> Hike the full West Highland Way at your own pace
> Sleep in simple, friendly accommodations
> Luggage transfer included, walk light and enjoy the trail
Early morning mist rising off Loch Lomond. The crunch of gravel under your boots as you leave the woods and walk into the wild emptiness of Rannoch Moor. And that first sip of whisky in Fort William when you’ve made it all the way. The West Highland Way is a journey through Scotland’s greatest hits, and this version keeps things real and affordable.
This is our basic package for the classic 9-day trek. You walk the full route from Milngavie to Fort William with overnight stays in simple B&Bs, guesthouses, and hostels. Luggage transfer is included, so you can enjoy the walk with just your daypack. Accommodation before and after the trek is included, so you’re all set from day one. A solid option for trekkers who want the full experience without the frills.
Please note: This trek includes simple, budget-friendly accommodation. One night is spent at Glencoe Mountain, where sleeping bags are provided and rented on site (included in the price). Pillows are not provided at this accommodation. If you want to make your trek more budget-friendly, contact our experts to exclude the luggage transfer and receive a 10% discount.
Today you travel to Milngavie, the official starting point of the West Highland Way. You'll spend the night here, giving yourself a head start and a good night's rest, before the journey begins.
From the busy streets of Milngavie you slip quickly into a greener world of parks, lochs and distant hills. The path winds north on old drove roads and forest tracks, with the Campsie Fells and Dumgoyne Hill (427 m) keeping you company on the skyline. It feels like leaving the city behind for good, trading traffic noise for birdsong, open fields and the quiet rhythm of walking.
After leaving the obelisk in Milngavie, follow the clear waymarked path through Mugdock’s woodlands and around small lochs, with a steady climb onto open moorland of around 150 metres. The track rolls past scattered farms and the huts at Carbeth, then continues on a good path beneath the bulk of Dumgoyne Hill, with big views back to Glasgow and across to the Campsies. Near the road by Gartness the route flattens and turns through quiet lanes and fields.
Drymen appears almost suddenly, a cluster of houses gathered around a green. Follow the pavement into the centre, passing the village shop and cafés until you reach the crossroads. Most guesthouses and inns sit close to this junction or just along the surrounding streets, so it is easy to find your bed for the night and settle in with food, a drink and a last look at the hills you have walked beneath.
The walk starts gently from the village streets and slips into forest tracks, quiet fields and the first views of distant water. Soon the land rises towards a long ridge and the rounded top of Conic Hill, where the islands of the loch line up like stepping stones. From here the rest of the day unfolds beside the water, finishing in the quieter cluster of houses and trees at Rowardennan.
From the village, follow lanes and farm tracks into Garadhban Forest, where wide paths wind through the trees and climb gradually. Clearings appear more often, with glimpses of mountains to the north. The path breaks out onto the open ridge and climbs more steeply to Conic Hill, around 350 metres above the loch, with big views across the islands and down to Balmaha.
A stepped path drops quickly from the ridge through bracken and woodland to the harbour and beach at Balmaha. From here you follow undulating lochside paths and short stretches of track past bays and pebble beaches, with Ben Lomond growing larger ahead. Near Rowardennan the path meets the road. Turn along it to reach the hotel, hostel or lodges scattered along the shoreline.
Leaving Rowardennan, the shore path quickly trades the last trees of the village for wilder oak woods and quiet pebbled bays. The loch keeps you close company all day, sometimes glassy calm, sometimes wind ruffled, with Ben Lomond (974 m) slowly dropping behind and the jagged shapes of the Arrochar peaks drawing the eye ahead. It is a long, sometimes testing wander, but packed with character, water views and that feeling of being properly out in the hills.
The way begins on a broad track through plantation forest before narrowing to a rugged lochside path. You weave between roots and boulders, ducking in and out of coves, with short climbs up to around 80 metres as the path hops over rocky ribs above the water. After the woodland bothy at Rowchoish the trail roughens, leading to the hotel and waterfall at Inversnaid, then continues on ladders, stone steps and twisting traverses until the ground finally eases near the head of the loch.
Here the path turns inland on a softer track through pasture and scattered trees. A final gentle descent brings you to the cluster of buildings at Inverarnan beside the river. Follow the signs to cross under the main road towards the inn, bunkhouse and campsite, where boots can finally come off and stories of roots, rocks and waves can be swapped over food and a well earned drink.
Leaving Inverarnan beside the river, the path swaps lochside woods for a classic Highland glen. You follow the tumbling River Falloch, sometimes close enough to feel the spray, with benches, bridges and old railway views along the way. As you turn towards Crianlarich, the skyline fills with bigger mountains, especially Ben More (1174 m) and Stob Binnein (1165 m), guiding you toward the broad, open basin around Tyndrum.
From the hamlet, a steep woodland path pulls you quickly above the road and railway, then eases into a mossy traverse through oak and pine. The trail undulates close to the River Falloch, crossing burns on little bridges and passing the ruins of shielings and an old viaduct. A gradual climb of about 200 metres through thicker forest leads to the junction for Crianlarich, where the way bends left onto higher slopes with wide views back down the glen.
Beyond the forest edge the ground opens into rough pasture and scattered birch. The path swings across an old military road and follows a gentle terrace between streams, with Ben Lui (1130 m) appearing ahead on a clear day. As fences and tracks multiply you know Tyndrum is close. Continue past the campsite and houses to reach the village services, where cabins, inns and hostels sit just off the path, never far from a hot meal.
Leaving Tyndrum on old drove roads, you follow the glen north between shining burns and the constant thread of the railway. Big hills gather around you, with Beinn Dorain (1076 m) and Beinn an Dothaidh (1004 m) standing guard above the line. After the last trees at Bridge of Orchy the world opens wide, and you cross lonely Rannoch Moor towards Kingshouse, with Buachaille Etive Mor (1022 m) closing the view like a stone gate.
The way begins on a clear track leaving the village and rising gently through fields and scattered spruce. Soon it joins an old military road, climbing about 150 metres through Glen Orchy with views back to Tyndrum and ahead to the sharp cone of Beinn Dorain. A steady descent leads to the river and hotel at Bridge of Orchy, then the main ascent begins, winding another 250 metres up through heather to the broad, stony plateau of Rannoch Moor.
Across the moor the track rolls between lochans and sheltering boulders, with the peaks of Glen Coe growing larger at every turn. A final short climb and descent bring you beside the main road, where the white buildings of Kingshouse sit at a bend in the river. Paths fan out around the hotel, bunkhouse and campsite, making it easy to find your bed and watch evening light burn on the face of Buachaille Etive Mor.
The day starts at the white buildings of Kingshouse, with Buachaille Etive Mor (1022 m) towering behind like a bodyguard. The path leads you steadily into the mouth of Glen Coe, where cliffs fold around the road and the Mamores wait in the distance. By the time you reach the high notch of the Devil’s Staircase, views stretch from Rannoch Moor to distant Ben Nevis (1345 m), before you drop towards the sea loch at Kinlochleven.
From the hotel a clear track heads past the river and joins the old military road beside the glen. You walk gently uphill, skirting boggy hollows and passing cairns as the cone of Stob Dearg falls behind. At the junction for the Devil’s Staircase the real climb begins, zigzagging roughly 250 metres up a stony slope to a pass of about 550 metres, where the Mamores line up like a sawblade and the first hints of Loch Leven appear.
The descent is long and easy to underestimate, dropping nearly 600 metres on rocky paths and grassy ribs. The track curves around the hillside, then plunges towards the glen, with the metal hydro pipes of Kinlochleven drawing you in. Woodland closes around you as you meet the river and follow streets into the village. Most guesthouses, hostel and campsite hug the road or sit close to the water, never far from a warm meal.
From the shore of Loch Leven you climb straight out of Kinlochleven into a high empty world. The old military road carries you along the wide bowl of the Lairigmor, with tumbled crofts and flanking ridges keeping you company. As you swing towards Glen Nevis the view suddenly fills with Ben Nevis (1345 m), a heavy grey wall at the end of the glen, drawing you down towards the streets and harbour of Fort William.
The path leaves Kinlochleven on steep lanes that quickly turn into a rocky track through birch and pine. A steady zigzag climb gains roughly 300 metres to a broad col, with Loch Leven falling away behind and the Mamores lined up to your left. From here the track settles into a gentler rhythm across the Lairigmor, passing streams, sheep pens and the ruined house of Tigh-na-sleubhaich, before curving between low hills towards the edge of the forestry above Glen Nevis.
Forest tracks and narrower paths now guide you along the hillside, offering growing views down the length of Glen Nevis. A long descent on stony paths drops around 400 metres to meet the road and river on the outskirts of town. Follow pavements and waymarks past houses and shops into the centre of Fort William, where hotels, hostels and guesthouses cluster close together, and it is blissfully easy to find food, a shower and somewhere to sleep.
After breakfast, the journey comes to an end. Our package finishes here. Wishing you a safe and smooth trip home.
