettes of lonely trees. I overtook groups with huge rucksacks on the first climb, and the trail was wide enough that doing so was easy. The summit revealed gaps in the clouds which gave the first glimpses of Loch Lomond.

There was every sort of terrain today, and I particularly loved the stone steps. They led all the way to the lake, which was then a meandering forest trail over gravel and tree roots. Scenic points with statues and benches looked out on islands, and surprisingly quickly I reached my campsite. Loch Lomond National Park is the only place where wild camping is by permit only, so I chose the paid campsite to keep it easy. I arrived a bit early again, setting up my tent at 12:30am, but it gave me time to charge my batteries and relax by the beach.

That night I met Eddy; a climber and PhD candidate (now Doctor), who shared my sense of humour and inspired me with her stories. I had funny chats with her and a Czech man who became known as Oman, based on his never ending tales of hiking there. There were some nice Germans and other solo hikers too, which made up a nice group for the evening. We ate dinner together and watched the sunset over the lake as all the clouds had lifted. Some went for a swim and we all made plans for tomorrow before going to sleep.

Day 3 - Loch Lomond to Beinglas

Distance: 29km. Ascent: 929m

Eddy and I hiked together and were blessed with the weather all day. Beautiful statues, fields of bluebells, loads of birds, wild goats and lake views, all topped off with an intense sun overhead. I was admiring hand carved sculptures all the way and time flew by while chatting. Eddy had planned to sleep in a shelter on route but it was so full of people that she opted for my campsite instead, which we arrived at around 4:00pm.

I excitedly tucked into a big meaty dinner with extra haggis, and a Guinness in the sun. Eddy's vegan equivalent looked less appetising to me after a long day, but still nice. Others arrived and the night passed by quickly, finding myself falling asleep early, appreciative of the campsites shower!

Day 4 - Beinglas to Bridge of Orchy

Distance: 31.37km. Ascent: 875m

It was foggier today, passing more sculptures and a weird totem pole as I left the lakes behind and entered the real highlands. I opted for a long day today, so I'd have a short one tomorrow, while Eddy chose the opposite. I got back to my own fast pace, watching the huge hills appear beyond fields of gorse and highland cows.

Around 3:00pm I reached Bridge of Orchy, setting up my tent beside the low river. It was here the midge made their first appearance and hurried me into the hotel for dinner and drinks. I got chatting to a few hikers who were taking the luxury approach of hotels all the way, and everyone seemed to love the trail so far. The burger and dessert were great and ensured I slept soundly that night, listening to the flowing rapids beside me. I had been admiring the old photos of kayakers on the Orchy in the hotel, and thought back on my own kayaking memories in Scotland and these valleys that night.

Day 5 - Bridge of Orchy to Kingshouse

Distance: 19.6km. Ascent: 534m

An unfortunate start to the day; finding that a mouse had eaten through my rucksack to steal my bag of nuts. Lesson learnt on leaving it out in the porch! Todays route followed nice signs to a rolling landscape that looked empty and desolate. I caught up to a couple from Colorado named Sandy & Hal, see cute photo below. They were on a package trip with bags shuttled between hotels, as they've done around the world on other trails. We hiked the last hour together.

A strong wind blew from one of the valleys ahead, which had us happy to arrive at the Kingshouse Hotel by lunchtime. I set up my tent outside where I'd planned to camp, and went in to join them for lunch. They told stories of world travel, climbing the Colorado 14'ers, and of their son who climbed Aconcagua this year (which I had lots of questions about). That evening I was reunited with Eddy for dinner, drinks, chocolate and card games. We watched deer running around the fields, and camped under a sky full of stars.

Day 6 - Kingshouse to Kinlochleven

Distance: 34km. Ascent: 983m

It was foggy and cold the next morning. Eddy & I hiked quickly past barren looking mountains, with only gorse adding a touch of colour. We reached the devils staircase early, which is an old zig zagging military road that's one of the steepest and most popular sections of the hike. I love hills so I enjoyed the climb, and we stopped for lunch on the top. It's nice seeing the pride people have as they reach the summit, but after getting caught to take too many group photos we headed on.

The descent followed rivers to a water works with massive 36" pipes outside it, then through forest paths that lead to Kinlochleven. We explored the town seeing hundreds of garden gnomes and the huge Grey Mare's Tail Waterfall. This was unreal; getting soaked from the spray, and looking up at the via-ferrata climbing route to the top. It was still early and the towns campsite was oddly expensive, so we headed to a pub to make a plan for the evening.

While in the pub I spotted a woman with such fancy ultralight gear that I knew there would be a story behind it. This is how I came to meet Anna from Israel, who's thru-hiked the Tour du Mont Blanc & the Israel National Trail (1000km), and who was currently having the same debate on whether or not to keep going today. After another drink we all decided to continue together, grabbing food from the local shop and leaving the town via steep forest tracks that led up to the mountains.

The clouds cleared and the weather was far nicer than we expected. Time flew by too, with the help of nerdy hiking gear talk. Eddy had a ridge in mind that was a bit off trail, but where she wanted to camp in hopes of a nice sunrise. At a small junction in the path we said our goodbyes until Fort William, and I headed on with Anna towards the sunset. Every time we spotted somewhere to camp there seemed to be a tent already, but after a really fun evening of chatting and laughing we found a perfect fenced off area to set up. The stars came out as we had our dinners on the grass, and there was no doubt that continuing was the right decision.

Day 7 - Kinlochleven to Fort William

Distance: 15.6km. Ascent: 309m

The final day was short and sweet. Anna wanted to visit the Isle of Skye before flying home, so we started early to finish before her 10:00am bus. The route was mostly gravel roads that winded through valleys and over hills, except for a few side trails that we usually missed at first because of chatting. There was some light rain showers, but it was mostly a lovely morning, emerging from a forest for the final road section into Fort William.

Anna & I got photos together at the original end point and said our goodbyes just as her bus arrived. I continued through the town to the updated end point, where I sat under a glimmer of sun feeling delighted in the week I'd just had. I chatted to the next man who finished and we were both already nostalgic, sharing memories of the midge and storms which bonded us beyond all the crowds of tourists that filled the town. A shared understanding that is hard to replicate outside of endeavours like these.

Later that day, I met Eddy and three German friends from the trail. We got dinner in Wetherspoons, did some shopping and walked out to our campsite to get checked in. Once clean and showered everyone was in a celebratory mood, having drinks around a picnic table, sharing stories from the trail and discussing plans for the coming days. I however was looking up at Ben Nevis, which was casting a shadow over the campsite. Headtorches lit up the steep trail all night, and with a short but perfect weather window due the next morning I set my alarm.

Day 8 - Ben Nevis

Distance: 15.2km. Ascent: 1,320m

Someone told me years ago that the real finish point for the West Highland Way is the summit of Ben Nevis; the UK's highest summit at 1,345m. I've been to Fort William four times (all kayaking trips) and never climbed it, so now was my opportunity, and it seemed like a fitting end. I opted for lightweight trail running gear to see how fast I could do it, with my trekking poles used to launch me up every step. It took 15mins to jog to the base where I drank more water, took some deep breaths, and as I stood on the bridge I started my watch.

This climb is brilliant. Big stone steps are ideal to run on and I rarely had issues overtaking people (even though it's packed with hikers). It's also impressively steep, with no let up at all. I'm so used to climbing my local Galty Mór (500m vertical) that I struggled to understand how long this went on for. I looked down on the campsite and would later learn that the guys were below watching me too. Apparently I was easily identifiable.

Up past lakes and amazing views. Up through new terrains and into clouds. Up and up, until it turned white. There were queues for any steep snow, where people walked slowly through the footsteps of those ahead of them. I had no trouble overtaking and usually was back on rock between the snowiest parts, until the fully covered summit which looked mystical. It wasn't slippy and I actually enjoyed running on the snow, past icy rocks and ruins to reach the summit in 1hr 33mins.

The way down was the fastest trail run I've ever done, having earned every bit of it through the climb. I skiied where I could, stopping once to empty the snow from my shoes, and descended below the clouds to reveal the lake and views from earlier. I was flat out and loving it, with big stone steps making easy and stable targets for the unfolding puzzle ahead, and my poles stabilising me all the way.

The time was ultimately irrelevant, but after a week of slow hiking it felt liberating to run. I gave it my all to descend to the bridge in under 45mins, for a total up and down time of 2hrs 18mins 25s.

My tired, red face struck fear into those just starting, but my happiness was even more obvious. I spoke with a few charity climbers and wandered the gift shop before heading back to get showered. It was a long day of exploring, learning parkour and drinking too much coffee. The Hogwarts Express passes through Fort William and there's lots more to see, so we were all kept busy. We went out for a group dinner that evening and I took pride in my tired legs, recognising it as the feeling of a job well done. Another adventure completed and a perfect celebration before we all went our separate ways.

Afterthoughts

The West Highland Way is a wonderful experience. It's very busy at times, but I expected that and met such lovely people that it made it all worth it. The climbs are usually gradual and all trail surfaces are well maintained. It would be an easy trail to hike quickly, but I'm happy I took the extra days to relax and get to know the others alongside me. The memories of chilling out at campsites are more vivid to me now than any of the actual walking.

My favourite section was along Loch Lomond, because of the views and statues. I actually found the later highlands so barren and desolate that it bordered underwhelming, but I can see how others may appreciate the uniqueness. The ease of wild camping is a big plus, especially compared to Ireland, and I loved meeting people who were doing this as their first experience of camping. One girl Clara had borrowed all her Mum's gear and this was her first ever hike (her own words). Despite getting more blisters than you could count, she made it in eight days.

Cold soaking turned out to be amazing. I treated myself to meals out most evenings, but the lunches and dinners I did make turned out really well. It's so simple; if something takes 5mins to boil, it'll take 30mins to cold soak. Cous cous was a perfect base and topping with nuts, raisins, cheese and some meat (pepperami or chicken bites) meant it could easily be customised both in flavour and topping. I'm definitely converted to stoveless and love how I could time it to be done as I arrived in camp.

I was very lucky to have met and shared this experience with Eddy, Anna, Clara, Martin, Sebastian, Sandy, Hal & Oman. Reminiscing on the hike always makes me think of them and how lucky we can be in chance meetings. It's so strange to wonder what hike I'd have had a day earlier or later. Who would I have met that would define the trip. It makes realise why people return for this hike year after year, and why I've come to love challenges like these.

What's Next

So that wraps up another great trip to Scotland. I flew home from Edinburgh, allowing me to meet up with Ben who I hadn't seen since we hiked the Tour du Mont Blanc last year. I also had a chance run in with Travis who I travelled alongside while Backpacking New Zealand. The world was feeling so small, but the next challenge still seemed huge. In one week I'd be back in France, staring up at the white mountain that dominates the skyline of Chamonix. Preparing to take on the highest mountain in Western Europe; Mont Blanc.