Day-by-day trail itinerary
West Highland Way: 7-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
7 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 → Inverarnan
22.0 km · 607 m ascent · 6h29–9h10 (about 7h38, incl. ~1h16 of stops)
Via Tarbet -
4
Day 4: Inverarnan → Tyndrum
19.3 km · 430 m ascent · 5h21–7h33 (about 6h17, incl. ~1h03 of stops)
Via Crianlarich -
5
Day 5: Tyndrum → Glencoe Mountain Resort
27.8 km · 568 m ascent · 7h43–10h53 (about 9h04, incl. ~1h31 of stops)
Via Bridge of Orchy -
6
Day 6: Glencoe Mountain Resort → Kinlochleven
16.7 km · 385 m ascent · 4h58–7h (about 5h50, incl. ~58m of stops)
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7
Day 7: 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.