Travelling the West Highland Way

Walk the West Highland Way in 7 days

The most popular option to travel the West Highland Way is to take 7 days to walk the route to complete it. This gives you more time to enjoy your surroundings, take photos, and relax in the evenings.  A typical 7-day route will see you reach these destinations each day:

Day 1: Milngavie to Drymen 12 Miles
Day 2: Drymen to Rowardennan 14 Miles
Day 3: Rowardennan to Inverarnan 14 Miles
Day 4: Inverarnan to Tyndrum 12 Miles
Day 5: Tyndrum to Kingshouse 19 Miles
Day 6: Kingshouse to Kinlochleven 9  Miles
Day 7: Kinlochleven to Fort William 16 Miles
 

Walk the West Highland Way in 5 Days

If the distance each day for the 7 days option seems like it might be too easy for you, or you're shorter on time, why not challenge yourself and give the 5 day route a try.  The typical 5-day route will see you stop at:

Day 1: Milngavie to Balmaha 19 Miles
Day 2: Balmaha to Inverarnan 21 Miles
Day 3: Inverarnan to Bridge of Orchy 19 Miles
Day 4: Bridge of Orchy to Kinlochleven 21 Miles
Day 5: Kinlochleven to Fort William 16 Miles
 
 



Cycle the West Highland Way in 3 days

If you're looking for something more adventurous and have the right gear (a pretty sturdy mountain bike, repair kit and safety equipment etc) then you might want to give this a go.  More and more people are cycling the route in just 3 days, though it can be done in 2 if you really want.  The usual distances and stopping points are:

Day 1: Milngavie to Rowardennan 27 Miles
Day 2: Rowardennan to Bridge Of Orchy 33 Miles
Day 3: Bridge Of Orchy to Fort William 36 Miles
 


Run the full West Highland Way, with the West Highland Way Race

Don't get us wrong, this is a one-off event that is organised with great staff and safety stewards on standby. This isn't one to try on your own, but it is possible to do the whole route in less than one day. in fact in 2018, the winner ran the full distance in 16 hours and 24 minutes. A staggering result for 96 miles, and if you're up for this challenge, you can find all the details here.

https://westhighlandwayrace.org/

Run the first 53 miles of the West Highland Way with the Highland Fling Ultramarathon Race

Let's be honest, there's a special breed of trained athletes that can run 96 miles in one go. Especially over the terrain of the West Highland Way, but there's another challenge for those who still seek a great ultra-marathon. Starting in Milngavie, you'll run to Tyndrum

Find out more about the Highland Fling Ultra-marathon race here

https://highlandflingrace.org/

Run the 2nd half of the West Highland Way in the Devil of the Highlands Ultramarathon 

This ultra-marathon picks up where the highland fling race finishes off. So if you did the Highland Fling, and want to run the rest of the way. this is a great addition to that event. You'll start and Tyndrum, and run up to Fort William, a mere 42 miles. 

Find out more information about the Devil of the Highlands Ultramarathon here

https://www.devilothehighlandsfootrace.co.uk/