West Highland Way hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The West Highland Way is a long-distance walking route in Scotland. It runs for 154 km (96 miles) from Milngavie, a small town on the northern edge of Glasgow, to Fort William at the foot of Ben Nevis. It was the first official long-distance route in Scotland and is now one of Scotland's Great Trails. On the way it goes from the gentle farmland of the Lowlands into the mountains of the Highlands: along the whole east shore of Loch Lomond, through Glen Falloch and Strathfillan, across the wild Rannoch Moor, past Glen Coe and over the hills to Kinlochleven and Fort William. Much of the route follows old drove roads, military roads and coaching roads. Almost everyone walks it from south to north, and it is waymarked along its whole length.

The route

The Way starts at an obelisk on Douglas Street in the centre of Milngavie. It passes through Mugdock Country Park and quiet farmland, with views of the Campsie Fells, to the village of Drymen. Next it climbs over the shoulder of Conic Hill, on the Highland Boundary Fault, with a wide view over the islands of Loch Lomond, and drops to Balmaha on the shore. For the next two days the path follows the east side of Loch Lomond through oak woods to Rowardennan, Inversnaid and the north end of the loch. North of Inversnaid the path is rough, rocky and slow. From Inverarnan it climbs Glen Falloch to Crianlarich and Tyndrum. After Tyndrum it follows old military and drove roads past Bridge of Orchy and Inveroran and across Rannoch Moor to the Kingshouse Hotel at the east end of Glen Coe, under the peak of Buachaille Etive Mòr. The next day climbs the Devil's Staircase, the highest point of the Way at 550 m, and drops to Kinlochleven at sea level. The last day follows an old military road through the Lairigmor pass and the forests above Glen Nevis to Fort William. The Way ends at Gordon Square in the town centre, next to a bronze statue of a tired walker.

This guide follows the main route as mapped on OpenStreetMap and splits it into 8 stages, about 19.1 km each, ending in the villages where walkers usually sleep. The highest point is only 550 m, but there is a lot of up and down: the elevation profile used here adds up to about 2,800 m of climbing in total, and other sources give up to about 3,200 m.

Highlights

• Mugdock Country Park: woods, lochs and castle ruins in the first hour out of Milngavie
• Conic Hill: a short climb on the Highland Boundary Fault with one of the best views of Loch Lomond and its islands
• The east shore of Loch Lomond: oak woods, small beaches, the Inversnaid waterfall and Rob Roy's cave
• Glen Falloch and Strathfillan: rivers, waterfalls and the first big Highland mountains
• Rannoch Moor: a wide, empty moor of bog and lochans, crossed on an old military road
• Glen Coe and Buachaille Etive Mòr: the famous pyramid peak above the old Kings House inn
• The Devil's Staircase: a zig-zag climb to the highest point of the Way, 550 m
• Ben Nevis: Britain's highest mountain (1,345 m) comes into view on the last day; many walkers climb it the day after they finish

When to walk the West Highland Way

You can walk the Way at any time of year, and May is the most popular month. Most walkers go between April and October, when hostels, campsites and many small places are open. Spring and early summer have the longest days. Midges (tiny biting flies) are common from May to September, especially on calm, cloudy evenings, so carry repellent and a head net. The weather changes fast at any time of year: expect rain and wind, and on Rannoch Moor and the Devil's Staircase there can be snow from late autumn to spring. From 1 March to 30 September you need a permit or a campsite to camp on the east shore of Loch Lomond (see below). Book rooms early for May to September.

How many days do you need?

The official site says most walkers take six to seven days, and many take eight. The 8 stages in this guide are the usual relaxed plan of 11 to 30 km a day. The longest day is Tyndrum to Kingshouse (about 30 km), with food and beds only at Bridge of Orchy and Inveroran on the way; you can split it there. Fit walkers join Drymen to Rowardennan in one day and finish in six days. You can also walk the Way in parts, because trains and buses reach several places on or near the route.

Getting there and logistics

Glasgow is the nearest city with an international airport. Milngavie has regular trains from central Glasgow, and the start is a short walk from Milngavie station. Fort William has trains back to Glasgow on the scenic West Highland Line, and Citylink coaches run between Glasgow and Fort William along the A82. On the way there are railway stations at Ardlui, Crianlarich, Tyndrum and Bridge of Orchy, and bus stops at Inverarnan, Crianlarich, Tyndrum, Bridge of Orchy and Glen Coe. There is no special car park at either end.

You sleep in hotels, inns, hostels, bunkhouses, B&Bs and campsites. Under the Scottish Outdoor Access Code you may wild camp in a small tent for two or three nights in one place, away from roads and buildings, and leave no trace. But on the east shore of Loch Lomond the national park's camping byelaws apply from 1 March to 30 September: you may only camp in a campsite or with a permit (£4.50 per tent per night, booked online up to four weeks ahead). Several companies carry bags between overnight stops. Shops are few after Drymen: Balmaha, Rowardennan, Tyndrum and Kinlochleven have small shops, and Crianlarich is a short detour. Mobile signal is weak or missing on long parts of the route, so carry the route offline.

In 2026 there is forestry road construction in Ewich Forest north of Crianlarich until about early October; the path stays open but there may be short local diversions. A new waymarked High Route into Fort William opened in June 2026. Check the notices on the official site before you go.

Difficulty

The West Highland Way is a moderate walk on clear paths and tracks with no technical climbing, but it is long and often wet. The hardest parts are the rocky, rooty path north of Inversnaid, where you sometimes use your hands over boulders and burns (streams) can be impassable after heavy rain, the long day across Rannoch Moor, which is very exposed in bad weather, and the climb of the Devil's Staircase. Good walking boots, waterproofs, warm layers and a map are needed. Dogs are welcome under control, but keep them out of fields with lambs: at lambing time (about mid-April to the end of May) dogs are not allowed in two fields on the approach to Conic Hill, and there is a signed road diversion to Balmaha. In an emergency call 999 or 112 and ask for the Police, then Mountain Rescue.

History

After the Second World War, Tom Hunter, a walker from Glasgow, suggested an official footpath from Glasgow to the Highlands, partly to protect the east shore of Loch Lomond from development. The route was surveyed on foot in the early 1970s, approved in 1974 and opened on 6 October 1980 as Scotland's first official long-distance route. Much older roads lie under it: Highland drovers took cattle south on it to the Lowland markets, and after the Jacobite rising of 1745 the army built military roads, such as the road over the Devil's Staircase. The Kings House at the head of Glen Coe, an 18th-century inn on that road, still welcomes walkers as the Kingshouse Hotel. Today tens of thousands of people walk the whole Way every year, and many finish by climbing Ben Nevis.