Group of people standing in front of a stone monument in a town square, holding a "Large Outdoors" banner, with buildings and shops in the background. The monument is inscribed with "West Highland Way."
Group of hikers standing by a lake with mountains and trees in the background
Group of hikers standing in front of a map display, wearing outdoor gear and backpacks, pointing and smiling, with a visible map of hiking routes and the word 'Walk' in large letters.
Group of people posing by the West Highland Way marker stone in a town setting.
Group of hikers walking uphill on a grassy trail with a scenic mountain and lake view in the background.
Hikers walking down a rocky trail with views of a lake and islands in the background, surrounded by rolling hills and cloudy skies.
Group of seven people in hiking gear standing on a roadside with trees in the background.
Lone tree with a bird perched, near a calm lake with a gravel shoreline and misty hills in the background.
A group of people standing on a wooden bridge in a forest.
Group of six people in outdoor attire standing in front of a lake and mountains with a blue sky.
Scenic view of a lake with mountains in the background, under a clear blue sky. Green vegetation and rocks in the foreground.
Two hikers walking on a trail surrounded by greenery under a partly cloudy sky.
Group of hikers walking on a grassy trail in a scenic landscape with gentle hills and cloudy sky.

Guided Walking Holiday: Scotland’s Iconic West Highland Way

Conquer Scotland's most iconic long-distance trail on a fully supported 7-night West Highland Way adventure. Stay in comfortable hostels from Milngavie to Fort William, trekking 96 miles through Loch Lomond's ancient woodlands, the wild expanse of Rannoch Moor, and dramatic Glen Coe with expert guides and a welcoming small group of fellow adventurers. Enjoy hassle-free baggage transfers, a support vehicle, and the camaraderie of tackling this bucket-list challenge together – the ultimate Scottish walking experience.

Duration: 7 nights
Distance: 96 miles*
Accommodation: Hostels
Meeting Location: Glasgow
Group Size: Maximum 7
Level: Tough (Walking)

 

Booking Calendar…

Walk the West Highland Way fully supported with a group and Large Outdoors guide!

The West Highland Way is one of the UK’s most famous walking journeys, and with good reason. It’s a stunning long-distance trek officially covering 96 miles (*however, our groups tend to clock up around 100 miles!) from just outside Glasgow in Milngavie to Fort William on the coast.

If you’ve never seen the stunning landscapes of the west of Scotland, the West Highland Way is the perfect introduction. It’s a diverse route that covers mountains and lochs, rivers and moorlands. The scenery is second-to-none, earning the West Highland Way a place on walkers’ bucket lists around the world. It’s a long journey, but the route mostly sticks to valleys and woodland trails along the way, meaning you don’t need to be an experienced mountain hiker to enjoy this walk.

You’ll trek, eat, and stay with a group of fellow walkers, enjoying all the laughs, encouragement, and camaraderie long-distance walking brings out. Our expert guides will do all the navigating along the way, allowing you to immerse yourself in the scenery and experience.

A group walking on the West Highland Way in Scotland with mountains in the distance

Walking on the West Highland Way, Scotland

Our West Highland Way Guided Walk is fully supported with baggage transfer, meaning you can walk with your essentials while the rest of your baggage is transported to the next accommodation stop. There will also be a support vehicle available throughout, allowing you to take a rest day if you need one.

Walking the West Highland Way over 7 days, the distance walked each day will vary from approximately 8 to 20 miles. While this seems like a wide range, the longer distance days tend to be over generally flatter terrain, while the shorter distance days involve a bit more elevation. The walk is a fantastic challenge for walkers from all backgrounds, but it goes without saying the fitter you are the more you’ll enjoy yourself - so get those training miles in!

A group walking on the West Highland Way in Scotland

Walkers at the start of the West Highland Way, Scotland

Suggested Itinerary

Here’s what we’ve got planned - of course, we may have to offer alternatives or make amendments if the weather misbehaves or other unexpected situations arise!

  • Distance walked: approx. 20 miles

    Welcome to Milngavie Station - the official starting point of your West Highland Way journey!

    We will be offering a collection from Glasgow City Centre (see below) at 8am on the first day or you can meet us in Milngavie.

    There will be time before we start for you to purchase some packed lunch goodies.

    Today sees us leave the town of Milngave behind and head north through Mugdock Country Park, and then past fields following the remains of an old train line. After passing the Glengoyne Whisky Distillery, with views of the Campsie Fells, we reach the town of Drymen. The final stage of the day sees us head up into a large forest, all the way to the summit of Conic Hill, which lies on the Highland Boundary Fault. From here we descend to the banks of Loch Lomond, where we finish the day at Balmaha.

  • Distance walked: approx. 17 miles

    Over the course of the day we’ll be walking on or near the shore of Loch Lomond, following the eastern side of the loch north, all the way to Inversnaid. On this quieter side of the Loch there is no road, so we’ll be on forestry tracks and then loch-side paths through stunning native oak woodlands, with a great chance of seeing wildlife, including red squirrels. This day is all lower-level walking with some rocky steps, and a few ups and downs.

  • Distance walked: approx. 14 miles

    After a few more miles along the shore of Loch Lomond to its most northerly point, we head out into the wide Glen Falloch. The second half of the day is relatively easy walking along tracks, with our first close-up views of the impressive mountains of this part of Scotland.

  • Distance walked: approx. 13 miles

    Our introduction to the Scottish mountains continues today with a spectacular low-level walk up Strath Fillan, and then north to follow the river all the way to the Bridge of Orchy. We’ll pass underneath the peaks of Beinn Odhar and Beinn Dorain, and have views west to the shapely alpine summit of Ben Lui. The walking alternates between sheltered woodland, and the wide open spaces of the valleys, and there are even a few possible café stops!

  • Distance walked: approx. 13 miles

    The wildest and most remote day of the journey, we swap the woodlands of Loch Lomond and the hillsides of Strath Fillan for endless open spaces. After a brief hill to get us to Inverornan, we head up over the Black Mount and alongside the great expanse of Rannoch Moor. The contrast could not be more different on either side – to our left are mountains and rocky crags, and to the right vast bog, dotted with pools, the horizon stretching into the far haze.

  • Distance walked: approx. 8 miles

    Though the shortest day in terms of distance, today sees us walk up the dramatic Devil’s Staircase after a short walk next to the mountain of Buachaille Etive Mor. The path then climbs over 400 metres to reach a high pass, before beginning the descent down into Kinlochleven. This admirable effort is rewarded on a clear day by views of the Mamores mountain range and our first view of Ben Nevis.

  • Distance walked: approx. 15 miles

    The final day of the journey! We begin with a steep climb through woodland with views down to the sea-loch of Loch Leven. The trail then heads through the upland valley of Lairig Mor, taking us round the side of the Mamore mountains before entering Nevis Forest. Winding down through the forest, we enter Glen Nevis with Ben Nevis dominating the view ahead, before turning up the glen to enter Fort William.

  • Today it’s time to say our farewells. After a leisurely breakfast filled with good cheer you’ll head back to Glasgow and the end of your amazing Scottish adventure. Return transport to Glasgow is included.

    Please book onward travel accordingly (i.e. an open return train ticket), to allow for flexibility with the arrival time into Glasgow - we (sadly!) can’t control the traffic. We’ll aim to be back by the early afternoon.

Group of hikers posing on a rocky trail with mountains in the background and a clear blue sky.
Hikers walking on a trail through a scenic landscape with mountains and grassy fields under a blue sky with clouds.
Landscape with mossy tree stump, grassy field, mountains in background, overcast sky.
Group of people sitting at a restaurant table with drinks and smiles.
Scenic paved path through grassy hills with mountain backdrop under a blue sky with clouds.
Mountain landscape with a rocky path, surrounded by bushes and trees under a blue sky with clouds.
Landscape with rocky terrain, grassy field, foggy valley, distant mountains, and clear blue sky.
Mountain landscape with rocky foreground and small trees.
Group of hikers standing on a rocky trail in a mountainous landscape, wearing outdoor clothing and gear, with cloudy sky overhead.

Essential Information

  • Pickup (Day 1): when booking you can let us know which of the two Pickup locations below you’d like to be collected from.

    Glasgow City Centre (Hotel) 8:00 at the ibis Styles Glasgow Central, 116 Waterloo Street, Glasgow, G2 7DN. Please note: a discount code for this hotel is available if you plan to stay in Glasgow the night before/after the trip - details will be shown on your booking confirmation email.

    Or, meeting time Milngavie Train Station at 8:30

    Returning to Glasgow (Day 8):

    This trip includes return trave to Glasgow. We aim to be back in Glasgow between 13:00 - 14:00. We can drop you back in the city centre or at the airport.

    Please book onward travel accordingly, to allow for flexibility with the return time to the city centre or airport - we do allow for some stops on the journey, but we (sadly!) can’t control the traffic.

  • Included:

    • 7 nights’ hostel accommodation.

    • An experienced Large Outdoors guide to navigate and support you along the West Highland Way route.

    • Baggage transfer and a support vehicle for your West Highland Way walk.

    • Travel from the accommodation to daily walk start points and back, where they don’t start from the door.

    • A DIY breakfast each morning (toast, cereals, fruit and yoghurt provided).

    • A DIY packed lunch (sandwich and snacks) for walking on Days 7-7.

    • Tea (including decaf and herbal options), coffee (including decaf option), and squash at the accommodation.

    • Bedding - but please bring a towel and don’t forget your own toiletries.

    • Pre-event support from the Large Outdoors team - give us a shout if there’s any advice or information you need and check out our Blog for useful articles too.

    Not included:

    • Travel to and from the meeting location.

    • Packed lunch on Day 1 and Day 8 - we’ll stop at suitable shops for you to purchase something.

    • Dinner each evening - we’ll either book a table at a local restaurant to enjoy dinner as a group and you can purchase whatever you fancy from the menu available, or at the hostel (cooking ourselves or ordering from hostel menus where available).

    • Any extra (i.e. not mentioned above in ‘Included’) excursions or activities that you may partake in which incur a cost.

    • Bottled water - tap water and squash are available at the accommodation, so please ensure you bring sufficient water bottles or carriers to fill up and take out with you.

    • Alcoholic drinks - some hostels will have a bar to purchase alcohol if desired.

    • Any food, drinks or goods you choose to purchase at any shops, restaurant, pubs or cafés visited.

    • Travel/activity insurance - we recommend having insurance to cover, at a minimum: cancellation and curtailment; medical and emergency expenses (including repatriation); personal accident; injury and death.

  • Please see our Residential (Walking) Kit List.

    The compulsory items are selected for your safety, which is of paramount importance to us at Large Outdoors. Each participant should be carrying the items listed.

  • What level of fitness is needed?
    This trip is graded as Tough (Walking). Click here to see Large Outdoors’ Experience Levels.

    Can I attend on my own?
    Absolutely. The majority of our participants are solo travellers and adventurers. Plenty of fun, laughter and numerous long-term friendships (and a few marriages!) have begun on Large Outdoors experiences since 2008, so there’s no need to feel worried about your first experience, or indeed trying a new type of outdoor activity, with us.

    I am currently on a specific diet / have an allergy - can you cater for me?
    Unfortunately, we are generally unable to cater for a wide variety of diets or food preferences due to the nature and cost of our catered trips and/or the use of shared kitchens. However, we can offer vegetarian, vegan, and/or provide meals with gluten free ingredients - these options can be selected when booking.

    What transport is provided during this trip?
    Travel from the accommodation to walk start points and back, where they don’t start from the door. Your baggage will be transferred from accommodation to accommodation each day and a support vehicle is available if required.

    Can I bring my dog?
    Dogs are not allowed on this experience, except for trained assistance dogs. If you wish to bring your trained assistance dog, please let us know in advance of booking so we can discuss the itinerary and any activity/equipment/accommodation, and of course additional safety requirements or considerations that may be necessary.

 

This map is provided for guidance regarding the general location. For detailed meeting information, please refer to the 'Meeting Time & Location' section.