The West Highland Way

Scotland’s first official long distance route links Milngavie to Fort William – a distance of 154km (96 miles) – from the northern outskirts of Glasgow, to the foot of Ben Nevis at Fort William.

The West Highland Way links Milngavie, just outside Glasgow, to Fort William in the Highlands.  It passes from the lowlands, across the Highland Boundary Fault Zone and on into the Scottish Highlands. Much of the Way follows ancient and historic routes of communication and makes use of Drove Roads, Military Roads and Disused Railway Tracks.  For ease of reference the route is described in short sections.

The usual convention is to describe the route from south to north, the thinking behind this being the southern stages are easier and will reparse Users for the more demanding northern stages. There is however no reason why the West Highland Way cannot the traversed from north to south, starting in Fort William and ending in Milngavie.

Due to the  variety of distances involved, these should not be considered as a days activity.  The planning of stage lengths should be based upon ability and fitness and take into account the opportunities available to explore places of interest along the route.

Mileages / Times

The distances and timings shown below should only be used as a guide. Mileages have been rounded to whole numbers for ease of presentation and the timings take account of the terrain but include no allowance for stops and are intended for guidance purposes only.

Milngavie to Carbeth – - - - – - – 5 miles (8 kms) / 3 – 4 hours

Carbeth to Drymen – - – - - – - – 7 miles (11.2 kms) / 3 – 4 hours

Drymen to Balmaha – - – - – -  – 8 miles (12.8 km) / 4 – 5 hours

Balmaha to Rowardennan – - -  7 miles (11.2 km) / 3 – 4 hours

Rowardennan to Inversnaid – - 7 miles (11.2 km) / 4 – 5 hours

Inversnaid to Inverarnan – - – - 7 miles (11.2 km) / 4 – 5 hours

Inverarnan to Crianlarich – - - - 6 miles (9.6 km) / 3 – 4 hours

Crianlarich to Tyndrum – - – - – 6 miles (9.6 km) / 3 – 4 hours

Tyndrum to Bridge of Orchy – - 7 miles (11.2 km) / 3 – 4 hours