Day-by-day trail itinerary
West Highland Way: 8-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
8 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 → Croftamie
17.2 km · 133 m ascent · 4h21–6h09 (about 5h07, incl. ~51m of stops)
Via Blanefield, Killearn -
2
Day 2: Croftamie → Balmaha
13.3 km · 357 m ascent · 3h55–5h31 (about 4h36, incl. ~46m of stops)
Via Drymen, Milton of Buchanan -
3
Day 3: Balmaha → Inversnaid
23.9 km · 616 m ascent · 6h58–9h50 (about 8h11, incl. ~1h22 of stops)
Via Tarbet -
4
Day 4: Inversnaid → Crianlarich
20.1 km · 521 m ascent · 5h43–8h04 (about 6h43, incl. ~1h07 of stops)
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5
Day 5: Crianlarich → Bridge of Orchy
20.2 km · 275 m ascent · 5h25–7h38 (about 6h22, incl. ~1h04 of stops)
Via Tyndrum -
6
Day 6: Bridge of Orchy → Glencoe Mountain Resort
17.1 km · 452 m ascent · 4h55–6h56 (about 5h46, incl. ~58m of stops)
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7
Day 7: Glencoe Mountain Resort → Kinlochleven
16.7 km · 385 m ascent · 4h58–7h (about 5h50, incl. ~58m of stops)
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8
Day 8: 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.