West Highland Way - The Route, West Highland Way Race, Towns, Villages or Hotels along the Way

Long-distance footpath in Scotland, UK; stretching from Milngavie near Glasgow to Fort William; length 158 km/98 mi; opened in 1980.

The West Highland Way is a long distance footpath in Scotland. It is 152 km (95 mi) long, running from Milngavie north of Glasgow to Fort William in the Scottish Highlands, with an element of hill walking in the route.

The Route

The path uses many ancient roads, including drovers' roads, military roads and old coaching roads and is traditionally walked from south to north.

The route is traditionally walked in seven to eight days, although fitter and more experienced walkers do it in six. The route can be covered in considerably less time than this, but less hurried progress is the choice of the majority of walkers, allowing for appreciation of the countryside along the Way. Indeed, enjoyment of the natural surroundings of the walk are the primary motivating factor for many people following the route. It proceeds by way of country roads, an abandoned railway, the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park and scenic Conic Hill on the Highland Boundary Fault, to reach Balmaha on Loch Lomond. From here, the route follows the isolated, wooded, eastern shores of the loch via Rowardennan and Inversnaid to Inverarnan.

The Way follows Glen Falloch northward to Crianlarich then north west along Strathfillan to Tyndrum. North of Tyndrum the Way enters Glen Orchy before crossing the desolate yet beautiful Rannoch Moor and descending into Glen Coe.

Due to the large number of walkers being constrained to a single track, some parts of the Way have become badly eroded. However a considerable amount of work is undertake to maintain the route so where sections of the way appear to have been eroded into tracks wide enough to drive a vehicle along, these are where the route is following sections of old military road.

West Highland Way Race

An annual race along the full south–north distance of the West Highland Way has been run in its current form since 1991.

Towns, Villages or Hotels along the Way

Listed south to north, with approximate distances from Milngavie, the West Highland Way passes the following towns, villages or hotels:

Milngavie Beech Tree Inn, Glengoyne Drymen Balmaha, Loch Lomond; 30 km (19 mi) Rowardennan, Loch Lomond; 44 km (27 mi) Inversnaid, 54 km (34 mi) Inverarnan, 64 km (40 mi) Crianlarich, 75 km (47 mi) Tyndrum, 85 km (53 mi) Bridge of Orchy, 95 km (59 mi) Inveroran, 99 km (62 mi) Kingshouse, 115 km (71 mi) Kinlochleven, 130 km (81 mi) Fort William, 152 km (95 mi)