£1195 Single Room Supplement: £250 Includes: 7 days walking 6 nights B&B 7 evening meals Baggage transport Transport from Edinburgh
Depart from Edinburgh: 8.30am Sunday - Edinburgh Haymarket Station Return to Edinburgh: 9pm Saturday
From Milngavie on the outskirts of Glasgow to Fort William at the foot of Ben Nevis, the West Highland Way is 96 miles (154km) of well maintained footpath through varied scenery which gets progressively wilder as you walk northwards. We aim to provide a fully supported (transport, baggage transfer, guiding) sociable, small group experience of the West Highland Way.
Detailed Itinerary Day 1 (Sunday): Milngavie to Drymen - We will depart Edinburgh at 09.00am (Glasgow city centre pick-up 10am) before starting walking the gentle first day through forestry and farmland with a tasting stop at the Glengoyne Distillery before arriving at the village of Drymen. 12m/20km, minimal ascent - 5/6 hours
Day 2 (Monday): Drymen to Rowardennan - From Drymen the route takes us through more forestry before the first proper ascent of the week, Conic Hill which has wonderful views of Loch Lomond and then a steep descent to the lochside at Balmaha, from where we follow the shore paths northwards to the hotel at Rowardennan. 14m/22km. 300m/1000ft ascent - 6/7 hours
Day 3 (Tuesday): Rowardennan to Inverarnan - A whole day on the wild eastern shore of Loch Lomond before arriving at the Drover’s Inn, one of Scotland’s most atmospheric inns. 14m/22km, minimal ascent, rough path in parts, 7/8 hours
Day 4 (Wednesday): Inverarnan to Tyndrum - Walking mostly on good tracks through Glen Falloch and Strathfillan, we have reached the half way point to Fort William. The surroundings start to open up with views of the mountains but the path is mostly easy to walk on, especially in the afternoon as we walk towards our hotels at Tyndrum. 12 miles/19km, 490m ascent/1250ft ascent, easy trails, 5/6 hours
Day 5: (Thursday): Tyndrum to Kingshouse - We start off with a gentle but sustained ascent from Tyndrum where we get the classic view of Ben Dorain, before descending to the valley floor and easy trail to Bridge of Orchy. We then climb a small wooded hill overlooking Loch Tulla before crossing Rannoch Moor - the wildest part of the whole way. It's the longest day but the majority is on good trail and old millitary road. 19 miles/30km, 600m/2000ft ascent/descent, good trails, 8/9 hours
Day 6 (Friday): Kingshouse to Kinlochleven - The highest point of the Way at nearly 600m/2000ft and known as the Devil’s Staircase by the labourers who built the Blackwater Dam in 1909, this section has a fierce reputation but is in fact a pleasant day’s walking with awesome views of the Glencoe Hills and the Mamores, before descending through woodland to the village of Kinlochleven. 8m/14km, 3100ft/966m ascent, track and paths, 6 hrs
Day 7: (Saturday): Kinlochleven to Fort William - Our final days walking starts with a wooded ascent from Kinlochleven, before rejoining more old military road which we follow over to Glen Nevis, hopefully a good view of Ben Nevis and the descent into Fort William, where we finish with a celebratory drink and meal. 15m/24km, 300m/1000ft ascent, good trails, 6/7 hours We finish off with a meal in Fort William to celebrate before heading back to Edinburgh in the evening.
Accommodation and Meals Your accommodation for the week is in personally selected hotels and guesthouses along the West Highland Way. We only use places we have personally visited and approved and you will be warmly received by your host. Please note that single rooms are increasingly hard to obtain in this more remote area and that en-suite facilities for singles may not always be available. Check with us when you book. Evening meals for the whole group on this trip are normally taken at a local inn or restaurant. On all our tours we make a special effort to ensure that your evening meals are a highlight of the trip and seafood is a particular speciality on this trip. Specific dietary requirements can normally be catered for if we know in advance. Packed lunches are not included. Baggage Transfer Your luggage will be transported by a reliable local baggage transfer specialist so you only need to carry a day pack with personal equipment. Midday lunches will be taken at pubs and cafes where possible and as packed lunches on the longer, more isolated sections. Transport Return transport from Edinburgh will be by minibus, there is an option of sitting out sections of the Way if you wish and the transport will be available. Please do not book onward travel on the final Saturday as there will be a late finish. Grading of Walks The walking throughout this tour we class as “challenging” – suitable for people of reasonable fitness who enjoy walking or the outdoors but who needn’t necessarily have any previous hiking experience. Most of the walks are on easy trails and tracks with some gentle ascents - however the distances involved on day 5 and day 7 means that there is a reasonable challenge involved. Day 3 is the hardest, not due to the distance but the rough ground underfoot at North Loch Lomond. We can organise a ferry alternative if required. If you have any doubts about your suitability for the trip please just ask! Please read our grading guide here.
