The Scottish West Highland Way — Long Walks, Organics & African Stuff

The West Highland Way 150 km (96 miles) in Scotland, locally known as “The Way”, has history and grandeur at every turn. Some history powerful and horrifying whilst others benign and captivating.

The walk was conceived by the Scot, Tom Hunter from Glasgow, in 1974. It was designated as a Scottish “Long-distance Path” in 1980. It’s a wonderful mixture of drover’s tracks, old military and coaching roads, along loch shores, through oak and pine forests, over rugged mountains and through heather-clad moorlands. About 80,000 people walk it every year, with 15,000 of them completing it in one go. It begins outside Glasgow, at Milngavie (pronounced Mulgy), and finishes at Fort William, in the Highlands, 8 or 9 days later.

From Milngavie the track passes through urban areas first, then across farmland and eventually breaks out into more appealing scenery. Eventually, glimpses of Loch Lomond can be temptingly seen through breaks in tall, yellow-flowering gorse that line the path, with Ben Lomond and Conic Hill sitting on its eastern shores.

Drymen town, sitting on the southern end of the loch, is the first stop for the night. The local Clachan Inn there claiming to be the oldest registered pub in Scotland, 1734.

Next day you pass through Balmaha village that sits on the eastern shore of the Loch. A wooden pier here, thrusts into the loch’s grey waters, and is a place to sit, relax and have a food break.

[As an aside - Earlier the day I’d walked this part of the Way in 1988, I saw small footprints in the mud on parts of track and began to wonder who they could belong to. I’d seen no one else on the Way since I left Milngavie. I thought they might belong to a woman, maybe 5 feet 3 inches tall, and tried to picture what she might look like.

I turned off the tarmac road I’d been walking from Balmaha and plunged into an ancient, oak wood. A few metres in, there she was, sitting on a large, green mossy rock. Mystery solved, I was right! Her name was Judy, from New Zealand, visiting her grandmother in Johnston, near Glasgow. We struck it off straight away and continued to walk together for the rest of the journey. THE happiest days of my life! A year and half later we were married on a farm we’d bought together in Gisborne, New Zealand and raised two wonderful boys, Jack and Tim. My world was complete]

The path continues through these woods that press right down to the loch edge, and onto a sandy beach where you crunch on washed-up dried leaves and pine needles.

Rowardennan Youth Hostel on the banks of Loch Lomond - © Duncan Smith

Rowardennan Youth Hostel, built in the mid-19th century as a shooting lodge, sits right on the loch’s edge. You can hear the hum of traffic from across the loch here as it runs, north along the opposite shores.

Enjoying the serenity of woods you suddenly pierce the trees and are incongruously confronted by the Inversnaid Hotel, a huge building that looks very out of place here. A large wooden jetty here allows tourists to pour off ferries and into the hotel for morning teas. A road also allows people easy access to the hotel from this side of the loch too. You quickly hurry pass to get away from this melee, and joyfully meld once more into the forests’ sweet embrace.

The “The Drovers Inn”, at Inverarnan, is a step back in time. As you enter, a comforting “blanket” of history and warmth soothingly wraps itself around you. A hearty meal and pint of ale can be had before moving off once more towards Crianlarich, your next stop for the night.

Bridge of Orchy is a small hamlet on the main A26 road. There is also a train station here. The stone bridge itself was built by Government forces in 1751 as part of a programme for building military roads for the pacification of the Highland Clans, following the Battle of Culloden. There is a large hotel here, your stop for the night. The bunkhouse that was there has since gone.

Buachaille Etive Mor from Rannoch Moor - © Duncan Smith

From the ridge of Mam Carraigh are a superb views of Loch Tulla. Skirting this, the route heads across Rannoch Moor, a vast wilderness of heather and bog. The paths are good and dwarfed by monolithic mountains to the west and north of you. Here can be seen Buachaille Etive Mor, one of the most famous and photographed mountains of the Highlands.

Kings House Hotel, Glen Coe. - © Duncan Smith

Across Rannoch Moor, the tantalising sight of the “Kings House Hotel” at the foot of Beinn a’Chrulaiste is a pleasing “carrot” drawing you in. Here a good night’s sleep awaits and more importantly a few jars of ale and a fine meal at the “Walkers bar”. There is also a bunkhouse nearby.

Glen Coe stretches away to the west where, in 1692, the infamous “Massacre of Glen Coe” occurred. Clan MacDonald were billeting about 120 men of Earl of Argyle's Regiment of Foot, under the command of Captain Robert Campbell. Later, thirty-eight McDonalds were killed by these guests on the grounds that they had not been prompt in pledging allegiance to the new monarchs, William and Mary. Another forty women and children died of exposure after their homes were burned.

Judy introduced to Highland cattle for the first time. - © Duncan Smith

Following an old military road, the “Devils’ Staircase” is approached. The trail rises here and snakes between the mountains of Stob Mhic Mhartuin and Beinn Bheag. Eventually Kinlochleven is reached, for another nights’ stop before journey’s end at Fort William. Kinlochleven village was the first in the world to have every house connected to electricity from an hydroelectric scheme nearby, coining the phrase "The Electric Village".

Old military Road through the Lairigmor - © Duncan Smith

On the final day, out of Kinlochleven, you take an old military road that winds through “The Lairigmor”, or “Great Pass” It moves away in a seemingly unending trail into a purple-hazed distance. After several hours, a shady pine forest breaks the walk, before the path opens out again with magnificent views of Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain.

Ben Nevis from the Great Pass. - © Duncan Smith

Finally, passing into a large pine forest, you enter Glen Nevis. Among these trees rare red squirrels or startled deer can be seen occasionally.

Journey’s end is at the large town of Fort William, on the shores of Loch Linnhe, a major centre for hill-walking and climbing.

The West Highland Way is one to be cherished and enjoyed slowly. It offers such diverse scenery and interesting history. It should be sipped like a fine wine!

The end of the West Highland Way - © Duncan Smith