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West Highland Way April 2025
  • Norman Graham
  • Meg Hunter
April 2025

West Highland Way April 2025

Walking the West Highland Way (96 miles) from Milngavie (Glasgow) to Fort William. Read more
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  • Trip start
    April 12, 2025
    West Highland Way April 2025

    Milngavie

    April 12 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Meg, Chris, and Kathleen all arrived safely from the USA earlier in the week, and we did some touristy things but today, we will begin our WHW adventure.

    Most of the day was spent packing and sorting out two bags each. One case would have everything that we didn't need to carry on the trail (it would be transported to our hotel every day). Then, we had to pack our backpacks with everything that we would need on the trail. Fortunately, that was not very much, so the weight was low, just a clean set of clothes and electronics and valuables.

    We went through to Glasgow by train, and at first, we thought we would get a train from Queen Street station to the hotel in Milngavie, but it was going to cost £40. Scottish price gouging at its best. So we went back into the station and found our way to the low level train to Milngavie and at a cost of about £4 each, we were on our way having only waited 10 minutes for the train.

    We were staying at the Premier Inn, and it looked like every other guest was also doing the WHW. The room was very typical of the Premier Inn, functional rather than luxurious, but clean and with everything we needed.

    As soon as we arrived, I got my clothes ready for the next day - camino rules. Tomorrow's walk is only about 12 miles, so it's not too far, an easy start to the walk.

    We soon discovered that the thermostat in the room wasn't working, but Chris preferred it cool, apparently, so that was ok. We have upgraded to a cooked breakfast in the morning, so that will give us a good start, I don't think there are too many places on the way to get snacks or coffee.

    We went out to dinner at a place called Garvie & Co just 10-15 minutes walk from the hotel and I would highly recommend it, the food was excellent, as was the service and it was not too expensive. The chat and the company was also great. I can hardly believe that I am setting off with Meg and Kathleen (and Chris!) on another hike. When I said goodbye to them in Santiago in 2022, I never thought that I would see them again, and then Meg invited me to California to hike with her in Yosemite, which was great, and then Julia came for a day when she had a weekend in Edinburgh, and then Anita came over and stayed with us from Australia with fiancé Rob. So, this trip was a real bonus. I wonder if I will ever see Anne and Mirjam again. (see my trip Via de la Plata). i would like that more than anything in the world.    Read more

  • West Highland Way April 2025

    Milngavie to Drymen 12 miles

    April 13 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    I went to bed too early, I think I was asleep just after 2100, and so I woke up just after 0200, and I never really got back into a deep sleep after that. Tomorrow night I must remember to ask Chris to mute his phone, as it kept dinging all night with notifications, and lit the room up.

    The alram was set for 0700 as we had been told to take our suitcases to the collection point by 0745, but in fact they didn't arrive to collect it until 0800. It was a nice day, and as soon as the cases were collected, we went for breakfast, I was really looking forward to a full Scottish cooked breakfast. Unfortunately, the chef wasn't there, he had been taken to hospital the previous evening and so there was no cooked breakfast available, just continental style. Not the start I was hoping for. However, there was coffee.

    We set off and found the official WHW starting point no problem, and we got our WHW passports stamped (equivalent of a credential on the Camino), and a few photos later we were off.

    Within a few minutes of walking it was easy to forget that we were still in the city as the path took us through woodland into a country park and before long we had left the city behind. The weather was lovely, with blue skies, but breezy. The trail was well marked, although all we had to do was follow the 30-40 people in front of us. It is a very popular walk, especially in April as that is usually pre midge season. i think we averaged 2-3 miles per hour, so a very average speed. We had a few stops along the way as the weather changed and we had to put on our waterproofs, although as it turned out the rain was light and patchy, but it was windy.

    We stopped for lunch, which was really good but the place was heaving with hikers, fortunately a table was clearing just as we were ordering. It was the first proper hike I had done since returning from Spain, and the Camino Mozárabe last July, and I was quite pleased with how I was doing, nonetheless I was glad when we came to Drymen. Our hotel for the night was the Braeside Guest house, it was lovely as was the lady who checked us in and took us to our room. The room was clean and comfortable with a great shower. I went over to the SPAR supermarket across the road and got some supplies for tomorrow. Dinner was in the Drymen Inn and it was excellent and not expensive. We were also book in there for breakfast, so I was looking forward to that. Tomorrow's walk is a bit longer than today, and mostly uphill so we will need that cooked breakfast!

    With nothing more to do, it was time for bed.    Read more

  • West Highland Way April 2025

    Drymen to Rowardennan 14.5 miles

    April 14 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    I slept ok, but someone left their bathroom light on and so the extractor fan was running all night, and vibrating up the wall next to my bed - I am a light sleeper. On a positive note, that meant that I was awake before my alarm went off. So I was up in plenty of time for a morning shower, something that is very rare on the camino, normally you would shower almost as soon as you arrive at an albergue each day. On the WHW we also have the luxury of breakfast, something that is not guaranteed on the camino, although to be fair, I often set off before any cafés were open. We have pre-booked accommodation at every stage of the WHW but most of them don't allow check in until 3-4pm, so there is no value in starting too early, and that means we have time for a morning shower!

    We went around the corner to the Drymen Inn for breakfast, and at last i got my full Scottish cooked breakfast...but it didn't include haggis. My contention is that it is only a Scottish breakfast if it has haggis, and a tattie scone. Most so-called breakfasts have hash browns and fried tomato, which are part of an English breakfast. There is no end to the subversive destruction of our culture! However, the breakfast was good, and just what we needed to get us ready for today's walk.

    Today's walk was in two distinct sections, at roughly the halfway point is the village of Balmaha. The name comes from the Scots Gaelic Bealach Mo-Cha, 'the pass of Saint Mo-Cha'. It is a popular tourist spot on the shores of Loch Lomond, and has a statute of Tom Weir, a Scottish climber, author and broadcaster famous for his TV show Weir's Way throughout the 70s and 80s. It also has cafés and restaurants, and shops, and is therefore a popular stopping point for anyone doing the WHW.

    After finalising our packing, we set off. It was raining lightly, but enough to need a waterproof jacket, but the ground was very wet, and that's how it would be for the rest of the day, light showers and sunny spells.

    We walked steadily uphill for quite a while in the rain, the first section was all uphill before becoming an undulating and winding path leading to the bottom of Conic Hill, mispronounced and now forever known as colonic hill. It was a lot steeper than we thought it would be, It started with some steep steps and continued steeply uphill on very stony, broken, and uneven ground. I soon got a sense of how unfit I had become, having lazily done no hiking since returning from my last camino. It was exhausting, I think everyone was feeling it, especially Chris, he started falling further and further behind (we later found out that he had about 3-4 kilos of water in his backpack which wasn't needed and didn't help). I felt that if I stopped I might not get started again, so I had to keep going, and before long I had lost sight of everyone else. When I got to the top, the views were spectacular.

    What goes up must come down, and the next challenge was to get to the bottom of the hill without slipping or falling. What looked like fairly new steps had been built from the top winding all the way down to the bottom of the hill. In some ways that made going downhill easier, but in some ways it was more difficult. The height of each step varied and the stones used were also uneven, and they went on and on. By the time I got to the bottom of the hill my knees were in agony, and as soon as I could, I had to sit down. I messaged the others to let them know I was at Balmaha, and that there were cafés, and then sat down in a café and waited for them to arrive.

    When the others eventually arrived, Chris was exhausted, so we decided to have some lunch and a good rest hoping that would revive everyone. By the time we had finished it was 1500, and it was obvious that Chris was not able to walk the next seven miles, and so it was agreed that we would get a taxi to the lodges at Rowardennan.

    The lodge was terrific, with a good shower and a fabulous lounge area with great views. Our evening meal was ok but not amazing, I think we were all too tired to really bother too much, but as soon as we were done, we all went back to the lodge and to bed.    Read more

  • West Highland Way April 2025

    Rowardenan to Inverarnan 14.5miles

    April 15 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Today's stage is described as arduous in the guidebook, and friends who have walked the WHW all say that it is the hardest stage, they were not wrong.

    We had a good night's sleep in the lodge, it was good to have a lounge area to sit in and the view was great. It had rained on and off the night and we awoke to the sound of rain pounding on the roof and windows.

    Dinner last night was in the clansman Bar just a few minutes walk away, and the food was ok but not great. The same went for breakfast, on a scale of one to ten it was a four, maybe a five. By the time we had breakfast and then finished our packing, the rain had turned to drizzle. It began to warm up as the sun came out and we had not gone far before we were taking our jackets off.

    The walk was easy and pleasant and we soon arrived at the point where you cold continue along the Loch shore or take a less strenuous route. Chris and Meg sensibly took that route. Kathleen wanted to do the Loch shore route and I decided to go with her. Whilst the path was a lot more difficult, and to times quite difficult, overall we had a great hike following the shore of Loch Lomond. Nonetheless, we were both glad to arrive at the halfway point at the Inversnaid Hotel, Meg and Chris were already there, and just finishing lunch. We used the Hotel facilities and then ordered coffee and something to eat, it was good to get our backpacks off and have a seat and a hot coffee.

    We had been told that the second half of the stage was more difficult but as we all set off together, it didn't seem too bad...it did not take long for that to change. The path became very rough, and uneven, it was more a scramble up over rocks or down over rocks. I don't think we took more than a few steps forward without having to climb up or down something. At times it was very unclear as to where the 'path' actually was. I am not sure how long that difficult part was, but I found myself way ahead of the others and arrived at the end of the Loch, where the path became much smoother and level. In my view, they should spend the money relaying a new path or diverting it somehow, there was not a single joyful step on that part, not one.

    Leaving Loch Lomond behind the path entered woodland and then began to go steadily uphill, it soon turned into a stream as water flowed down on the easiest course - i.e. the path. Eventually, I reached the top only to find that the path continued unendingly with some steep ascents and descents then through more woodland to a final descent into a campsite. We were booked into the Drover's Inn, but it wasn't immediately clear where that was, but the staff in the campsite restaurant gave me clear directions. It was less than 10 min walk away, by this time I was very weary, the final stretch along Loch Lomond-side had taken its toll. I was glad to get tot he Inn and very glad to discover that we were staying in accommodation across the road and not the Inn itself, because it was a dump.

    The owners make a big deal of the fact that it ahs been there for over 300 years, I get the point of taking pride in your history, but it looked like it had been there for over 300 years, and not n a good way.

    I got into the room and dumped my stuff and then headed back out onto the trail to find the others and maybe take Chris' backpack for him. I suspected that he would have found that second half of the stage very difficult, and that turned out to be the case.

    I had the keys so I we were able to go straight to our rooms, which were ok, the shower was not great, and the tray had a big crack in it, but i had showered in worse on the camino.

    Dinner was not great, the food was terrible, and the table was sticky. I think we were all exhausted and glad to get to our rooms and get to bed    Read more

  • West Highland Way April 2025

    Inverarnan to Tyndrum 12 miles

    April 16 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 6 °C

    We got up after a good night's sleep and dropped our bags off at the collection point, followed by a less than mediocre breakfast and set off. We expected today's walk to be a lot easier than yesterday, though to be fair that was a low bar. It was raining slightly as we set off, but before long we were removing our waterproof layers as the sun came out.

    Today's walk was very up and down but nothing demanding, the paths were all quite good, just a little bit flooded in places, so the walk was quite pleasant. We were gradually going up hill and the wind got stronger the higher up we went, long stretches of the path were quite exposed which didn't help. I think we all put our jackets back on, and I put on my windproof hiking gloves.

    We had just gone through the very short (in every way) tunnel underneath the railway line when Kathleen found a fanny-pack 9bum bag). It contained a purse with someone's bank cards, cash and passport. I took it thinking that the American girl it belonged to would probably retrace her steps looking for it as soona s she realised it was missing. About 15 minutes later I saw her walking along the path towards us. She was very relieved to get it back. I advised her not to keep all her valuables in the one bag, and that it would be better to keep them on her person rather than a bag that could be left behind.

    By the time we got on the hill above Crainlarich, Chris was struggling, I think the exertion of the walk yesterday took a lot out of him. So, when we reached the point where we could divert to Crainlarich we decided to descent to the village for some refreshments. after coffee and cake we did feel a bit better, but Meg was concerned that Chris was not able for the climb back up the hill and then onward to Tyndrum. Kathleen was also in pain so we decided to go to plan B. I found a phone box and called a taxi company but they had no taxis available for the rest fo the day, apparently there were major roadworks just before Tyndrum and journey's were taking twice as long. By this time the rain had come on again but heavier, so we went for the train, it was just one stop and after waiting about 30 minutes the train arrived and less than 10 minutes later we were walking from Tyndrum station down towards the lodges.

    The rain was quite a bit heavier by this time and we were glad to get checked in. The staff at the lodges were very friendly and helpful and the rooms were fabulous, comfortable and warm. The shower was great!

    While all the oldies had their afternoon nap I went out for a coffee and to find somewhere for dinner, and with my recommendation we went to the Ben Lui. It was a good choice, the food was excellent, - best lasagne I have ever had - and the staff were friendly and it was not expensive. I would gladly go back there for a meal.

    We were all tired, and like most places in Scotland there's nothing to do in the evenings unless you want to sit in a restaurant or a bar, and we were all tired so we were happy to get back to our rooms and go to bed.    Read more

  • West Highland Way April 2025
    1

    Tyndrum to Bridge of Orchy 7 miles

    April 17 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    I had a good night's sleep but woke up very early, too much stuff rattling around my brain. Our normal routine resumed, we took our bags to the collection point and then headed out for breakfast at the cafe/chippe/restaurant next door to the Ben Lui (we had wanted to go there for breakfast but it was closed). The breakfast was ok, definitely not the worst I've ever had, and the coffee was good.

    We had a lazy start as we were only walking 7 miles, our shortest day, so we went and did some tourist shopping, Meg got some stuff to treat Chris' blisters. We also bought some snack supplies at the Green Welly shop and set off.

    The rain was fairly steady and in fact didn't stop until after we arrived at the Bridge of Orchy Hotel, it was quite misty as well. so, I didn;t stop too often to take photos. The path was fairly flat so we made good time, I arrived at the hotel in 2 hours and 45 minutes. We arrived too early for our rooms but went to the very comfortable restaurant and ordered lunch, it was very good but a bit expensive, but they did let us int our room an hour early. We were in one of the new lodges beside the hotel and it was fabulous, modern, compact, very clean, with comfy beds and a great shower.

    We had a lovely dinner, and then off to bed. Chris and Meg are getting a taxi in the morning (kindly organised by the hotel staff) to knock off about 5km from the 20km walk, whilst Kathleen and I will walk from the Hotel    Read more

  • West Highland Way April 2025

    Bridge of Orchy to Glen Coe 12.5 miles

    April 18 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    I had a good night's sleep, but i woke up to the sound of running water... fortunately, it wasn't rain, Chris had left a tap running in the bathroom. It was a bit too early to get up so I lay in bed for a while reading on my Kindle app.

    The day was gloriously sunny, and the forecast for the day was good. We went across the the hotel for breakfast and I had the full Scottish, though, once again there was no haggis. It was really a full English breakfast but marketed for tourists in Scotland, the fact that it annoys meprobably means i don't have enough to worry about in my life.

    Meg and Chris had organised a taxi to take them about 5km further up the trail and avoiding a hill climb at the start. So, Kathleen and I set off on the trail. I had looked at the map and thought that it wasn't too steep, certainly not as steep as some of the hills on the camino - especially the climb up to Moclin. It turned out to be ok, it was a little steep in places but easy enough.

    Kathleen is a great hiking companion, she is quite quick and doesn't talk too much. Although the first half of the walk was steadily uphill, the path was mostly quite level some section on tarmac. The drovers road section was a bit more uncomfortable to walk on as the path was quite stony and quite broken up in places, still we maintained a good pace. The scenery was spectacular and we stopped regularly to take some photos, we found a nice spot to sit down and have our lunch, and a rest and then carried on.

    The weather got a bit more overcast and it was quite windy on Rannoch Moor, but the rain stayed off, as we got within sight of Glen Coe two young women came running past us, i told them they were making us look bad, they laughed and kept going and were quickly out of sight.

    I was able to spoy Kingshouse, the posh hotel we were staying at. it is always good when you can see your destination, it gives you a fresh burst of energy, though it was further away than I first thought.

    We arrived to find Meg and Chris already there, so we booked in but the rooms weren't read. The staff told us that they would come and get us when our room was ready but nearly two hours later (well past our guaranteed check-in time) they still hadn't notified us. I went and rejoined the queue because I had noticed that in all that time it hadn't gotten any smaller ad more and more hikers and other guests arrived. When I got to the front of the queue, we were given the keys to our rooms. It was a bad start, i have a food allergy and the staff in the restaurant had given me the wrong information about the menu which was less than helpful. It also turned out that there was no loo roll in the ladies toilets and the bins were overflowing. It was clear that they did not have enough staff to deal witht he number of guests, and since they knew how many guests would be booking in, it was an obvious management failure.

    the room was nice and it was a great shower, so that was good. we went for dinner in the pub attached to the hotel and it was really busy, but a table sort of cleared (it was for six and four guests left). We grabbed our seats and I chatted to the lovely young Danish couple who were still at the table, they were watching their local football team play back home.

    The staff in the pub were great, lots of banter, and the food was fantastic, probably the best haggis I have ever had.    Read more

  • West Highland Way April 2025

    Glen Coe to Kinlochleven 14.5 miles

    April 19 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    I did not sleep well, the bed was very lumpy and uncomfortable. So far, Kingshouse has been a big disappointment, and it didn't get any better when we went for breakfast. The best thing about breakfast was the view, the breakfast average at best, the square sausage was very overdone and the scrambled egg was underdone. Kingshouse looks good in the brochure but the reality falls far short of the promise. I wasn't sorry to leave.

    It was raining slightly as we set off but according to the forecast it would soon clear, and it did. Today we would have a long steep climb up the devil's staircase, the name conjures up a nightmarish scenario but in fact the climb was a lot easier than folk might imagine. The switchbacks take the sting out of the climb, and like all ascents you just have to go at a steady comfortable pace that suits you and never mind what anyone else is doing. It felt like we reached the cairn at the top in no time at all.

    The descent on the other side of the hill was not quite as steep and it levelled out before rising steadily, before beginning a long winding descent. One more hill later I got my first glimpse of Kinlochleven in the distance. The journey down was longer and steeper than I thought it would be and I had to zig zag across the wide flat path to ease the strain on my knees. However, I soon arrived in the village and saw our lodging for the night just in front of me. I had done my usual of leaving everyone behind and so I arrived well before the check in time. However, the staff were great, super helpful and got me into our room right away. Once I dumped my bag I went out for a wander round and walked back towards the trail to see if the others were coming and before long Kathleen arrived with Meg and Chris not far behind.

    whilst the oldies had their afternoon nap, I wandered around the village taking some photos and then went to the CO-OP for some supplies for tomorrow.

    Dinner was ok but not great, as soon as we were finished we all went back to our rooms for an early night, tomorrow we start with a very steep ascent.    Read more

  • West Highland Way April 2025

    Kinlochleven to Fort William 15 miles

    April 20 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Today is easter Sunday, when we went into the bar for breakfast, there was a cadbury creme egg at every place setting. as soon as we finished we dropped our bags off at the collection point and set off. The climb up the hill was as steep and as exhausting as we were led to believe. but once we reached the top the path levelled out and remained fairly level with a long gentle incline through the glen. It was quite warm, but windy. The path was quite busy with hikers, it was also quite uneven n places with flooding in some places.

    We had a very long steep decline and then climb, and the road just seemed to be going on and on, one hill after another. some of it was very beautiful though. When we reached the point where you can follow the traditional path or take the road, we met a group of young people who ahd passed me earlier on the road, they were having a break. They had done the WHW several times and were doing it over just four days. they told us that the road was shorter by about four miles, and so we decided to take that route. It didn't take us long to question our choice, as we seemed to go up on hill after another, when we reached a particularly long and steep hill our spirits sank a bit. however, the only way is forward and we just kept putting one foot in front of another, and before long we had left that hill behind.

    It was a great relief to see Fort William in the distance, and i noted on the map that our lodgings, Myrtle Bank Guest House was on this side of the town. We went straight there to find the owner was a lovely, helpful lady who had put us in an adjoining building which was luxurious, well furnished and spotlessly clean. The owner also very kindly got some washing done for the others, even though it was not a service they offered. It was, I think, the best place we stayed on this trip.

    Dinner was at a seafood restaurant, not my favourite thing but actually I had a lovely meal and didn't die so that was good. We went back to the guest house tired but happy. Tomorrow, Babs was coming to get us, and we would shop like tourists in Fort William, for now, bed was calling. I had always wanted to walk the West Highland Way and now I had done it.

    Now, time to start planning my next camino.    Read more

  • West Highland Way April 2025

    Strathy to RSPB reserve Forsinard

    June 26 in Scotland ⋅ 🌬 15 °C

    It was raining when I got up, the haar was so thick I couldn't even see the cliffs just a few miles away, so we had a very lazy morning in the cottage, waiting for the weather to clear which it was supposed to by midday.

    We packed our sandwiches and coffee and set off. It was only about 18 miles to the RSPB reserve, but it was mostly on a single track road with passing places, not uncommon up here. The RSPB visitor centre was in the old railway station, and they had a decent display and a coffee machine with a good selection of tea and coffee, there is also a toilet. The website says that it was a one mile walk to the observation point but I think that must be there and back.

    The walk is on boarding so you don't have to walk through the bog! and the observation building gives a terrific view of the wetlands. It was quite breezy but a very pleasant walk nonetheless. Barbara had taken her binoculars hoping to see some of the wildlife, but to be honest apart from a few birds and a couple of deer, there wasn't much to see. The thing that did stand out was the quiet stillness of the place, and I was reminded again of Wendell Berry's line about the peace of wild things.

    We went back via Thurso as we were getting low on petrol, so, drivers should be aware that there are very few petrol stations up here, just in Thurso, Bettyhill, and Durness. If you travel south from Durness, some of the etrol stations on the way are also closed on Sundays.    Read more

    Trip end
    April 22, 2025
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