West Highland Way: the eight stages, when to book and when to go
Scotland’s first and best-loved long trail: 96 miles from Milngavie on the edge of Glasgow to Fort William under Ben Nevis, walking the country from Lowland farmland across the Highland Boundary Fault and up Loch Lomond into the big country of Rannoch Moor and Glencoe. The highest point is barely 550 m: what the Way asks for is not mountaineering but eight honest days in a row, in whatever weather the Atlantic sends.
Start: Milngavie, on the edge of Glasgow. Finish: Fort William.
The eight stages
| Day | Stage | Distance | Climb |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milngavie → Drymen | 19.1 km | 139 m |
| 2 | Drymen → Rowardennan | 23.2 km | 459 m |
| 3 | Rowardennan → Inverarnan | 21.8 km | 315 m |
| 4 | Inverarnan → Tyndrum | 19.1 km | 416 m |
| 5 | Tyndrum → Inveroran | 14.1 km | 193 m |
| 6 | Inveroran → Kingshouse | 15.5 km | 274 m |
| 7 | Kingshouse → Kinlochleven | 14.1 km | 369 m |
| 8 | Kinlochleven → Fort William | 24.3 km | 475 m |
Measured on the mapped Way in its official eight stages, at 99.5% of the published 96 miles. Elevation comes from a terrain model, so climb figures are computed rather than surveyed.
Book the small stops first
There is no central booking system. Every hotel, B&B, hostel and bunkhouse is booked directly, and the tiny stops sell out first: where the Way crosses empty country, one full building means a 20 km problem. These go first:
- Rowardennan (loch shore, few beds)
- Inveroran and Bridge of Orchy
- Kingshouse (Glencoe, isolated)
- Kinlochleven
Independent guides consistently advise booking around six months ahead for a May to September walk. That figure is theirs, not the Management Group’s, but the pattern behind it is real. The official directory lists every place to stay: westhighlandway.org/places.
When to go
April to October is the season proper. May and September are the sweet spots: long days without the midges at full strength. The route is walked year-round, but winter is short days and storm management, not trekking.
- JanuaryShort days, real winter
- FebruaryDeep off-season
- MarchThe season wakes up
- AprilEarly season, quiet paths
- MayThe classic month
- JuneLongest days, first midges
- JulyHigh season
- AugustLike July, with heather
- SeptemberAutumn colours, thinning crowds
- OctoberShort season closing
- NovemberStorm season
- DecemberThe quietest month
The full plan is in the app
The West Highland Way is open in full in Treksup, free on iPhone. For the month you choose, it gives you:
- when to book, and where
- a packing list with weights, for camping or for beds
- food and water for every stage
- trail conditions from the official notices, with the date they were checked
- a readiness check that can honestly say “not yet”
Page updated 11 September 2026.