10 Top Tips - West Highland Way

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. 

Drymen on the West Highland Way

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.)

Honesty Box, West Highland Way

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.’

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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.’

West Highland Way Route Marker

Tip 5 – Avon Skin So Soft

Em Malcolm suggested this from Fort William. ‘Don’t get midge spray; get Avon Skin So Soft Spray, just what the foresters use.’

Tip 6 – Look Back

Ainslie Aitken suggested this from Irvine. ‘Always remember to look back… some fantastic views can be missed.’

Water Dispenser, start of West Highland Way, Milngavie

Enjoy the views! Conic Hill, Balmaha

See Loch Lomond T-Shirts

Thanks for reading

Words and photography by Paul Saunders. Visit Paul’s Marketing and Photography websites for details of his services in Scotland.

Please let us know if you found the guide helpful in the comments section below.