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!
9 Days
Apr - Sep
High
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 Trek, 1 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 twinshare basis, all breakfasts, guiding services, luggage transfers.
- Not included: Insurance (mandatory for every participant), lunches or evening meals, personal drinks and snacks, travel insurance, extra accommodation or transfers for anyone unable to complete the trip, tips.
Meeting point
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.
Details
More info
Insurance
It is compulsory that you take out adequate travel insurance, and it is a condition of booking with us that your insurance covers the following as a minimum: medical expenses, injury, illness, death, repatriation, personal accident, mountain rescue including helicopter evacuation, along with cancellation and curtailment. Your insurance must be valid for the duration of your tour.
About the guide
-Emma & Guides' team
4.8
(18)
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 work together with qualified mountain leaders like me, If I'm not available to guide you, one of my colleagues will take care of you.
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
What people are saying about -Emma & Guides' team
Georgie
He gave us confidence to have the most denture and fun. Whilst feeling safe at all timesz
The service Emma provided us was outstanding. Everything went well and as planned. Trip descriptions, route informations and Emma's recommendations was all provided in the App and hard copy. All we had to do was show up and hike. No worries about booking hotels and transportations. Hotels booked for us were all clean, comfortable with full breakfast. The dinners that some hotels provided was very delicious. I highly recommend Cloud 9 Adventure to anybody. Thank you Emma for an unforgettable trip!
We had an amazing day hiking with Jason admiring views of Mont Blanc, the Bionnassay glacier and waterfalls. Jason was knowledgeable about the history and geology of the area, and tailored the hike according to what we wanted to see as well as our physical capacity. We are grateful he brought us on a trail we wouldn’t have known about otherwise! Emma was also a great help with coordination and brainstorming ideas with us in the lead-up to the hike. Highly recommend!
Emma Jack- You are incredible. Nothing I can say here would justify the experience you gave us. I will just say thank you and we’ll be reaching out to you again to plan our future adventures.
Cloud 9 fit everything we were searching for. You can not find a better team with experience and care for service than Cloud 9. If you are looking for the hiking trip of lifetime, I urge you to look at the web site and send an email to Cloud 9 to learn more about their services for The Tour du Mont Blanc.
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