Where We Be
West Highland Way (1st half), Scotland
The West Highland Way (WHW) is a 96-mile trek
from the Lowlands to the Highlands of Scotland.
We thoroughly enjoyed this experience, which
we broke into ten hiking days. To our surprise,
we found it somewhat easier than the Cotswold
Way, which we'd completed a week earlier. Why?
1) We broke it into smaller segments, with many
days only averaging about 8 miles. (All except
the last day, that is, which was a real killer at 16
miles -- but there's no way to shorten that one.)
2) We used a baggage transfer service, which
made everything easier. 3) The terrain had less
steep ups and downs on any given day. That's
not to say the WHW doesn't have its share of
challenges, but it's certainly manageable.

Conic Hill is our pick for the highlight of this first
half of the hike, with expansive views over Loch
Lomond and glimpses of the Highlands yet to
come. You'll get to know Loch Lomond quite
well over the first five days, as you'll be hiking
along it almost constantly. The stretch from
Inversnaid to Inverarnan (Day 5) is especially
challenging, with writhing roots, tricky footing,
and constant ups and downs as you hug the
shoreline. Some hikers do Days 4 and 5 as a
single 14-mile day, but we were grateful to have
planned two 7-mile days, which made the whole
experience more enjoyable and less of a slog.
This granite obelisk marks the official
starting point of the West Highland Way
Day 1. Milngavie to Drymen (~13 miles)
Getting here is easy: multiple trains per day run between Glasgow's
Queen Street Station and Milngavie Station (~25 minutes, £5)
And off we go! The start of the hike is easy and flat.
You'll pass a few homes and B&Bs on the outskirts of Milngavie,
including this memorable fellow "sinking" into a tree stump
Before long the hike turns more scenic. The distinctive volcanic hill
in the background is Dumgoyne, and the bright yellow bushes are gorse.
Meeting fellow hikers along the way -- like this friendly Irishman from Dublin -- is all part of the fun
Dumgoyne Hill marks the halfway point of the first day (assuming you're
hiking to Drymen). The award-winning Glengoyne Distillery is close by.
Half a mile further up the trail is Beech Tree Cafe, featuring
an outdoor beer garden and a "zoo" of rescue animals
White rhododendron shrub in full bloom
We arrived at Winnock Hotel and enjoyed a tasty dinner at Ptarmigan Bar
Trail markers for the West Highland Way feature a distinctive
"thistle" logo -- but some jokester added a smiley face to this one!
The highlight of this hiking day was Conic Hill -- straight ahead
The summit of Conic Hill provides expansive views of Loch Lomond
The "row" of islands marks the geological boundary between the Lowlands and Highlands
It's a steep climb and a long descent -- but it's totally worth it for the views
Happy to be hiking on such a lovely day!
Down, down, down to Balmaha
Balmaha is at the bottom of Conic Hill - our goal for the day
We arrived at the Oak Tree Inn in Balmaha and claimed a corner table in their pub
This chowder is called "cullen skink" -- it's delicious and creamy and features smoked haddock
A five-minute walk from Milngavie station brings you here, to the start of the hike.
If you're like most people (including us), you'll stop first for a bite to eat at Costa Coffee.
Day 2. Drymen to Balmaha (~8 mi)
The sun rose through the trees as we started our fifth day of hiking
Today's hike was a tedious slog most of the time, brutally hugging the shoreline
But we took our time, pausing and appreciating the beauty along the way
There were pleasant lake views and narrow passages to squeeze through -- and Rob Roy's cave as well
This is often considered one of the toughest days of the hike. Our pace slowed to a crawl as we picked our way
along the shore. It had rained the night before, so the trail was mucky and slippery in places -- and every
step required careful placement of feet between writhing roots and slanting stones and awkward angles.
And yet ... there were so many beautiful things to appreciate, like this little clump of wood sorrel tucked beside a log
And this ancient moss-covered oak tree with twisting branches
We finally reached the far end of Loch Lomond and the hiking became easier.
We found a pretty picnic spot next to a bubbling creek, put our rain jackets
down in the damp grass, and snacked on ham and cheese sandwiches.
This is Doune Bothy. A "bothy" is a rustic shelter open to all hikers who don't mind roughing it.
One last view as we leave Loch Lomond behind
Drovers Inn, our home for the night -- and quite a bit nicer than that bothy!
Drover's Inn represents the halfway point of the West Highland Way,
so it's a great place to raise a glass and celebrate with fellow hikers.
Much of the forest floor was blanketed in dense carpets of bluebells (wild hyacinth)
We picked up some snacks at Ben’s Honesty Box in Rowardennan
Even some of the hillsides were blanketed in bluebells -- a stunning spring display
In this ancient oak woodland, every root and rock seemed to be covered in moss
The streams turned into cascades as we neared Inversnaid
Towards the end we reached lovely Inversnaid Falls -- just steps away from Inversnaid Hotel
The hotel is situated right along the shores of Loch Lomond
Inversnaid Hotel is primarily a “coach hotel” for tour groups, so dinner and breakfast are at set times with set menus
Balmaha sits on the shores of Loch Lomond. The statue commemorates Scottish naturalist Tom Weir.
Much of today's hike was flat as we followed along the lake, past sandy or pebbly beaches
Loch Lomond stretches for some 23 miles, so it was our constant companion for the next few days
Forest predominated, with occasional peeks at the loch
Artistic arrangement of stacked firewood
The beer garden at the Rowardennan Hotel offers a popular stopping point along the way
Rowardennan Youth Hostel was a half mile further up the trail -- our goal for the day
We claimed a couch in the shared living room and enjoyed gorgeous views of the lake
Day 3. Balmaha to Rowardennan (~8 mi)
Day 4. Rowardennan to Inversnaid (~8 mi)
Day 5. Inversnaid to Inverarnan (~8 mi)
Scottish red squirrels are a protected species
Our first glimpse of Loch Lomond in the distance
A rare attempt at a selfie
Raising a pint in celebration
Liittle Eden Cottage, set within a woodland clearing, looks so inviting
A lot of little streams and rivulets crossed our path today
The terrain turned trickier, too, with lots of little ups and downs, as we hugged the lake shore
We passed this weathered tree stump with deep vertical graining