West Highland Way Trail

A compact 154 km trail from Milngavie to Fort William, commonly completed in seven days.

Time to Hike: 7 days is the typical itinerary to cover 154 km, though many hikers choose 6 to 9 days to allow shorter stages or bad weather.

Best Time to Go: Late spring through early autumn offers the most walkable conditions; summer is busiest and warmest while shoulder months are quieter.

Getting there: The route starts at Milngavie north of Glasgow and finishes in Fort William; both are reachable by regular trains from Glasgow and other Scottish towns.

Costs: Budget from roughly 40 to 120 GBP per person per day depending on camping or staying in B and Bs and inns; there are no official permits but book popular accommodation in high season.

Difficulty: Moderate overall with long walking days and a few steep sections such as the Devil’s Staircase; terrain ranges from clear paths to boggy moor and exposed high sections, with changeable weather as the main hazard.

The West Highland Way begins in the suburban town of Milngavie and quickly moves into riverside paths, mixed woodland and the dramatic eastern shore of Loch Lomond. After the loch the trail climbs into open hills, crosses the broad expanse of Rannoch Moor and threads through iconic Highland glens and mountain views before descending towards Glencoe and Fort William.

Accommodation along the way is a mix of small hotels, B and Bs, bunkhouses, hostels and campsites rather than staffed mountain huts; daily services in villages mean you can walk it as a self-supported route without heavy food carries. The route is notable for packing classic Highland landscapes into a week - loch shores, moorland, river valleys and big mountain silhouettes such as Ben Nevis visible at the finish.

The main air gateway is Glasgow Airport with good rail links into Glasgow city centre and onward suburban trains to Milngavie where the trail starts. Trains from Glasgow Queen Street run frequently to both Milngavie and the end point at Fort William, making public transport straightforward for one-way logistics.

Most people walk northbound from Milngavie to Fort William to build towards the highest and most dramatic mountain scenery, though southbound is also common if you prefer finishing in the lowlands.

Walkable season is typically April to October, with June to August offering the warmest weather and longest daylight. Midges are a nuisance on calm summer evenings and accommodation fills quickly in July and August, so book popular hotels and bunkhouses ahead.

There are no permits required to walk the route, but expect changeable conditions - heavy rain, wind and boggy underfoot in wet spells, and shorter daylight in spring and autumn. Carry waterproofs, map and compass or a reliable navigation device for exposed stretches near Rannoch Moor and the high glens above Loch Lomond and Fort William.