6-day West Highland Way itinerary

1. Day 1

   Milngavie to Drymen

   5–6 h 12.0 mi (19.3 km) ↑ 320 m (1,050 ft) ↓ 300 m (1,000 ft)

   An easy, deliberately short opener. The path slips out of the Glasgow suburbs through the woods of Mugdock Country Park and past a chain of small lochs, with the Campsie Fells rising to the side. Splitting the start here is what makes the six-day gentler than the express, so there is no need to hurry. Drymen, just off the trail, has pubs and a shop for an early finish.

   Example stay The Drymen Inn (opens in a new tab)

2. Day 2

   Drymen to Rowardennan

   7–8 h 14.8 mi (23.8 km) ↑ 770 m (2,550 ft) ↓ 810 m (2,650 ft)

   Still a short day, but this is where the walking gets serious. The climb up Conic Hill is the first real effort of the trail, rewarded at the top by the classic view down the length of Loch Lomond. Balmaha, at the bottom, makes a good lunch and the last easy shop for a while, and from there an undulating wooded path follows the loch to Rowardennan. Keeping this stage short is deliberate — you meet the north shore tomorrow on fresh legs.

   Example stay Rowardennan Hotel (opens in a new tab)

3. Day 3

   Rowardennan to Inverarnan

   6–7 h 13.9 mi (22.3 km) ↑ 740 m (2,450 ft) ↓ 750 m (2,450 ft)

   This is why the six-day keeps the first two days short: the north shore of Loch Lomond is the slowest, most demanding stretch on the trail, and you want fresh legs for it. There is little climbing — the difficulty is the ground itself, a tangle of roots, rock, and small rises that turns every kilometre into hard work. The Inversnaid Hotel around the midpoint is the only place to stop. Set off early, carry your own food and water, and leave the evening open.

   Example stay The Drovers Inn (opens in a new tab)

4. Day 4

   Inverarnan to Bridge of Orchy

   8–9 h 18.8 mi (30.2 km) ↑ 750 m (2,450 ft) ↓ 600 m (1,950 ft)

   A long day that trades a night in Tyndrum for extra ground now. You leave the loch and climb into open Highland glens on old military and drove roads, with Tyndrum — shops, cafés, and the Green Welly stop — as the natural lunch. The afternoon follows the old road to the single hotel at Bridge of Orchy. Treat the morning as real walking rather than a stroll, or the second half drags.

   Example stay Bridge of Orchy Hotel (opens in a new tab)

5. Day 5 Longest

   Bridge of Orchy to Kinlochleven

   9–10 h 20.8 mi (33.5 km) ↑ 930 m (3,050 ft) ↓ 1,070 m (3,500 ft)

   The six-day's toughest day, and one of the great mountain stages in Britain. From Bridge of Orchy the path climbs past the Inveroran Inn and out onto Rannoch Moor — miles of open bog and lochans with the peaks of Glencoe ahead and nowhere to shelter if the weather turns. Beyond Kingshouse comes the Devil's Staircase, the highest point on the Way, then a knee-testing descent into Kinlochleven. Start at first light, and treat Kingshouse as a lunch stop only.

   Example stay Tailrace Inn (opens in a new tab)

6. Day 6

   Kinlochleven to Fort William

   7–8 h 15.0 mi (24.2 km) ↑ 710 m (2,350 ft) ↓ 710 m (2,350 ft)

   After yesterday's mountain day, the finish is walked on tired legs — and it does not give itself away. The climb out of Kinlochleven leads into the Lairig Mòr, a long and lonely glen beneath the Mamores, and only in its final miles does Ben Nevis appear and the tracks tip downhill. The Way ends at the walker statue in the centre of Fort William. Trains and buses leave the same afternoon, or stay a night to climb the Ben.

   Finish West Highland Way Finish

Cross-check: official suggested itineraries . Their six-day table (WHW2) uses Inversnaid and Crianlarich. This split is the official five-day with the first day broken at Drymen and Rowardennan. Distances are from our trail geometry, not their mile table.

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