Day-by-day trail itinerary
West Highland Way: 6-day itinerary
Easy, low-level walking on old railway path, parkland and farm lanes through Mugdock Country Park and a run of small towns, Milngavie, Blanefield, Killearn, Drymen, with no real climbing until the very end. Conic Hill, just before Balmaha, is the one exception: a short, sharp pull that gives the first proper view over Loch Lomond and its islands from height. Well served throughout, with shops and pubs never far away, a genuine warm-up day, sociable and flat, before the trail's character changes completely at the loch shore.
Choose your pace
Compare West Highland Way itineraries
A practical starting point
6 days from Milngavie to Fort William
Use these daily distances and overnight stops as a starting point, then customise the trip in the planner.
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1
Day 1: Milngavie → Drymen
18.9 km · 164 m ascent · 4h49–6h47 (about 5h40, incl. ~56m of stops)
Via Blanefield, Killearn, Croftamie -
2
Day 2: Drymen → Rowardennan
23.8 km · 585 m ascent · 6h53–9h44 (about 8h07, incl. ~1h21 of stops)
Via Milton of Buchanan, Balmaha -
3
Day 3: Rowardennan → Glen Falloch
23.1 km · 612 m ascent · 6h46–9h32 (about 7h57, incl. ~1h20 of stops)
Via Tarbet -
4
Day 4: Glen Falloch → Bridge of Orchy
28.9 km · 541 m ascent · 7h53–11h08 (about 9h17, incl. ~1h33 of stops)
Via Crianlarich, Tyndrum -
5
Day 5: Bridge of Orchy → Kinlochleven
33.8 km · 837 m ascent · 9h52–13h56 (about 11h37, incl. ~1h56 of stops)
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6
Day 6: Kinlochleven → Fort William
24.6 km · 578 m ascent · 7h04–9h58 (about 8h19, incl. ~1h23 of stops)
Via Glen Nevis, Caol, Lochyside
Solve the practical questions
Plan West Highland Way with confidence
Route-specific answers from Trailstrider's researched trail data, with the planner ready when you want to turn them into your own trip.