Fully revised 6th edition. The West Highland Way passes through some of the most spectacular scenery in all of Britain. From the outskirts of Glasgow it winds for 96 miles (154.5km) along the wooded banks of Loch Lomond, across the wilderness of Rannoch Moor, over the mountains above Glencoe to a dramatic finish passing Ben Nevis – Britain's highest mountain – into the centre of Fort William.
- 4 large-scale town plans, 8 overview maps and 53 large-scale walking maps – at just under 1:20,000 – showing route times, places to stay, places to eat, points of interest and much more. These are not general-purpose maps but fully-edited maps drawn by walkers for walkers.
- Itineraries for all walkers – whether walking the route in its entirety over a week to 10 days or sampling the highlights on day walks and short breaks
- Practical information for all budgets – camping, bunkhouses, hostels, B&Bs, pubs and hotels; Glasgow through to Fort William – where to stay, where to eat, what to see, plus detailed street plans
- Comprehensive public transport information – for all access points on the West Highland Way
- Climb Ben Nevis – route descriptions to the top of Britain's highest mountain and other peaks
- Flora and fauna – four page full color flower guide, plus an illustrated section on local wildlife
- Green hiking – understanding the local environment and minimizing our impact on it
- Includes GPS waypoints. These are also downloadable from the Trailblazer website
- Plus extra colour sections: 16pp colour introduction and 10pp of colour mapping for stage sections (one stage per page) with trail profiles.
Charlie Loram was the series editor who developed this British Walking Guides series for Trailblazer. He has hiked in the Himalaya as well as in Wales and Scotland. He now runs outdoor survival courses in Dartmoor, Devon.
INTRODUCTION
West Highland Way
History 8 – How difficult is it? 9
How long do you need? 10 – When to go 12
PART 1: PLANNING YOUR WALK
Practical information for the walker
Route finding 17 – Accommodation 18 – Food and drink 22
Money 24 – Other services 25 – Walking companies 25 – Information for foreign visitors 26 – Walking with dogs 28 – Mountain biking 29
Budgeting 29
Itineraries
Village and town facilities 31 – Which direction? 32
Suggested itineraries 32 – Hillwalking side trips 33
Day and weekend walks 34
What to take
Keep your luggage light 35 – How to carry it 35 – Footwear 36
Clothes 37 – Toiletries 38 – First-aid kit 38 – General items 38
Sleeping bag 39 – Camping gear 39 – Money 39 – Maps 40
Sources of further information 40 – Recommended reading 42
Getting to and from the West Highland Way
National transport 42 – Getting to Britain 43
Public transport map 46 – Local transport 48
PART 2: MINIMUM IMPACT WALKING & OUTDOOR SAFETY
Minimum impact walking
Economic impact 49 – Environmental impact 50 – Access 53
Outdoor safety
Avoidance of hazards 56 – Weather forecasts 56 – Water 57
Blisters 57 – Bites 57 – Hypothermia 59 – Hyperthermia 60
PART 3: THE ENVIRONMENT & NATURE
Conserving Scotland's nature
Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) 62 – Campaigning & conservation organisations 63 – Beyond conservation 64
Flora and fauna
Flowers 65 – Trees 67 – Mammals 71 – Reptiles 74
Butterflies 74 Birds 74
PART 4: GLASGOW
City guide
Orientation 78 – Arrival and departure 78 – Getting around and to Milngavie 79 – Services 82 – Festivals & events 83 – Where to
stay 83 – Where to eat and drink 87 – What to see and do 91
Walking from Glasgow to Milngavie 95
PART 5: ROUTE GUIDE AND MAPS
Using this guide 99
Milngavie to Fort William
Milngavie 100
Milngavie to Drymen 103
Drymen to Balmaha 116
Balmaha to Rowardennan 121
Rowardennan to Inversnaid 128
Inversnaid to Inverarnan 134
Inverarnan to Crianlarich 139
Crianlarich to Tyndrum 143
Tyndrum to Bridge of Orchy 149
Bridge of Orchy to Kingshouse 155 – Glen Coe 162
Kingshouse to Kinlochleven 170
Kinlochleven to Fort William 174 – Climbing Ben Nevis 180
Fort William 187
APPENDICES
A: Map keys 192
B: Gaelic 193
C: GPS Waypoints 195
D: Taking a dog along the Way 198
E: Distance chart 200
INDEX 203
OVERVIEW MAPS & PROFILES 211
Other versions by this Author
