West Highland Way

Argyll and Bute, E Dunbartonshire, Highland, Stirling

Scotland's first official Long Distance Route, and now one of the family of Scotland's Great Trails, crosses a variety of terrain which becomes more rugged as it moves northwards and between the major mountain groups. The Way follows the eastern side of Loch Lomond, crossing the slopes of Ben Lomond to Crianlarich and Bridge of Orchy, the western edge of Rannoch Moor and the entrances to Glen Etive and Glen Coe, and up and over the Devil's Staircase and the highest point of the route at 550m, to reach Kinlochleven. The final section follows General Caulfield's military road over the slopes of the Mamores, crossing wild country with extensive views of the Ben Nevis range to reach Fort William.

The waymarked Kelvin Walkway (9 miles and on OS mapping) connects Milngavie with the Glasgow Heliport on the north bank of the River Clyde, providing a link into central Glasgow, and this Walkway is included in the Trailblazer guide.

Strider News - December 2026 (Publication Update)

New 9th Edition of the Trailblazer guidebook. 

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Details:

Path Type:	Scotland's Great Trails
Waymark:	Thistle within hexagon
Attributes:	Scotland's Great Trails Challenging Path Passport Lake/Reservoir/Loch Moorland Mountain
Start:	NS553745 - Milngavie, E Dunbartonshire
Finish:	NN100737 - Bronze statue of walker, Gordon Square, High Street, Fort William, Highland
Open Date:	1980
Web Sites:	West Highland Way (Official Website) Scotland's Great Trails - West Highland Way BBC News: The Long Journey of the West Highland Way Independent Hostels UK - West Highland Way Accommodation Undiscovered Scotland - West Highland Way Trailplanner - West Highland Way [blog] Brian's Walks - West Highland Way south to north [blog] Brian's Walks - West Highland Way north to south [blog] A walker's journal - The West Highland Way [blog] Trailwalker - West Highland Way [blog] Baldhiker - Solo Walk along the West Highland Way [blog] Secret Scotland Travel Blog April 2023 Outdoor Scott - Ultimate Guide to the West Highland Way [blog] West Highland Way [YouTube video] West Highland Way - Kevin Augello [YouTube video] Walking the West Highland Way [YouTube video] West Highland Way - Carl Johnson [YouTube video] Tartan Trailblazers - How to Prepare for your West Highland Way

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Publications, Badges and Certificates:

Guidebook	West Highland Way : Glasgow & Milngavie to Fort William & Ben Nevis  (Trailblazer  - 2026 )
Guidebook	West Highland Way: Milngavie (Glasgow) to Fort William  (Cicerone Press  - 2025 reprint )
Guidebook	West Highland Way  (Rucksack Readers  - 2024 )
Guidebook	Trekking the West Highland Way: two-way trekking guide  (Knife Edge Outdoor Guidebooks  - 2026 )
Guidebook	West Highland Way: the official guide  (Birlinn  - 2018 )
Guidebook	West Highland Way : National Trail Guide  (Aurum Press (an imprint of Quarto)  - 2016 )
Guidebook	Not the West Highland Way: A Mountain High Way  (Cicerone Press  - 2025 )
Guidebook	Fastpacking: multi-day running adventures: tips, stories and route ideas  (Cicerone Press  - 2018 )
Path Passport	West Highland Way Passport  (Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park )
Certificate	Certificate for National Trails  (Long Distance Walkers Association )
Leaflet	West Highland Wayfarer  (Famedram Publishing  - Annual )
Other	West Highland Way map [artwork]  (Famedram Publishing )
General Interest Book	Tales from the Big Trails  (Vertebrate Publishing  - 2021 )
General Interest Book	National Trails : 19 long-distance routes through England, Scotland and Wales  (Cicerone Press  - 2015 )
General Interest Book	Cape to Cape : a 1,250-mile backpacking walk from Cornwall to Cape Wrath in Scotland  (Vertebrate Publishing  - 2018 )
General Interest Book	Three men on the Way Way : a story of walking the West Highland Way  (Whittles Publishing  - 2013 )
Guidebook	Walkers' Britain  (Awesome Books  - 2011 )
General Interest Book	Big Trails: Great Britain & Ireland  (Vertebrate Publishing  - 2020 )

Click to showhide 14 more Publications, Badges and Certificates

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