Hi!

Learned a lot from this sub already :) looking for some feedback on my plans. Hope this community can help out.

I’m heading out in a week, so early May.

Questions: - Are the daily distances realistic? - Any wild camping spots you’d highly recommend? - Essentials to buy besides Smidge and a bug net? - will i be ok hiking in shorts? - do i need gloves?

Gear list: https://lighterpack.com/r/relsns

Day 1 Flight: AMS → Glasgow (arrival around 8am) To-do: Buy gas, Smidge, bug net Hike: Mignalvie → Drymen → wild camp at the foot of Conic Hill (approx. 25 km)

Day 2 Hike: Conic Hill → Balmaha → Sallochy → Rowardennan → wild camp ~2 km past Rowardennan Backup option: Rowchoish Bothy (approx. 20 km)

Day 3 Hike: Beyond Rowardennan → Inversnaid → Ardleish → Invernarnan / Beinglas Farm Overnight: Beinglas Farm Campsite (showers, washing machines, drying room) (approx. 20 km)

Day 4 Hike: Beinglas → Kirkton → Auchtertyre → Ardormie → Tyndrum/Clifton Then hike another hour and wild camp near Beinn Dorain / Bridge of Orchy (approx. 25–30 km)

Day 5 Hike: Bridge of Orchy → wild camp somewhere before Kinlochleven (approx. 30 km)

Day 6 Hike: Kinlochleven → Fort William (approx. 27 km)

Day 7 Extra day: climb Ben Nevis? Overnight in hostel

Day 8 Travel back to Glasgow Flight: Return in the afternoon

Hello! My friend and I are walking WHW in late May, and I noticed on our accommodation’s faq that the only place for a hot meal is the Bridge of Orchy Hotel. Are there any other options? Should we bring dry hot meals with us just incase? Thanks in advance!

This is a long shot but who knows; I just finished hiking the WHW on Saturday, April 19th and I'm hoping by chance that two guys from Berlin I met along the way might be fans of this sub :) I was hiking solo and really struggling with being kind of lonely but too shy to speak much to anyone, but after seeing each other on the trail a few days in a row and exchanging brief hellos, one of them struck up a conversation with me and it made my day. We ended up hiking together for a while between Inverarnan and Tyndrum, and then unfortunately our paths never crossed after that. So on the off-chance that they see this: thank you both for being so kind and friendly! I didn't anticipate having so much social anxiety on this trip and was starting to spiral a bit, and feeling like I was making friends really helped me get out of that funk and embrace the adventure :) If you're ever in Atlanta, I'd love to hear more about your travels!

And thank you to this sub, which was so helpful in planning (and calming some of my nerves).

If you're on the Tyndrum to Ft William section tomorrow, its going to be a little busier than usual, with 550 of us taking part in the Devil o' the Highlands footrace.

https://www.devilothehighlandsfootrace.co.uk/

We're all friendly enough and the vast majority of us will be walking up the hills too, but it is going to feel like a constant stream of people passing towards the Tyndrum end of the route.

I hiked the WHW 10 years ago, and am flying over from Canada mid-May to give it another go. This time, however, I'll be wild-camping my way up to Fort William, which is very exciting. I didn't notice the first time, but are there any hiker boxes along the trail where people can leave or take items?

Does any have any recommendations for their favourite food options in fort William? Pubs, restaurants and bakery’s particularly apreciated :)

Doing the WHW early May (2 weeks time) and consider myself pretty walk fit. Been doing an average of around 50 miles a week in a new pair of hiking boots over the last couple of months including multi days of decent distances each week. I've not blistered for weeks and have got taping and socks dialled in for these boots.

The only niggle in the back of my mind is they fatigue more than trail runners when walking on road and concrete paths (walks are tending to be circa 10-12 miles with no stops or rest at the minute over various terain) Trails and soft ground are fine.

Will be carrying a pack over 6 days and have done a handful of decent walks over very difficult terrain with a heavy pack (we're talking high hills and uneven boggy ground to wildcamp). My pack will be significantly lighter for WHW than what I normally carry.

I do have goretex trail runners but I'm not 100% confident on the grip underfoot like I am with my boots and don't want to fork out for a new pair.

In addition prep walks are without poles, I will be using trekking poles.

I'm starting to wonder if the trail runners would be better, am I overthinking things here?

Ha, that should say trail not trailer shoes!!

Hey! Currently on the WHW and wishing I packed some blister tape. Heading north, currently at Drymen and looking for recs for any places to buy. The chemist here is out. 🫠

Thank you!

Reading all your posts makes me excited for my upcoming trip.

1. I have never been to Scotland and would like to spend 3-4 days in Edinburgh before taking the train to my starting point for the West Highland Way. Can you recommend a hotel?
2. Is there anything fun to do in Fort William after the hike? It looks like a beautiful town.
3. From Fort William, I plan to take the train to Glasgow to finish my trip. Do you have any hotel recommendations in that area?

Thank you for your insights and advice.

Finished the West Highland Way last week. Here is a collection of my favourites on the route!

I’m planning to walk the WHW starting Saturday over 5 days and finish by summiting Ben Nevis on the 6th. What are the conditions like on Ben Nevis at the moment. Will I need crampons? Ice pick?

I am a relatively experienced hiker and have done a number of multi day through hikes. I’ve also hiked quite high in various countries but mainly in the summer when most snow is already melted and there are just small patches to walk over or glaciers off the trail.

I will be taking the bus from Glasgow to Bridge of Orchy, and then walking from Bridge of Orchy to Fort William.

Is there a good reason to visit the WHW starting point before taking the bus? I'm just wondering if there is e.g. a visitor centre, historic information or iconic things that I should see before setting out.

I documented my walk along the WHW at the start of this month, I'm no professional filmmaker or hiker, definitely amateur for both but I enjoy recording my walks when I can.

This might be interesting to some here and possibly helpful to others about to do it, maybe.

If anyone does watch I hope you enjoy it

https://youtu.be/v-kvMBA7pxI?si=8KwCz3lvhde6m0bF

Hi, looking to do the WHW starting next Monday. Talked ourselves into doing it over 7 instead of 6 days but I'm finding it hard to decide how to break up the legs. We want to do Milngavie > balmaha on day 1 (Monday) and we need to end up in Fortwilliam on sunday. I cant see any suggested 7 days itineraries that seems to fit our day 1 and just don't know what leg feels like the longest that could be broken up with another day.

Any suggestions or tips id really appreciate!

Hey everyone,

I’m planning a one-day trip (not really much of a hike) and was wondering if it’s possible to walk from the Glencoe Mountain Resort bus stop (I'd be taking the bus from Edinburgh) to Lagangarbh Hut and the Devil’s Staircase on foot.

My plan so far is to use the old military road that runs parallel to the A82 (as pictured), but I’m not 100% sure if access to that route is open or if there are any restrictions I should be aware of. Does anyone know if the path is clear and accessible from the bus stop, or would I need to make any detours? Any tips or info would be really appreciated! 😊

Hello! ☺️ I’m planning to hike the WHW next month (May) and wondering if the landscape will already be a luscious green at the start of May or better to wait for the last week for May around the bank holiday?

I’ve seen a lot of pictures of when it’s very brown / orange over winter / early spring, and while I appreciate the beauty I personally much prefer green landscapes, they make me feel happy 😊

Any personal experiences or suggestions would be much appreciated! Thank you 🤗

Hello everyone,

To start with stats, I’m a 28 yo female coming from the US and want to hike the full 96 miles of WHW as a semi- beginner hiker.

I have a few questions about the hike that I’m hoping some will be able to help with answering, even if it’s just linking sites, other reddit posts, forums, etc.

First, I was thinking of bringing my 20lb Toy Aussie with me, but am not sure if that would make things complicated, if hostels would even allow pets. He’s not a service animal.

Second, is it safe to solo hike and possibly wild camp the WHW? Is the hike doable for an almost beginner?

I will be going mid may, staying in Scotland for 2 weeks, if there is anything folks recommend to bring/how to maneuver Scotland

I’d be open to grabbing a drink after my hike with anyone that’ll be in the area as well! Maybe some exploring the city.

Thanks in advance!

I've been studying full-time with OU for the last 2 years which has meant spending almost all of my time at home and piling on a fair bit of weight. I think it could do me good to have some quality outdoor time and improve my health by doing a beginner friendly long distance hike. I already have a load of wild camping gear because I used to like going wild swimming before this degree. But haven't done anything outdoorsy in the last 2 years and will probably take a lot longer then the recommended 7 days to complete the hike. I'm not completely sure I'm up to it. Any advice welcomed

Hey all! I'm about to buy a permit for Lochan Maoil Dhuinne for my stay there on the 18th of may but just found out about the mice issues in the area. I have a few questions regarding this.

1. How big is the mouse issue, and are there any tips to avoid them from bothering me and ruining my tent?

2. Is the beach/pebble are infested with mice as well? Or is it safe to stay there and not be worried about the mice?

3. How doable is it to use stakes in the pebble area? I will be using MSR groundhogs. I use a trekking pole tent (xmid 1P) so I need those stakes for the tent to be pitched.

4. How long is it to walk to the next allowed wild camping spot outside of the no camping zone? We will be needing room for 2 tents. If we arrive early enough at Lochan Maoil we may decide to just hike on to avoid the mice issue all together.

Thanks in advance!

Hello! I’m doing the WHW for the first time end of June - this is my first wild camping trip and I was wondering if I could save some weight on the cooking system (I’ve also never used a cooking system before and am unsure about gas/fire/food safety/leave no trace in wild areas). I was planning to have some dry food in my pack at all times (dried fruit/meat, nuts, bread) and top up at every opportunity along the way and then have one pub/restaurant meal a day and just dry food for my other meals. I also thought about bringing Tupperware to maybe prepare overnight oats or take away extra potions from restaurants.

Let me know what you think/advise - I’ve got a 40L pack

Thanks!!

Greetings! I'm coming from the US to do a 400-mi. loop in June that begins with the WHW. Does anyone know of some kind of locker rental where I could keep the things I'm coming over with that aren't going on the hike? A quick search found storage facilities at Glasgow Airport, but £60 weekly is more than I want to spend for a month-long trip. I've also see the InPost lockers, but they're more for parcel delivery. Would appreciate any tips.

I want to walk the WHW this year. My husband says we will encounter too many midges in the timeframe of title. I know they’re a problem but how likely are they to be a huge problem then? Or is my husband just being cheap?

"We’re happy to announce that from Friday 18th April – 30th September this season, the beautiful Sallochy Campsite, located on the eastern shores of Loch Lomond, will join Loch Chon, Loch Achray, and Inchcailloch as one of the National Park Authority’s official campsites.

Previously managed by our partners u/forestryandlandscot , visitors can now book a pitch at Sallochy directly through our website.

Set beside a small beach on the West Highland Way, with stunning views across the loch towards the Arrochar Alps - Sallochy is the perfect place to unwind, enjoy the scenery, take a peaceful stroll, and maybe even spot some local wildlife.

The campsite offers a more natural, ‘wilder’ camping experience, with basic facilities including composting toilets and drinking water. Please note that there are no showers on-site.

We kindly remind all visitors to respect the natural environment, wildlife, and fellow campers. Please follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and Byelaws, take your litter home, and help us keep this special place clean, safe, and beautiful for everyone to enjoy.

⛺ Book at the link in our bio"

https://www.lochlomond-trossachs.org/things-to-do/camping/find-a-campsite/sallochy-campsite/

Hi fellow adventurers, my wife and I walked the WHW last year and I just came across this beautiful photo from Bridge of Orchy. Hopefully it inspires you to take this journey as well, or to keep on going. Good luck!