Wilderness Walking View Trip Dates the West Highland Way Book Now

Wilderness Walking View Trip Dates The West Highland Way Book Now

Trip Grade: Blue 6 The West Highland Way

The West Highland Way is a classic long distance trail, covering over 95 miles (150km) from Milngavie on the outskirts of Glasgow, to Fort William in the Highlands. The route travels along the ‘bonnie banks’ of Loch Lomond, across the atmospheric Rannoch Moor, past dramatic Glencoe and over the high pass of the Devil’s Staircase before ﬁnishing in Fort William, at the foot of Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis. On this guided adventure you hike this famous trail in the company of an experienced guide who will be able to bring the human and natural history of the landscape alive around you while you walk. Your baggage is transported while you walk so each evening you’ll arrive at our hand-picked accommodation with your belongings waiting for you. Great food completes the picture, so join us on what will be a memorable adventure.

Highlights • Take on the challenge of Scotland’s most famous and one of the world’s greatest long distance trails - the West Highland Way. • Immerse yourself in the spectacular scenery as you walk through the beautiful landscapes of Loch Lomond, Rannoch Moor and Glencoe. • With the knowledge and experience of an expert guide, learn about the area’s history and legends, as well as the flora and fauna along the route.

Book with confidence • We guarantee this trip will run as soon as 2 people have booked • Maximum group size: 16 with 2 Wilderness Scotland guides

PLEASE NOTE – The itinerary may be subject to change at the discretion of the Wilderness Scotland Guide with regard to weather conditions and other factors. Planned Itinerary

Arrival Info

• Your Guide will meet you at the centre of Glasgow Queen St Railway Station underneath the main departure and arrival board • 08:30am on Day 1 of your trip Departure Info

• You can depart our Fort William accommodation after breakfast on the final morning West Highland Way Elevation Profile | Over night stops marked by green dots

PLEASE NOTE – The itinerary may be subject to change at the discretion of the Wilderness Scotland Guide with regard to weather conditions and other factors. Day 1 | The Journey Begins: Walking North

Today you’ll meet your guide at Glasgow Queen Street Station at 8:30am. We’ll take a short train journey to Milngavie, where we’ll drop off our bags, and then we start walking! Although starting close to Glasgow, you are quickly walking through open countryside. This part of the journey follows what was an important route in pre-industrial times and your guide will help you spot some standing stones from the late Stone Age. We’ll arrive at the accommodation tonight in time to settle in before enjoying a welcome dinner - and possibly a dram of the local Glengoyne whisky too. (L, D)

Walk details: 19 km/ 12 miles | approx. 6 hours

Day 2 | Walking to Loch Lomond

The trail leaves Drymen and passes through Garadhban Forest. Leaving the forest, we’ll take a detour to climb Conic Hill. Though just 361m high, it offers fantastic views over Loch Lomond. Reaching the eastern banks of Loch Lomond at Balmaha, we follow the shore through forest until you reach the tranquil setting of Rowardennan, which is nestled at the foot of Ben Lomond. (B, L, D)

Walk details: 21km/ 13 miles | approx. 6 hours

Day 3 | The Wild Shoreline of Loch Lomond

Starting out with views of Ben Lomond - which translates as Beacon Hill - this is a challenging stage but the combination of differing terrain, scenery and views make it very rewarding. Rougher terrain means that the going is slower but it’s wonderful to be in such wild country. The trail improves towards the end of the day as we near our next destination, the tiny settlement of Invernarnan. (B, L, D)

Walk details: 23km/ 14 miles | approx. 7 hours Day 4 | Into Strath Fillan

We’re in the Highlands now, and our day begins with a walk through Glen Falloch before we turn northwards into Strath Fillan. The landscape gets wilder and your guide will point out some of the hardier plants that grow in this area and talk about how they were used by the clansmen and women in the past. As we approach Tyndrum, we are rewarded with wonderful views of Ben Lui rising up in the west as we reach our accommodation. Tonight is a free night, so you can choose where you would like to have dinner. (B, L)

Walk details: 22km/ 13 miles | approx. 7 hours

Day 5 | North to Glencoe

This fantastic day begins with a climb out of Tyndrum, with the trail running next to the West Highland Railway line. At the top of a pass, the sweeping ﬂanks of Ben Dorain dominate the view. A short detour will take us to a carved stone seat said to contain the sword of Robert the Bruce. Continuing north, we reach the tiny settlement of Bridge of Orchy and then Inveroran, which makes a good lunch stop. The shapely peaks of the Black Mount now lie to the west while the wilds of Rannoch Moor stretches into the distance in front of you. Following the trail across this wild moor, we eventually reach Glencoe and our accommodation. Reward yourself with a drink from the bar, while enjoying the amazing views of Buachaille Etive Mor. (B, L, D)

Walk details: 30km/ 19 miles | approx. 9 hours Day 6 | The Devil's Staircase

This is a shorter day but with the biggest ascent of the route. Leaving the Kingshouse, we walk into Glencoe then climb the trail known as the ‘Devil’s Staircase’. It is steep with some switchbacks but very steady going with a constant gradient all the way. At the top of the pass at 547m, we are rewarded with wonderful views of Glencoe and Loch Leven. Your guide will able to point out the individual peaks in this sea of mountains you are looking at and perhaps tell the tale of The Massacre of Glencoe. Descending into the next valley, we follow a good trail to our next stop, the small village of Kinlochleven. (B, L, D)

Walk details: 14km/ 9 miles | approx. 5-6 hours

Day 7 | Trail's End at Fort William

The day starts with a steep climb to wake us up after breakfast! We cross a pass at 274m, taking in views across to Ben Nevis – the highest mountain in Scotland. After crossing the pass, the hard work of the day is done and we walk past old sheilings (summer dwellings for shepherds) with views over Lochan Lunn Da-Bhr. Your guide may share the story of the mythical bull that makes this area home and terrorises the crofter’s cattle! The trail then descends into beautiful Glen Nevis and then into Fort William itself where we finally reach the finish line - we’ve done it! After checking into our accommodation and freshening up, we’ll celebrate with drinks and dinner. (B, L, D)

Walk details: 22km/ 13 miles | approx. 7 hours

Day 8 | Fort William and Depart

This morning you are free to depart the guest house whenever you like – most people will take the scenic West Highland Railway back to Glasgow, which has several departures daily. On the way back to Glasgow you can look out for some familiar sights and reflect on a truly fantastic adventure. (B) Trip Grading | Blue 6 |

Blue graded walking holidays are suitable for fit and experienced hikers. We walk at a good pace and you can expect to be out for 6-8 hours a day. You will not always be on a path and the terrain underfoot can be rough and boggy, including boulder fields and mountain tops. Some of the daily walks will involve a mountain ascent of over 3000ft / 900m high. Daily distances will be up to approx 16km but may be longer occasionally.

The weather in Scotland can be unpredictable and at times can make activities more challenging. Please do bear this in mind when thinking about what trip to join.

If our guides feel that you are not able to complete a scheduled hike they may ask you not to join in that day. If you have any questions about the grading, then please do give our Adventure Consultants a call to chat through your experience and suitability for this trip.

It is your responsibility to ensure you are appropriately ﬁt and capable of doing the described hikes in the expected times. Please refer to the grading section on our website for more details. If you are unsure we encourage you to speak to us ﬁrst. Accommodation and Meals

This is a point to point itinerary where we walk to a new accommodation each day. The accommodation on this trip is graded as Classic and we handpick the best available accommodation along the route, which ranges from small guesthouses, Highland inns, small hotels and bed and breakfast establishments.

As accommodation is in short supply on this route however, please note that some establishments will be better than others.

Our accommodation partners are carefully chosen according to a number of factors - charming locations, very good facilities and a reputation for providing Highland hospitality. Wherever available, we will reserve en suite rooms for you, however on this trip it is not always possible.

Breakfast is provided each morning, as well as lunch and snacks throughout the trip. Dinner is provided every night, with the exception of day 4 where you can choose where you would like to dine. Local pubs and restaurants offer a wide choice of local dishes, and you will have the opportunity to sample the full range of their delicious menus as you wish.

On this trip we generally eat dinner as a group however if you would like to make alternative arrangements you are free to do so. Your guide will have an evening off during this trip where they do not eat with the group. They will recommend options for dinner that evening and will help you make any necessary reservations.

Single Rooms

For solo travellers: Accommodation is based on sharing a twin room with another solo traveller of the same gender. A limited number of rooms for single occupancy are available on a first come first served basis, subject to a single supplement. Please enquire for availability.

Single supplements vary across our itineraries so please refer to the ‘What’s Included - Accommodation’ tab on the trip page on our website for this trip or contact our sales team.

Wherever available, we will reserve en suite rooms for you. Please note however that on the West Highland Way this is not always possible due to the limited accommodation options, so on some nights you will have private facilities instead. Inclusions

This trip includes the following:

• 7 nights accommodation in carefully selected guest houses and small hotels.

• All meals during the trip as indicated in the itinerary - with the exception of dinner on day 4. (Meals included indicated as B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner)

• Luggage transfer for 1 bag per person for the duration of the trip, meaning you will only have to carry a day rucksack while walking.

• The services of an experienced and knowledgeable guide throughout.

• Train tickets from Glasgow Queen Street to Milngavie. Our holidays reviewed in your words…

From the very first interaction, Wilderness Scotland has been top notch — this trip was my first “ experience with a guided hike and I’m ready to do it again and again and again; this may have been my favourite holiday ever! Stephanie Lytle ”

All Trip Reviews Here Your Guide

During this trip you will be accompanied and led by one of our professional guides. Our guides are among the most highly experienced and qualified in the country. Defined by their passion for Scotland’s wild places, they have an intimate knowledge of the natural and social history of this land which they will be delighted to share with you. For more info and to meet the team please see our Guide Pages.

Sustainable Travel

Wilderness Scotland is committed to the principles of ecotourism. We work very hard to ensure our engagements with local communities, wild lands and wildlife are positive.

We are a proud partner of the Leave No Trace Centre for Outdoor Ethics, which enhances our commitment to responsible activity in Scotland’s wild lands, as enshrined in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code (SOAC).

We are also proud to be a John Muir Trust Peak Partner. Thanks in part to the generosity of our clients though our Conservation Contribution scheme the John Muir Trust can rely on our investment to go towards conservation projects that have a deep connection to Wilderness Scotland and the areas we adventure in.

You can learn more about the work we’re doing with the John Muir Trust and the other ways we care for the wild places we love here. Equipment List

Check out our guide on what to wear when adventuring in Scotland. wildernessscotland.com/blog/hiking-in-scotland-what-to-wear

Eat | Stay | See

Looking for accommodation for before or after your adventure with us? Check out our list of where to stay and what to do

Eat – Stay – See – Glasgow.pdf

Eat – Stay – See – Fort William.pdf

General Info – Scotland

From food and drink to the Loch Ness Monster, our General Info for Scotland guide has got you covered for all your need to know facts.

General-Info-Scotland.pdf Travel Insurance

It is your responsibility to take out appropriate travel insurance to cover you during your trip. This should include cover for cancellation prior to the trip, the activities undertaken (i.e hiking), curtailment, and adequate medical insurance for sickness/ injury and medical repatriation. We also strongly recommend you have cover for your other travel arrangements such as flights, and your personal possessions.

We suggest you do your own research to find the best insurance cover for you however the follow companies offer suitable policies.

Campbell Irvine Direct – campbellirvinedirect.com Journeyman Insurance Services – journeyman-services.com/travelInsurance

If you cancel your holiday charges will apply. Please see section 2 of our terms and conditions for a breakdown: wildernessscotland.com/make-a-booking/booking-conditions

Travel With Confidence

You can book with us in complete confidence that all trip payments made to us are fully protected.

Wilderness Scotland Ltd is a licensed and bonded tour operator. Your financial security is guaranteed through our membership and bonding with ABTA. FAQs

Looking for more information? Check out our frequently asked questions page. wildernessscotland.com/faq

Questions To Ask? Ready to Book?

If you want to get in touch please send us an email or give us a call. We accept bookings online, by email, or over the phone. A deposit of 25% is required at the time of booking to secure the trip with the balance payable 8 weeks (56 days) before departure. If booking less than 56 days before the trip start date, full payment of the trip price is required immediately.

We accept payment by credit or debit card, or bank transfer.

email: [email protected] View Trip Dates Tel (UK and Europe): +44(0)1479 420 020 Book Now Tel (US and Canada): 866-740-3890