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Walking the West Highland Way in the Scottish Highlands

This trek didn't just test my limits — it soaked them. With rain nearly every day and my gear falling short, it easily became my least favorite of them all.

3 Min Read
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Distance97.9 mi
Elevation gain14,342 ft
Elevation loss14,431 ft
Time6 days

I had known about this particular trek for a while (it was on those same lists that recommended the Camino, TMB, Alta Via, etc.), but it never really peaked my interest as it was a much shorter and less-rustic trek. But then COVID-19 showed up and after two years in lockdown and itching to get back out into the world I decided to go on this shorter trek just to get back into the swing of things.

This trek would end up being my least favorite out of them all. I was not prepared for the amount of rain that would be dropped on me on nearly every day of the trek, and by the end of it I was chilled to the bone and soaked through-n-through. I was also hoping it would be a social route much like the other hikes I had done, but it was not. Maybe it was because of COVID, or just the nature of this short trek, but I was solo for the entire thing.

What is the West Highland Way

The West Highland Way is a 96 mile trail in the highlands of Scotland, running from Milngavie north of Glasgow to Fort William. The trail utilizes many ancient roads, and old coaching routes. I walked from south to north, making it a journey from the Lowlands to the Highlands. The route took me about 6 days to complete while camping overnight in farms, along a lake, and under a bridge.

I went in May when the weather is supposedly favorable, and the nasty insects known as Midges aren't out yet.

Where I spent each night

Camping is the preferred form of accomodation on this trek, with wild camping being a thing you can do in the UK, and I only took advantage of it one night. I traded in the tent I had used on the "O" Circuit for a more traditional backpacking tent (see gear list link above).

On the first night I chose to book a spot in a field in a farm, simply because I didn't know how far I could go. The second night was spent on a reserved spot on a beach, and the third night was back at a farm (a nearly flooded one at that). The following day I took advantage of the wild camping and pitched my tent next to an old stone bridge with some other people. On the second to last night I chose to book a small cabin in a town.

Some places had to be booked in advance at the start due to government regulations in the national park area around the Loc Lomond area, and due to me not knowing how far I could go each day.

What I brought

I used the same gear as the "O" Circuit except with a different tent. What I wish I had brought was more waterproof rain gear: pants, and shoes, mainly.

Stages

Every thru-hike is different, and while some may necesitate the need to follow the guidebook stages, others require the need to be flexible. For this thru-hike some of the stages are by-the-book, while others are a combination of two or more:

This trek would go down as the one of the worst ones I had done, even though I did see some pretty amazing mountain scenery once I got high up in the Highlands. But it also did teach me a lot of great lessons about prepping for an unknown thru-hike, and to do better research on the weather.

It didn't scare me away from thru-hiking either, because one year later I would be out there in the world again, this time in Corsica, France.