Hiking the West Highland Way, Scotland

The West Highland Way.

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Near the end of our sixth day on the West Highland Way, we passed an ancient graveyard and the ruins of St. Fillan’s Priory, now reduced to low moss-covered stone walls in a grove of trees by the trail. We didn’t linger, foot-sore and eager to get to Kingshouse, a couple of miles farther on, where we could probably buy a latte and something to eat, but we learned from interpretive signs that St. Fillan was an 8^th Century Irish missionary who had settled in this part of Scotland. He was believed to have had healing powers and as an extra bonus, a left arm that glowed in the dark, which came in handy during Scottish winters as he huddled by a guttering fire copying religious works. I can imagine other uses for a glowing arm but also downsides: for one, it might attract midges, the obnoxious biting flies that famously swarm the Highlands during the summer months, driving hikers crazy. 

Mental illness in the 8th Century was mysterious and difficult to treat, but near the priory, a Holy Pool in the River Fillan offered hope to the afflicted or at least to their long-suffering caregivers. According to interpretive signs, the ill were led to the pool where they were released to wade in and recover stones, which were then placed carefully around a stone circle. Then they marched naked back to the priory to be tied “hand-and-foot” for the night to the altar beneath St. Fillan’s Bell with nary a glowing arm to light the darkness. If in the morning they had managed to escape, they were considered cured. It’s unclear what became of them if they didn't, but I doubt that it included lattes at Kingshouse, where we headed in haste, trying not to dwell on the 8th Century mental health safety net.  

 

We spent eight days in September hiking the West Highland Way from Milngavie, a northern suburb of Glasgow, to Ft. William, a largish town nestled between Loch Linnhe, an arm of the sea, and Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the U.K. The walk begins in the Scottish Lowlands and passes through rolling farmland and patches of forest before crossing a fault defining the edge of the Highlands. From there, a long rocky traverse along the shore of Loch Lomond leads to classic Highlands terrain—vast open moorland and u-shaped valleys beneath steep vegetated peaks called Munros if they rise to over 3,000’, Corbetts if they’re between 2,500’ and 3,000’, and Grahams if they're between 2,000’ and 2,499’. The trail in this northern section mostly follows an old military road, paved in stones in places and reduced to single-track trail in others. It descends at the end into Ft. William where one can board a train back to Glasgow or Edinburgh.

 

At well-spaced intervals along the way are small towns where walkers can stay in comfortable lodging if they plan ahead or campsites if they tough it out with full backpacks. Somewhat untypically for us, we chose the former, reveling in hot showers, comfortable beds, and hearty pub-meals and complaining only a little about the walking, barely laden with tiny daypacks stuffed with unused rain gear (we enjoyed unheard-of perfect weather) and snacks. Each night, our luggage was waiting for us thanks to a luggage transfer company that stays busy through the hiking season shuttling suitcases from place to place for hikers from all over the world. 

 

Trail cohorts leave Milngavie at the same time each day, often following similar itineraries, so hiking the WHW is social. We bonded with a couple from New Zealand and another from Canterbury (southern England) and joined them in the evenings for dinner and on the trail to chat when we could keep up, helping the miles go faster. We met hikers from the U.S., Canada, Israel, Thailand, France, Romania, and Germany, most when they passed us as we plodded along, wondering how people walk so fast. And of course, some people run the WHW and a few ride it on bicycles. Others have enough energy to bag Munros along the way, a sport of its own. If you bag all 232 Munros, you are dubbed a Munroist in Scotland, an honor that I will never attain. 

There are myriad websites and blogs providing fine-grained detail about the WHW, so I won’t go down that road, but I’ll add a few logistical notes after the photos below. We enjoyed the hike quite a lot, especially the northern half in the Highlands proper where more of the walking is away from busy roads and the scenery is gently spectacular. Knowing what I know after walking the WHW, I might choose to piece together something a little wilder if I were to return, but it’s a beautiful introduction to Scotland, and even with the crowds and the proximity to roads, walking it sure beats being tied naked to an altar beneath a bell without a glowing arm.

Ellen walking out of Milngavie, a suburb of Glasgow. The first few miles are in urban parks before the trail leaves that behind and enters rural farmland.

Typical terrain during the first day or two of the walk through rolling countryside divided by old stone walls. Once forested, most of this land has been cleared for farming and grazing. The tree in this image is a European mountain ash, thick with red-orange berries.

European mountain ash berries.

For Ellen, a near-vegetarian, all haggis is aggressive.

Speaking of haggis, here's an example of Mexican-Scottish fusion cuisine (Sco-Mex? Mex-i-Sco? Haggidillas?).

Ellen at the Clachan Pub in Drymen. Supposedly, this is the oldest licensed pub (1734) in Scotland, though I imagine there are many unlicensed pubs that go back further. The shelf all along the ceiling is lined with bottles of scotch from different distilleries. 

 

Scottish countryside near Drymen on the 2nd day of the walk.

Ellen descending Conic Hill toward Loch Lomond. Workers were busy using large boulders to build the trail, which made it tedious to navigate. I asked one of them how they managed to get the boulders up there, and he said, "this is where I have to make up a story about helicopters--nobody believes in magic anymore."

Forest near Balmaha was reminiscent of the Pacific Northwest.

Loch Lomond is a huge lake that we hiked along for two days before breaking out into more classic Highlands terrain.

"Honesty Boxes," few as fancy as this refrigerated one, are scattered along the trail for hikers. You're on your honor to leave money for any snacks and drinks you can't resist.

The view north into the Highlands from Loch Lomond.

The classic bar at the Drover's Inn at the end of our 2nd day. It opened in 1705 and supposedly, the famous Rob Roy (Scotland's Robin Hood) stopped in, though those stories seem a little like "George Washington slept here."

A stream along the trail. The landscape is gentle but streams cut into bedrock and are full of waterfalls, slots, and rapids.

Another stream incised into rolling hills.

A fencepost along the trail.

Beinn Dorain, a Munro, on day 5.

The Bridge of Orchy over the River Orchy at the end of the 5th day of our walk. The bridge was built in 1746 but has no trouble supporting a modern road. We sat beneath it soaking our tired feet until we could check into our comfy hotel beside the river.

The River Orchy in morning fog as we started out on day 6.

The slabs of Stob Dearg, another Munro, rising out of the fog on our 6th day. Climber note: There are technical slab climbs on this and other nearby peaks with "adequate protection" which, given Scottish climbing tradition, should make your palms sweat.

Ellen on day 7 with the trail stretching out before her.

The view down the Loch Leven valley with "The Pap" in the distance, called that "for obvious reasons" according to a local taxi driver we talked with.

Ellen approaching a stone ruin on the last day (8th) of the walk.

The infamous Ben Nevis near the end of the hike. At over 4,000', this is the tallest peak in the U.K. The side you can't see in this photo is craggy and has been the scene of Scottish mountaineering epics for centuries.

Ellen at the end of the walk in Ft. William. The WHW is supposed to be about 96 miles long, but Ellen traced it at over 110 on her GPS, and our feet were ready for a few days off.

Logistics

There is a wealth of detailed information online about hiking the WHW since it is probably the most popular long-distance trail in Scotland. I'll add just a few notes here.

Walking Companies: There are many companies that you can hire to make accommodation and luggage transport arrangements, and for us, this was a worthwhile and not very expensive way to set up the trip. We used Contours, and they did an excellent job--all of our accommodations were upscale, and transfers all went smoothly. Book as early as possible! We booked late (early June for a mid-September hike), so on several nights we had to take taxis (arranged by Contours) from where we finished walking to available accommodation. It would be much nicer to sleep where you finish walking each day. Do your research before choosing a walking company--Contours was great, and there are other good companies, but we heard from other travelers and taxi drivers that some companies are "rubbish."

The Walk: The walk is generally easy, without too much climbing and descending at least compared to what we're used to in the U.S. West where we do most of our backpacking. We did the walk in 8 days, which is fairly common (people do it in much shorter or a little longer times). This was reasonable, but we had some 17-mile days in the first half of the walk which felt long. Most of the latter half required only 9-12 mile days which is more relaxed. You could create an itinerary that breaks up those long early days. If you want a wilder walk with less people, there are many options, but they may require a little more planning to arrange.

Food: Our accommodations provided breakfasts, and they were hearty. We carried snacks for lunches, but you can buy packed lunches if you want something more substantial, and many of the towns along the way have places to buy food. We ate dinners out at universally good restaurants and pubs. Food is expensive in Scotland by our standards, but we went for it. There were always at least some vegetarian options at restaurants, including vegetarian haggis (made from vegetable livers and hearts wrapped in a vegetable stomach?).

Transport: Transportation to the beginning of the walk in Milngavie and from the end in Fort William is easily accomplished and inexpensive by train. See the Scotrail website.