West Highland Way
Slighe Taobh an Iar na Gàidhealtachd
Key figures
Length
154 km: the stated length (West Highland Way Management Group).
Measured on our map line: 153.2 km, the route as OpenStreetMap maps it along the official track. The charts on this page run along the same line, and the search sorts trails by it, so lengths compare the same way.
- 154km
Ascent · descent
Estimated from the terrain model, as the sum of every main stage's climbs and drops between samples 100 m apart. No source states them. The model measures the treetops in forests, so it reads high there.
- estimated: 3,940m ↑3,990m ↓
Difficulty
How hard a trail is, in three ways: the terrain, the climate in season and the length of the days. Each is rated from Easy to Hard with the same thresholds for every trail, and takes its hardest measure. It describes the trail, not how it will feel to you: that depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather you get.
- Terrain: ModeratePath grade: ≈ T2
- Climate: Demanding in Apr–JunCold: 1 °C at night (April)
- Effort: DemandingLongest day: ≈ 7 h 45 (stage 8)
- Terrain: Moderate; Climate: Demanding in Apr–Jun; Effort: Demanding
- Suggested
- 6–7days
Per stage
The 8 main stages' totals over their number (West Highland Way Management Group), so the averages come from one source. The ascent is the terrain model's estimate per stage (≈), since the stages state no climbs.
- 19km· about 490 m ↑
- Season
- April to October; in winter only for fit walkers with winter navigation skills
Landscape
Land cover along the main route, from ESA WorldCover satellite data:
- Grassland and shrubs: 52%
- Forest: 45%
- Farmland and villages: 2%
- Water, snow and ice: 1%
- Mostly Grassland
Location
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Regions
- East Dunbartonshire, Stirling, Argyll and Bute, Highland
- Start
- Milngavie
- Finish
- Fort William
- Route type
- Point to point
- Travel hubs
- Glasgow Queen Street11.7 km by road · 16 min
- Glasgow Airport (GLA)19.4 km by road · 23 min
- Protected areas
- Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park; Ben Nevis and Glen Coe National Scenic Area
- Managed by
- West Highland Way Management GroupOfficial website
- Waymarking
- Waymarked along its length
- Trail
- Start
- Stage start
- Finish
- Contour lines
Difficulty
Terrain
How hard is the ground to walk: the path, the climbing, the steep bits, the ground underfoot? Rated over the whole main route. The rating takes its hardest measure.
Path grade: the trail's SAC grade, stated, converted or estimated.
- EasyT1
- ModerateT2
- DemandingT3
- HardT4 to T6
Climbing: ascent of the main stages over their length.
- Easyunder 15 m per km
- Moderate15–30 m
- Demanding30–50 m
- Hard50 m or more
Steep stretches: share of the route steeper than 15 %, up or down (terrain model).
- Easyunder 5 %
- Moderate5–15 %
- Demanding15–30 %
- Hard30 % or more
Natural ground: share on footpaths and trails (OpenStreetMap); never Hard on its own.
- Easyunder a third
- Moderatea third to two thirds
- Demandingtwo thirds or more
Moderate
- estimated T2
SAC hiking scale
Trails rate their difficulty in many local scales, or only describe it in words. We translate each rating into the Swiss Alpine Club's hiking scale, from T1 (easy) to T6 (very hard), so trails can be compared. It stays an estimate: how hard a trail feels depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather.
This trail: T2 (our estimate). The official sections describe good paths and tracks most of the way, old military and parliamentary roads, and one significant climb over Conic Hill; beyond Rowardennan the path gets rougher, with rocky stretches, crags and boulders along Loch Lomond, and it is very exposed across Rannoch Moor and before Kinlochleven (Devil's Staircase, about 550 m). That is mountain hiking (T2), with weather the main difficulty.
- T1 · HikingWell-made paths, mostly flat or gently sloping. No risk of falling; trainers are enough.
- T2 · Mountain hikingA continuous path, steep in places, where a fall can't be ruled out. Be sure-footed; wear hiking boots.
- T3 · Demanding mountain hikingThe path is not always visible; exposed spots may have chains or ropes, and you may need your hands for balance.
- T4 · Alpine hikingOften no path. Hands are needed in places, terrain is exposed, and there can be easy snowfields.
- T5 · Demanding alpine hikingMostly pathless, with easy climbing and exposed, demanding terrain. Needs alpine experience.
- T6 · Difficult alpine hikingPathless, very exposed, with climbing and glaciers. For experienced mountaineers only.
- Climbingestimated 26 m per km
- Steep stretches4 % of the way
- Natural ground41 %
Climate
How hot, cold, wet and windy does it get? Rated for each month from 30 years of weather (ERA5). Without months picked (the search's When filter), the rating is for the trail's best run of at least two months in its season, and each measure shows its hardest month of that run; a pick re-rates it for your months. The rating takes its hardest measure.
Heat: mean daily high at the lowest point.
- Easyunder 22 °C
- Moderate22–27 °C
- Demanding27–32 °C
- Hard32 °C or more
Cold: mean nightly low at the highest point.
- Easy8 °C or more
- Moderate3–8 °C
- Demanding−2 to 3 °C
- Hardbelow −2 °C
Wet days: days a month with 1 mm of rain or more, the wetter of both points.
- Easyunder 10
- Moderate10–14
- Demanding14–18
- Hard18 or more
Snow: days a month with 1 cm of snow or more at the highest point.
- Easyunder 1 day
- Moderate1–3 days
- Demanding3–6 days
- Hard6 days or more
Wind: mean of the day's strongest wind (hourly mean, 10 m above ground), the windier of both points.
- Easyunder 15 km/h
- Moderate15–20 km/h
- Demanding20–25 km/h
- Hard25 km/h or more
Demanding in Apr–Jun
Outside the season (Apr–Oct): facilities may be closed, and the weather is harder to plan for.
- Heat · June16 °C by day
- Cold · April1 °C at night
- Wet days · May18 days
- Snow · April2 days
- Wind · April16 km/h
Effort
How long are the days? Rated by the longest main stage; a time range counts its upper end. The rating takes its hardest measure.
Longest day: walking time of the longest main stage, stated or by DIN 33466.
- Easyup to 4 h
- Moderate4–6 h
- Demanding6–8 h
- Hardmore than 8 h
Demanding
- Longest day · stage 8estimated 7 h 45
Climate
- Days in season · lowest point
- 11–17°C
- Nights in season · highest point
- 1–8°C
- Wet days a month
- 16–20
- Daylight
- 10.2–17.8h
| Month | Lowest point, day high / night low (°C) | Highest point, day high / night low (°C) | Wet days | Snow days | Frost nights at the highest point | Daylight (h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.3 / 1.5 | 2.1 / -1.7 | 19.5 | 10.7 | 20.8 | 7.4 |
| February | 5.8 / 1.4 | 2.5 / -1.9 | 18.4 | 10.8 | 19.7 | 9.4 |
| March | 7.6 / 2.2 | 4.3 / -1 | 17.1 | 6.9 | 18.8 | 11.6 |
| April | 10.7 / 4 | 7.4 / 0.8 | 15.6 | 2.4 | 11.3 | 14.2 |
| May | 13.8 / 6.9 | 10.6 / 3.6 | 17.7 | 0.3 | 3.2 | 16.4 |
| June | 16 / 9.8 | 12.8 / 6.6 | 17.3 | 0 | 0.1 | 17.8 |
| July | 17.3 / 11.4 | 14.2 / 8.3 | 19.4 | 0 | 0 | 17.2 |
| August | 17.1 / 11.5 | 13.9 / 8.3 | 19.6 | 0 | 0 | 15.2 |
| September | 15 / 9.8 | 11.9 / 6.6 | 17.3 | 0 | 0.4 | 12.7 |
| October | 11.6 / 7.1 | 8.3 / 3.9 | 20.1 | 0.4 | 3.3 | 10.2 |
| November | 8.2 / 4.2 | 4.9 / 1 | 18.4 | 3.2 | 10.6 | 8 |
| December | 5.7 / 1.8 | 2.5 / -1.4 | 18.4 | 8 | 19.6 | 6.8 |
Climate by month
Averages for 1995–2024 from ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, at the trail's lowest and highest point, adjusted to each point's elevation. Bars span the mean night low to the mean day high; wet days have at least 1 mm of rain, snow days at least 1 cm of snow. Daylight runs from sunrise to sunset in the middle of the month. The shaded months are the trail's season.
Stages
| Stage | Route | Distance | Ascent | Descent | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milngavie Drymen | 19.0 km | estimated 310 m ↑ | estimated 300 m ↓ | 51 → 64 m |
| 2 | Drymen Rowardennan | 22.5 km | estimated 720 m ↑ | estimated 780 m ↓ | 64 → 10 m |
| 3 | Rowardennan Inverarnan | 22.5 km | estimated 630 m ↑ | estimated 630 m ↓ | 10 → 27 m |
| 4 | Inverarnan Tyndrum | 19.3 km | estimated 560 m ↑ | estimated 340 m ↓ | 27 → 237 m |
| 5 | Tyndrum Inveroran | 14.5 km | estimated 310 m ↑ | estimated 370 m ↓ | 237 → 176 m |
| 6 | Inveroran Kingshouse | 16.0 km | estimated 330 m ↑ | estimated 260 m ↓ | 176 → 244 m |
| 7 | Kingshouse Kinlochleven | 14.5 km | estimated 410 m ↑ | estimated 640 m ↓ | 244 → 5 m |
| 8 | Kinlochleven Fort William | 24.0 km | estimated 670 m ↑ | estimated 670 m ↓ | 5 → 5 m |
Totals and averages count the main stages only. ≈ marks our estimates where the source gives no figure: ascent and descent from the terrain model (Copernicus DEM, 30 m grid, sampled every 100 m), to the nearest 10 m.
Terrain
- Highest · lowest point
- 550m high6m low
Gradient
The steepest 500 m of the trail in walking direction, uphill and downhill. On this trail the steepest climb is 22 % (12°, 111 m up over 500 m) on stage 7, the steepest descent −25 % (14°, 125 m down) on stage 2.
A gradient is height per distance: 20 % means 20 m up for every 100 m forward. Percent and degrees don't grow alike: 100 % is 45°, not 90°.
Gradient Angle Feels like 10 % 6° Noticeable on a road 20 % 11° A steep path, slow going 30 % 17° Very steep, often steps 100 % 45° Scrambling Averages over 500 m from a 30 m terrain model: short pitches within them, such as steps and ladders, are steeper.
- 22% ↑−25% ↓
Steep stretches
How many kilometres of the main route climb or descend at 15 % or more (9°, 15 m of height per 100 m), measured in 200 m stretches: on this trail 2.8 km up and 3.6 km down, the darkest parts of the profile. Such stretches are slow going uphill and hard on the knees downhill.
- 6.4km
Surfaces
- Natural ground: 41%, 62.6 km. Earth, grass, rock and roots: footpaths and forest trails. Can be muddy after rain.
- Gravel: 49%, 74.6 km. Gravel, compacted and stony surfaces: mostly forest roads and farm tracks.
- Paved: 10%, 14.4 km. Asphalt, concrete and cobbles: roads and village streets.
Terrain along the route
Heights from the Copernicus terrain model (30 m grid, every 100 m along the main route); it measures the treetops in forests, so heights may differ from signposts by some metres.
The profile colours each 200 m by its gradient in walking direction: the steeper, the darker, climbs warm and descents violet, from level ground to ±30 % and beyond.
The strip under the profile shows the ground underfoot, from OpenStreetMap; for the 53% of the route without a surface tag, the type of way decides (footpaths natural, tracks gravel).
Landscape
Landscape along the route
Land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (10 m satellite map), every 100 m along the main route; each point takes the most common class within 30 m, so the path itself doesn't count as bare ground. Its eleven classes are folded into the six groups shown. It says what the landscape looks like, not which plants grow there.
Sleeping
Wild camping
Pitching a tent outside campsites. Whether it is allowed, restricted or prohibited depends on the land and the country; the rule for this trail is below the cards.
Restricted
Camping
Official campsites along the trail. Bring your own tent.
Available where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps at least 3 within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end.
Available
Campsites · 65 in OpenStreetMap
Huts
Mountain huts (often staffed, with meals) and unstaffed bivouac shelters, usually on the trail itself.
Available where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps at least 3 within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end.
Available
5 in OpenStreetMap
Hostels
Dormitory beds for walkers: hostels, hiker lodges and pilgrim hostels.
Available where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps at least 3 within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end.
Available
Hostels and hiker lodges · 12 in OpenStreetMap
Rooms
Private rooms, usually in villages near the trail: B&Bs, guesthouses, hotels, farm stays and monastery guesthouses.
Available where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps at least 3 within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end.
Available
B&Bs and guesthouses, Hotels · 67 in OpenStreetMap
Wild camping is restricted. Allowed under the Scottish Outdoor Access Code: lightweight, in small numbers, two or three nights in one place at most, away from buildings, roads and fields, leaving no trace. In Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, camping byelaws apply from March to September (a permit or a campsite in the camping management zones along the loch).
Places to sleep along the route
One tick per place to sleep along the main route, from OpenStreetMap: 65 campsites, 5 huts, 12 hostels, 67 guest houses within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end (stage towns often lie off the trail). Hotels and day shelters are left out. The shaded column is the longest stretch without any, from km 0 to 16.8. The map may miss places or list ones that have closed, so book or check locally.
Water & Supply
Clean water
31 fountains, taps and springs marked as drinkable in OpenStreetMap within 500 m of the trail, and 7 places to sleep OpenStreetMap marks as having drinking water. Clean water also counts the 94 huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites within 500 m where hikers usually fill a bottle: guests come first, and many close out of season, so ask, and carry a little more than the gaps need. Places OpenStreetMap marks as without drinking water are left out. The counts include the approach and variant; the chart shows the main route.
Rated by the longest stretch of the main route without clean water: frequent up to 10 km, regular up to 20 km, scarce beyond. Here: from km 127.8 to 142.7, stage 8.
- 14.9kmRegular
Any water
Clean water, and the 1 springs within 500 m of the trail whose water is of unknown quality: filter, boil or treat it, and expect some springs to run dry in late summer. Here the longest stretch without any water runs from km 127.8 to 142.7. Rated like clean water: frequent up to 10 km, regular up to 20 km, scarce beyond.
- 14.9kmRegular
Shops
34 supermarkets, convenience and general stores and petrol stations with a shop in OpenStreetMap, within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end (stage towns often lie off the trail). Small village shops are often missing, and opening hours vary: check before relying on one. Here the longest stretch without runs from km 97.5 to 127.1.
- 29.6km
Water and shops along the route
One tick per place along the main route, from OpenStreetMap: drinking water and springs within 500 m, refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites within 500 m, shops within 1 km or 3 km of a stage's end. The shaded band in each lane is its longest stretch without; "Water" counts every kind, and opens into one lane per kind, each with its own. The map may miss places or list ones that have closed or run dry, so check locally.