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.

---

Details:

Path Type:	Scotland's Great Trails
Waymark:	Thistle within hexagon
Attributes:	Scotland's Great Trails Challenging Lake/Reservoir/Loch Moorland Mountain
Start:	NS553745 - Milngavie, E Dunbartonshire
Finish:	NN112742 - Nevis Bridge, Fort William, Highland
Open Date:	1980
Web Sites:	West Highland Way (Official Website) Scotland's Great Trails Walk Highlands - Scotland's Long Distance Walking Routes Independent Hostels UK - West Highland Way Accommodation Brian's Walks - West Highland Way north to south [blog] Brian's Walks - West Highland Way south to north [blog] BBC news : New end for West Highland Way BBC Highlands and Islands : In pictures: the West Highland Way Trailplanner - West Highland Way [blog]

---

Publications, Badges and Certificates:

Guidebook	Walking the West Highland Way : Milngavie to Fort William Scottish long distance route  (Cicerone Press  - 2016 )
Guidebook	West Highland Way : the official guide  (Birlinn  - 2018 )
Guidebook	West Highland Way : National Trail Guide  (Aurum Press (an imprint of Quarto)  - 2016 )
Guidebook	West Highland Way : Milngavie to Fort William  (Trailblazer Publications  - 2016 )
Guidebook	West Highland Way  (Pocket Mountains  - 2013 )
Guidebook	West Highland Way  (Rucksack Readers  - 2011 )
Guidebook	NOT the West Highland Way: diversions over mountains, smaller hills or high passes for 8 of the Way's 9 stages  (Cicerone Press  - 2020 )
Leaflet	West Highland Wayfarer  (Famedram Publishing  - Annual )
Certificate	Certificate for National Trails  (Long Distance Walkers Association )
Guidebook	The 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  - 2018 )
General Interest Book	Three men on the Way Way : a story of walking the West Highland Way  (Whittles Publishing  - 2013 )
General Interest Book	Walking distance: extraordinary hikes for ordinary people  (Oregon State University Press  - 2012 )
General Interest Book	Big walks of the north  (Summersdale Publishers  - 2010 )
General Interest Book	Big walks of Great Britain  (Summersdale Publishers  - 2007 )
Guidebook	Walkers' Britain  (AA Publishing  - 2011 )
Guidebook	Guide to the West Highland Way  (Constable and Robinson (an imprint of Little, Brown)  - 1988 )
Guidebook	Fastpacking : multi-day running adventures : tips, stories and route ideas  (Cicerone Press  - 2018 )

Click to showhide 14 more Publications, Badges and Certificates

---