Walk from Drymen to Balmaha

On a sunny October day, I set off on one of my favourite Loch Lomond and the Trossachs walks from Drymen to Balmaha over Conic Hill. This allowed me to update this guide to include the path renewal of Conic Hill (which you can see above). With the weather so lovely, this was the perfect opportunity to test out a new camera that I’d bought, so you’ll find this guide packed with pictures (all from the same walk) showing the path, route, and landmarks along it.

West Highland Way

This Drymen to Balmaha route is on the West Highland Way, and I hope this blog will be helpful for anyone planning the 96-mile walk from Glasgow to Fort William. Read our Conic Hill guide and other West Highland Way articles to help plan your walk. Look at the Milngavie to Drymen guide to learn about the proceeding section. This is a fantastic section of the Great Trail. As you progress, you get closer and closer to Loch Lomond. When you arrive in Balmaha, the trail is close to the banks of the loch, right up until its most northern point. Conic Hill is a highlight of the West Highland Way, where you enter the Scottish Highlands, and the climbs get a little steeper; hopefully, you’ll be nicely relaxed and refreshed after an overnight stop in Drymen!

Combine with Public Transport

If you are not walking all of the West Highland Way but looking for a superb but shorter walk, I recommend this Drymen to Balmaha hike, returning to Drymen as I did via a scheduled bus. Allow around 3 hours for this hike (more if you want to take it slowly); it is just under 13km.

Drymen Square

Drymen Bakery & Deli

Welcome to Drymen

Regular readers of this blog will know I live in Drymen and that we are proud of this village, which has some superb pubs as well as an excellent bakery (thanks to them for stocking our book ‘101 things to do in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs’), a Spar shop and most recently, a beer shop! It's typically the first night stop on the West Highland Way and a chance for a good night ahead of the beginning of the more challenging miles of the route as it heads into the Scottish Highlands.

I started my walk from Drymen Village Square, the heart of the village with its pretty green. With the Spar shop on your right and Drymen Bakery on your left, head up Stirling Road, passing the public car park on the right. Pick up the West Highland Way path at the end of the road, which runs alongside the A811. Alternatively, you can head from the square up the hill to the Clachan's right, saving you some time and rejoining the trail in the forest.

 

Walk up Stirling Road to rejoin the West Highland Way path

Follow the West Highland Way route markers

The path goes for a short distance between two hedges 

Glenelva B&B has an honesty box with water and snacks 

Leave the path by the busy road, go through this gate and follow the track. 

Take the peaceful trail through the countryside

The path goes through the forest and when it clears you get a good view back to Drymen.

Keep following the West Highland Way markers 

Garadhban Forest

Keep following the path which heads into the forest. When you reach the barrier, turn left, cross a minor road, and immediately turn right into Garadhban Forest. Don’t worry, you won’t get lost. The paths are well signed, and this is where two Great Trails, The Rob Roy Way and West Highland Way, cross.

Options for Balmaha Walk

There is a car park on your left, which is popular with dog walkers. The forest soon opens up, with the first views of Loch Lomond in the distance. These wide, surfaced forestry roads are good for walking and cycling on, although I would recommend cycling only some of this route over Conic (although some do).

Keep following the West Highland Way markers and signposts until you reach the barrier pictured below. There, walkers can approach Balmaha over Conic (as we are) or turn left and head down to the road for an easier and shorter route. I've met many West Highland Way walkers who have set off from Milngavie and are going to stop in Balmaha overnight and are, by this stage, exhausted, so they opt (understandably) for the easier option.

Head straight on for Conic Hill 

Conic Hill looms large in the distance!

A recently replaced bridge which allowed the route to reopen after a closure when the previous bridge was unsafe 

Another bridge to cross ahead of a steep climb

This is the start of a steeper climb which ultimately will get you close to the top of Conic Hill 

 

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Conic Hill

Please be aware that you will enter areas with sheep and sometimes Highland Cattle, so please keep your dog on a lead. When you reach the top, you will be rewarded with a magnificent view of Loch Lomond and its islands.

View from Conic Hill 

Conic Hill Path Renewal

Immediately, you will notice a much larger number of people. They have all climbed from the Balmaha side, and this section is often jam-packed with people. This is a popular hill climb, one of Scotland’s most famous, and whilst that has been good generally for Loch Lomond, the path has been under tremendous pressure, causing erosion on the hill, which has gotten more expansive over time. Currently, work is continuing on the path of renewal and the picture below from my walk (October 2024) shows the final stretches being worked on. For the rest of this guide, you will be able to see the enormous progress that has been made on the path.

Highland Boundary Line

This spot shows the result of the Highland Boundary Line, a fault that runs across Scotland from Arran in the west to Stonehaven in the east; the line is where the lowlands of Scotland become the highlands. This is demonstrated in the picture below with the difference in some of Loch Lomond’s islands featured. More on the Highland Boundary Line later in this guide.

Descending Conic Hill

The descent into Balmaha is steep, and although it’s terrific to have the new path, you need to watch your footing. I recommend walking poles as they help.

The last stage takes you through the forest to the main Balmaha car park. 

Explore Balmaha

Heading down to the car park, you can see the results of recent tree removal, tackling larch disease, new ones have been planted. You will arrive in the busy main car park for Balmaha, which is also the home to the National Park’s Visitor Centre. In the centre, you can find out more about the Highland Boundary Line. The rangers are very helpful, so if you have any questions, I am sure they can help you.

National Park Visitor Centre, Balmaha 

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At the car park's entrance, you'll find information panels that explain the Highland Boundary Line and show how it impacts the loch and area around it.  

The Oak Tree Inn and St Mocha are great places to eat and drink. They also stock our 101 things to do in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs Book!!

I had time to kill before my bus was due, so I headed to the bay. I was glad I had, as it looked fantastic, with vivid autumn colours coming out.

As I walked back to the car park, I could see how big Conic Hill looked in the distance It was here that I boarded the 309 McColls bus back to Drymen; the bus goes onto Balloch, where you can take a train to Glasgow.

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 and what your experiences were when walking from Drymen to Balmaha and if you are walking the West Highland Way, do check out our other extensive guides.