The West Highland Way is Scotland's most-walked long-distance route — 96 miles from Milngavie on the edge of Glasgow to Fort William at the foot of Ben Nevis. It opened in 1980 as Scotland's first official long-distance footpath and remains the natural choice for a first multi-day UK trek.
What to expect
Most people walk it over 6-8 days, averaging 12-16 miles a day. The terrain is generous compared with the Pennine Way: well-graded paths, mostly under 600m elevation, with the genuinely high country reserved for the final stretch over Rannoch Moor and the Devil's Staircase out of Glen Coe. The route follows Loch Lomond's eastern shore, climbs over the Highland Boundary Fault, and finishes in the shadow of Britain's biggest mountain.
Practical notes
April through October is the practical season — May/June for long daylight and fewer midges, September for autumn colour. Wild camping is permitted under Scotland's open-access laws (within reason), though most walkers use the chain of B&Bs, bunkhouses and small hotels along the route. Bag-transfer services run between every overnight stop. Boots, waterproofs and midge repellent are the three essentials.
Train, parking, drive…
- Train
- Milngavie (ScotRail from Glasgow Queen Street, ~20 min), 5 min walk to start
- Return
- Fort William (West Highland Line back to Glasgow, ~3h45 - one of the world's great rail journeys)
- Parking
- Milngavie limited long-stay; most walkers train in
- Postcode
- G62 6BJ
- Drive
- ~7h from London, ~30 min from Glasgow
- Car-free?
- Easy
Transport details are best-effort and worth double-checking on the day — rural buses and station services change with the timetable.
If you’ve got an extra day…
Plan it yourself.
The most authoritative sources we know of for this route — routes, conditions, governing bodies and operators. Open in a new tab.
- West Highland Way - official site
- National Trails official body for the 15 long-distance National Trails of England and Wales.
- OS Maps Ordnance Survey for paper sheets and the OS Maps app for route planning.
- Mountain Weather Information Service free upland weather forecasts — the standard reference for British hill walkers.
- Long Distance Walkers Association route database covering hundreds of UK long-distance trails beyond the National Trails network.
