Conic Hill, Balmaha on the West Highland Way

The West Highland Way walk is one of Scotland’s best trails, from Milngavie just north of Glasgow to Fort William, a distance of 96 miles. In this article, we will share some handy and useful tips to help you plan and prepare your West Highland Way experience.

I live in Drymen, the typical first night stop, with glimpses of Loch Lomond, just before you arrive in the village. I recently worked with the West Highland Way team on a project to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the great trail.

10 Top Tips for Walking the West Highland Way

These tips result from an appeal for advice to those preparing to walk the West Highland Way. I was going to base them just on my own experiences but thought I'd widen the field. I am glad that I did as I received many handy suggestions, the best of which are featured here.

I appealed for suggestions via this website and social media, including the excellent West Highland Way Facebook group. I promised free See Loch Lomond t-shirts to all submitted tips, and we had a total of 10 t-shirt winners.

Thank you to everyone that took the time to send a tip. I have name-checked the ones used here and have sent them their t-shirt. Naturally, there were some duplicates, so in those cases, I picked one at random to determine who would win the t-shirt.

If you're planning a West Highland Way experience, I hope you find these top tips helpful. Feel free to add any other thoughts and ideas in the comments box at the bottom. (Note they aren't ranked.)

Tip 1 – Carry Some Change

Julie Cain of Greenock suggested this tip. ‘Carry a small amount of loose change for the honesty boxes. We were completely blown away by these; it’s such a lovely gesture from the folks who maintain them, so remember to pay your way.’

Tip 2 – Give Your Feet A Rest

Gail Steel of Biggar suggested this tip. ‘Take socks and shoes off every 2 hours for 15 minutes to dry your feet and reduce the risk of blisters. As soon as you feel rubbing on your feet from shoes, apply Compeed to the affected area right away to prevent a blister forming.’

Tip 3 – Flipflops for Evenings

Stuart McCaw of Ayr suggested this. ‘Flipflops or equivalent are a must for the evenings, also walking poles take the pressure off of the knees.’

Website Design in Loch Lomond and Trossachs, Scotland.jpg — Marketing Services

Video, Photography & Websites

Find Out More

West Highland Way. Walking Poles to help your knees

Tip 4 – Be Safe

Pete Proff of Inverness suggested this. ‘Keep your mobile charged for emergencies. Ensure you tell someone your route and destination, then stick to it. Ensure all in your party know the itinerary in case you get split up.’