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9-day West Highland Way Trek through Scotland

Join UIMLA-certified mountain leader Emma for this 9 day trek of Scotland's West Highland Way! You will experience stunning panoramic vistas of Loch Lomond as you trek through Scotland's impressive highlands, passing through many picturesque villages on the way!

Not specified

9 Days

Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep

Fit

Intermediate


Description

Scotland is known for its rugged natural beauty, and during this 9-day trek we will explore the breathtaking landscapes along the 96 mile (154 km) West Highland Way, one of the best long distance walking routes in the UK.

The trek begins in the town of Milngavie, and, after a week of trekking northward, ends in the town of Fort William.  Along our route, we will enjoy the scenery around Loch Lomand, the largest freshwater lake in Britain, before we explore the majestic Trossachs National Park and trek in the highlands of Scotland.  While the trail starts with gentle rolling hills through woods, farmland, and valley floors, the terrain becomes steeper and rockier as we enter Rannoch Moor, the Devil’s Staircase and, finally, the mountains of Glencoe.  A day-by-day outline of the route is provided below.

This program includes 7 full days of trekking, plus an additional 2 days for arrival and departure.  Due to the length of the program, the distance covered, as well as the challenging nature of the terrain, participants should have a good level of fitness to participate in this trip.  We will stay at hotels and B&Bs along the route, and try to support family-run establishments as much as possible.  We will also eat at local restaurants and pubs, and, of course, stop for a whisky tasting along the way.  You will only need to carry a daypack, as this trip includes luggage support.

Should you wish to stay on in Fort William after this program ends, we can arrange for a variety of different activities in the town considered by many to be the outdoor capital of Scotland.

Book now and we will complete an incredible long distance hike together!  This is an incredible opportunity to experience the stunning terrain and quaint villages of beautiful Scotland!

Check out the other incredible long distance trekking trips I offer: 16 day UK Coast to Coast Trek1 week Alta Via 1 trek in the Dolomites, or 10-day Monte Rosa trekking tour!

Price includes

- Accommodation included

- Guiding fee

- Breakfast

- Dinner

- Luggage transfer

Price details

Price includes: Accommodation for 8 nights on a twin-share basis, all breakfasts, guiding services, luggage transfers. Not included: Lunches or evening meals, personal drinks and snacks, travel insurance, extra accommodation or transfers for anyone unable to complete the trip, tips.


Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival: Milngavie

We meet at our hotel in the town outside of Milngavie.  I will hold a briefing at 6pm so we can discuss the details of the upcoming trip and get to know each other.

Day 2: Milngavie to Drymen

From the obelisk of Milngavie, we we head toward Mugdock Country Park.  We pass through farmland before stopping for a whisky tasting at Glengoyne Distillery.  We then head to Drymen and our accommodations for the night.

Distance: 12 mi (19 km)

Walking: Approx 6-7 hrs

Accommodation: Hotel/B&B/Guesthouse

Day 3: Drymen to Rowardennan

Today’s route takes us up the steep Conic Hill, where, if the weather permits, we will have an incredible panorama over Loch Lomond.  From there, we head down to Balmaha and trek in the rolling terrain around the loch.

Distance: 15 mi (24 km)

Walking: Approx 8-9 hrs

Accommodation: Hotel/B&B/Guesthouse

Day 4: Rowardennan to Inverarnan

We tackle tough terrain around Loch Lomond, eventually arriving to a spot where we will have more great views that extend over the loch all the way to the Arrochar Alps.  We continue onto Inversnaid Nature Reserve, eventually reaching Drovers Inn, where we will spend the night.

Distance: 14 mi (22.5 km)

Walking: Approx 8 hrs

Accommodation: Hotel/B&B/Guesthouse

Day 5: Inverarnan to Tyndrum

Today we are mostly sticking to an old military road, so the terrain is slightly easier.  We enjoy the incredible views of the highlands in front of us and Loch Lomond behind us.  We continue on path, passing rolling hills, until we reach Tyndrum.

Distance: 12 mi (19 km)

Walking: Approx 7-8 hrs

Accommodation: Hotel/B&B/Guesthouse

Day 6: Tyndrum to Kingshouse

This is the longest day of the trek.  The military road takes us to the Bridge of Orchy.  Then, we ascend to more incredible vistas.  We will cross Rannoch Moor before making our way to the Kings House, constructed in the 17th century.  If the lodging here is not available, we will transfer to a nearby town for the night.

Distance: 19 mi (30 km)

Walking: Approx 9-10 hrs

Accommodation: Hotel/B&B/Guesthouse

Day 7: Kingshouse to Kinlochleven

We trek until we reach Altnafeadh, the site of the legendary 1692 Glencoe Massacre.  We then ascend the Devil’s Staircase, reaching the highest point of the trek.  The views over Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Scotland, are incredible.  We then descend to the town of Kinlochleven, where we spend the night.

Distance: 9 mi (14 km)

Walking: 5-6 hrs

Accommodation: Hotel/B&B/Guesthouse

Day 8: Kinlochleven to Fort William

We complete our final climb up Lairigmor (300m), but the ascent is not too steep.  We then descend through the woodlands of Glen Nevis until we reach Fort William, our final destination.

Accommodation: Hotel/B&B/Guesthouse

Day 9: Fort William: Departure

After a final breakfast together, the program ends.

 

About the guide

Guide profile image

-Emma

4.63

(8)

Mountain Leader

I'm a qualified International Mountain Leader (IML) and I have been leading expeditions for the last 15 years. I have led the Tour du Mont Blanc over 40 times, the Everest Base Camp trek 27 times, Kilimanjaro 10 times, and I have also led trips in Nepal, Peru, Cuba, India, Bhutan, Cambodia, Thailand, the Alps, the Pyrenees, Russia, Uzbekistan and Madagascar, amongst others.

I'm a passionate skier, in 2009 I made the first ski descent of Manaslu, the 8th highest mountain in the world (8156m).

Fluent in French, Russian and Spanish, I also work as an interpreter and love to chat.

Languages

Russian | French | English

Certificates

UIMLA

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What people are saying about -Emma

Frank

5.00

Emma is a very humble guide in a good way. Always in a good mood full of laughter who puts safety first and in for a good story about her previous adventures. We enjoyed her company a lot! Thanks Emma we had a wonderful time. Greetings Frank

4.00

Excellent start for us in snow shoeing with Phil our guide who kept things nice and easy - an enjoyable activity to redo.

Paul

5.00

Emma was very easy to communicate with (once we we able e in the same time zone, of course!). Our guide Phil was fabulous. Thanks to all.

Jule

5.00

We booked 3 full days of private showshoeing in Chamonix. Emma Jack was very responsive to our inquiry during booking and our emails leading up to our trip. We were paired with a local guide, Sebastian, who was very knowledgeable about the Chamonix area and picked the perfect spots for us to snowshoe each day based on the weather and snowfall accumulation. I highly recommend booking your trip with Emma Jack and would use her again if we return.

Siti

5.00

We had fun on that day!! The sun was shining all the way the there’s a lot of snow ? my kids enjoy the trip. All of the arrangement up to the guide is very professional handled & we enjoy the company..and will definitely booked with explore share again..keep up the good work guys!! ?


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