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Scotland's West Highland Way 2008

Inn-to-Inn

The Trip

Each year we extend to our alumni and those looking for a real adventure, the invitation to join us on our exploration of new areas and routes. This year for the first time we will be hiking one of Scotland’s oldest long-distance foot paths, The West Highland Way, offering some of Scotland’s most spectacular scenery.

The West Highland Way, finished in 1980, took almost 20 years to complete. Beginning near Scotland’s largest city, Glasgow, and following along side Britain’s largest body of inland water, Loch Lomond, the route ends in Fort William at the foot of Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis. The Scottish Highlands and Lowlands are separated by the Highland Boundary Fault which runs through the middle of Loch Lomond, creating both a contrast in geology as well as human history of the two areas. Along this 95 mile walk through Scotland we will hike through a variety of landscapes, moorland and heath, river valleys and farmland, mountains and woodland.

Traveling on foot is a wonderful way to experience Western Scotland. We’ll stay at old inns, small hotels, and B & B’s. After a hearty Scottish breakfast each day, we will set off toward our next destination, either picnicking along the way or enjoying the hospitality of local pubs and restaurants. From village to village, from the central lowlands to the heart of the Highlands, together we will explore a new route while at the same time enjoying the changing landscapes from day to day. We will spend two nights in Rowardennan on the shore of Loch Lomond to have a day to climb Ben Lomond (3195 ft), one of Scotland’s Munro’s, a mountain over 3000 feet. We will also spend two nights in Fort Williams at the end of the “Way”, giving us the opportunity to climb Ben Nevis and view the Scottish Landscape from Britain’s highest point.

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Itinerary

Day 1: We will begin the West Highland Way in the village Milngavie, not far from Glascow. All participants will be on their own to get to our hotel. We will meet as a group in the evening for our welcome dinner and orientation.

Day 2: We begin with a gentle valley walk along the Blane and Endrick Rivers, enjoying views of the distant hills to come. Following old jeep trackes, country lanes, and abandoned railway lines we will cross the plains of East Dumbartonshire and southern Stirlingshire through woodlands and pastoral countryside. Passing by the Glengoyne Distillery, we have time for a tour if we choose. We will end the day in the pleasant village of Drymen centered around a large village green.

Day 3: Walking on a wide track we ascend gradually through the Garadhban Forest, as we appraoch our first major climb of the route, Conic Hill (1184’). From the top we’ll have great views of Loch Lomond and the Scottish countryside. After a steep descent we pass through the small village of Balmaha on the shore of Loch Lomond. Britain’s largest body of water, 23 miles long, Loch Lomond was formed by a glacier about 10,000 years ago. From Balmaha we follow along the shore of of the lake, with its native woodlands, rocky coves and small beaches, finally reaching Rowardennan and our night’s accommodation.

Day 4: In 1891 Sir Hugo Munro published the first list of all Scotland’s peaks over 3,000’. Until then there had been much debate as to exactly how many 3,000’peaks there actually were in Scotland. Since then these peaks have been referred to as “The Munros”. Ben Lomond, (3,195’) is the most southerly of Scotland’s Munro’s. It stands high above Loch Lomond and is the first real mountain we will pass along the West Highland Way. Weather permitting and for those so inclined, we will spend this day hiking up Ben Lomond. From the summit, we will have superb views of both the Highlands and the Lowlands.

Day 5: Leaving the Rowardennan, we begin our hike along Loch Lomond. Considered by many to be the most arduous section of the “Way”, the trail hugs the shore crossing sections of encumbered by boulder and tree roots. The scenery, however, is spectacular as we hike among an oak forest with views across the Loch, including the landmark of the “Cobbler”, a rugged mountain on the opposite side. Continuing alongside the lake we will pass by Rob Roy’s Prison, the hideaway of the Scottish hero Rob Roy MacGregor, known as the Robin Hood of the Highlands. Reaching the end of the Loch we climb a short hill and descend into Invararnan. Here we will spend the night in an historic “world famous” Inn.

Day 6: Leaving Lock Lomond behind, today we enter the Highlands proper. This is a fairly short day, as we approach the halfway point of Crianlarich. We will hike through Glen Falloch following an old military road and the River Falloch. We will have views of gorges, mountains, rapids and falls, Grey Mares Tail Falls and the Falls of Falloch.

Day 7: Today we will have good walking, with moderate ascents and descents, and fine mountain views, as we follow some of the old drove roads. These roads were created during the 17th and 18th century in order to get the cattle to market in the Lowlands. Some villages along the “Way” saw almost 100,000 sheep and 10,000 cattle pass through each year. We will also pass by the remains of St. Fillan’s Chapel, St. Fillan was an Irish evangelist who came to Scotland to convert the Scots to Christianity in the 7th century. We will hike along the foot of the picturesque cone of Beinn Odhar, and then the more imposing Beinn Dorian before reaching Bridge of Orchy and our hotel.

Day 8: Today we will hike through some of the most exposed and solated section of the “Way”, a challenging day, though we will be rewarded with the beautiful landscape of the Highlands. Crossing the Black Mount, a high moorland plateau, we climb gradually to the summit of 1500’ and then begin our long descent into Kingshouse. From here we will transfer to our hotel a few miles away.

Day 9: We will have a shorter hike today, though still demanding, as we cross over the highest point of the “Way” at 1850 feet. The climb begins with the “Devil’s Staircase”. Not as bad as the name may suggest, the route follows an old military road built in 1750 by about 450 soldiers. The nickname comes from the switch back section near the summit. With views of the Glen Coe Mountains behind us, we begin our long descent to Kinlockleven, while at the same time enjoying the new scenery in front of us, the ridges of the Mamores with the massif of Ben Nevis behind.

Day 10: We begin our last day on the “Way” with a climb of 900 feet before arriving at the Lairigmor, the “great pass”, a broad pass between high hills on our left and the higher Mamores to our right. There are 11 Munros in this section of the West Highland Way. As we approach Fort Williams on our descent, the route travels through the Nevis Forest with occasional views of our destination, Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain in the distance

Day 11: With a great sense of accomplishment, having the “Way” under our belts, we now have the opportunity to hike Ben Nevis today or to explore the area around Fort William. One of Scotland’s main attractions at 4,406 feet, “The Ben”, with its rocky summit and 2000 foot cliffs on the North Face, often has snow on its peak even in summer.

Day 12: The trip will end at the hotel on the morning of the last day. After our hearty Scottish breakfast it will be possible to depart for Glasgow by train.

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Additional Information:

Included:

All accommodations, with private baths when available, all breakfasts (full Scottish), 5 or 6 dinners, all group transfers on buses and vans as described in the itinerary, guides, great hiking, lots of good memories.

Not Included:

Air fare, lunches, transportation to and from the trip start and ending, optional/individual transfers between inns or individual excursions, 5 or 6 dinners, items not on set dinner menus, beverages, insurance, tips to guides, items of personal nature (phone calls, laundry, excess baggage charge, passport fees, etc.).

Luggage:

This hike is not vehicle supported. You will need to carry a small to moderate sized pack with only the clothing and accessories you will need for the duration of hike. (See our sample packing list.) With advances in synthetic clothing and other travel gear, it's possible to keep your pack weight to 20 lbs. including lunch and water. All extra luggage or belongings will be transported to our last night's accommodations in Fort Williams.

Pack Support and Taxi Service:

On most days it may be possible send extra, unneeded items from our packs ahead to the next hotel. This option is available for an extra nominal fee. It may also possible to skip a day of hiking and take a taxi to the next hotel. This extra cost is not included in the price of the trip.

Accommodations:

Most evenings will be spent in small villages or hamlets. For the most part these are not typical tourist destinations and therefore have limited choices of accommodations. Our accommodations will run the gamut between small, simple bed and breakfasts to very comfortable country inns. All rooms will be double occupancy with private bathrooms when possible. Breakfasts and dinners are served at the hotels or a nearby restaurant or pub. Lunches are picnic style along the trail with the occasional stop at a pub or tea room.

Travel:

It is easiest to fly to Glascow, Scotland. However, there are frequent trains from Edinburgh and Manchester as well, just be sure to allow for extra travel time.

Meeting point:

Glascow airport at 11:00 am on day 1 for a group transfer to our hotel Milgave.

Ending point:

The trip will end the morning of the last day at our hotel in Fort Williams.

Who would enjoy this hike:

This is an exploratory hike. While we are very experienced in planning itineraries and are exceedingly familiar with the long-distance hiking system and tradition in Europe and Great Britain, this will be our first time actually hiking this route. We have a good gauge of the standard and type of accommodation we will be using, but we have not stayed at any on this route.

This would be a perfect hike for experienced hikers, who have previously hiked with us either guided or self-guided, and would like the experience of discovering a new area and new route along with us. As we cannot make the same kind of guarantees or speak with the same accuracies we can of our other trips, participants should be flexible, dependable, have a well-developed sense of humor and spirit of adventure.

For a more detailed itinerary or to register please call.