Walk the West Highland Way

What it's like

The West Highland Way runs 154 km (96 miles) from Milngavie, on the edge of Glasgow, to Gordon Square in Fort William. Opened in 1980, it was Scotland's first official long-distance route.

The country changes as you go. You cross the Highland Boundary Fault on Conic Hill, follow the shore of Loch Lomond below Ben Lomond, cross Rannoch Moor, one of the last remaining wildernesses in Europe, and climb the Devil's Staircase in Glencoe before the last stretch to Fort William. Most people take six to seven days.

The route is waymarked along its length, but the official site says you should still be able to use a map and compass.

Choosing an itinerary

These are the four suggested itineraries on the official site. Every one ends with the 15 miles (24 km) from Kinlochleven to Fort William. The official site warns that the northern shore of Loch Lomond, from Inversnaid to Inverarnan, is rough going and often slower than people expect, so think about the ground as well as the miles when you set each day.

When to go

May is the busiest month, and the official site calls spring and autumn especially beautiful. Midges are usually at their worst from June to August, within a season that runs from May to September; they are thickest at dawn and dusk, so carry repellent and a head net.

The site says the Way should be walked in winter only by fit walkers with good winter navigation skills.

Beds and camping

• Beds are limited in some places, so the official site advises booking as much as you can before you go. Where nothing is free, you can take transport back to the previous night's stop.
• The official site says to wild camp for no more than two or three nights in any one place.
• From 1 March to 30 September camping byelaws apply in parts of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, so check the park's camping management zone information before you pitch a tent there.
• Use a stove rather than an open fire, take everything away with you, and do not camp in the field between Gartness Road and the A811 just before Drymen, which holds sheep and cattle.