On Monday 29th July 2024, I set off from Edinburgh to walk the West Highland Way, all 96 miles of it, aiming to finish by Friday 2nd August 2024. Most people take 7–8 days to do this one, so 5 days is considered quick, and it means very long hours on the trail every day with a heavy pack.
The West Highland Way is Scotland’s most famous long-distance hike. Starting just outside Glasgow in Milngavie (pronounced Mull-guy if you’re not from around here), it runs all the way to Fort William at the foot of Ben Nevis. The path takes you from farmland and woodlands, through the shores of Loch Lomond, across Rannoch Moor, and deep into the Highlands before the final stretch into Fort William.
Living in Edinburgh, I had an early start: 6am train to Glasgow, a quick switch, and then the local train out to Milngavie. By 8:30am I was standing at the WHW obelisk — pack on, boots laced, ready for five days of walking, camping, and whatever Scotland wanted to throw at me.
🗺️ The Route
- Start: Milngavie (Glasgow suburbs)
- Finish: Beyond Rowardennan (Rowchoish)
- Distance: ~45 km / 28 miles
- Terrain: Woodland tracks, farmland, Conic Hill climb, and long lochside paths
- Steps: 78,000
Day one is a big shift. You start at the WHW obelisk in Milngavie at 8:30am full of beans… and end up at Rowardennan with sore traps trying to untie guy lines for pitching your tent at 1230am. It was a proper haul this day.
A 5 day West Highland Way trip is not for everyone. You should really be aiming to do this allowing more days for recovery, and for relaxing, take in that scenery!
When walking trails I buy a map so I can follow along offline during the trip. Follow this link for the Map of the West Highland Way Walking Route (the one I have).
🚶 My Day
I left my house in Edinburgh at 530am, grabbed the first train over to Glasgow, then onto Milngavie. I took some nice pics on the way.
By 8:30 I was standing at the obelisk with my pack on, ready to roll. I had a bacon roll and coffee from Greggs in Glasgow, so I was fully of some golden energy.
By 11:30am I was already at a café with a coffee, pretending I hadn’t just started a five-day suffer-fest. I think I walked about 4 miles in my first hour, 3 miles my second, and 2 my third hour.
There’s a honesty box not long after this, and a place you can get fresh water.
I skipped Drymen, pushed on, moving closer towards a climb of Conic Hill. Some folks will spend there first night in Drymen, good if you’re planning on doing WHW over 7+ days.
The climb is sharp but short, and the descent into Balmaha gives you your first proper Loch Lomond view. It has one of those magical and memorable views.
You will find a great wild camping spot before you start Conic Hill (first image below) if you’re done for the day!
On trails like these, you really want to be recovering at a checkpoint, which is your next point of civilization (local towns with pubs and/or shops). I rewarded myself with food and a pint at Balmaha, giving myself at least an hour of chill time before setting off again.
There’s a small but sharp climb getting out of Balmaha over to Loch Lomond. It’s flat and easy for a stretch after this. You keep walking, wondering where the next best place is to rest. If there’s a good rock, or a bench, you consider it every time!
There is a camp site along this path you can book to pitch your tent for the night, worth considering as you’ll have hours to go before getting out of the Camping Management Zone.
The day was getting on and darkness was looming… I still had the first day energy though. For some reason, I don’t worry about any consequences next day, thinking if I’ve over done it. There’s also the Rowardennan Hotel, you can grab a quick pint (which I did, obviously), or something to eat in there if they’re not too busy.
The final stretch dragged, waiting for the Camping Management Zone sign post, and then I kept walking longer than I wanted to to find any good spot. No, not a good spot, any spot by this point!
I finally pitched my tent past Rowardennan between 12-1am on a random small area just off the trail as you’ll see. I had a nightmare setting up my tent because I didn’t pack it away well from last outing, I ended up having to untie guy lines for a solid 30 minutes with my torch. Sometimes things don’t go to plan, but when you’re out in the Highlands, in the dark, on your own, you definitely have no choice but to get it done 👊.
⛺ Wild Camping Notes
Wild camping here is doable but tricky:
- Drymen area = too much farmland, better going for campsite in Drymen.
- Conic Hill = great spots before the assent.
- Balmaha = very touristy, not ideal.
- Near Rowardennan = within Camping Management Zone, you’ll need campsite booked.
- Beyond Rowardennan = walk about 2 miles and you might find a good spot.
I heard a bunch of walkers going past me in the morning being so close to the WHW path. Any pitch of grass will do the trick if you’re struggling. There’s more ideal spots beyond where I landed, however I was exhausted and could not do more than I did.
🎒 Gear & Tips
Gear I Used
- Backpack: SKYSPER Hiking Backpack 50L
Roll-top design, around 1.3 kg. Cheap and tough enough for five days. (~£50) - Tent: OEX Bobcat 1
Small, easy to pitch, about 1.7 kg. Perfect for solo wild camping. (~£120) - Sleeping Bag: Chimera EV 500 Down Sleeping Bag
Duck-down 4 Season sleeping bag weighing 1.1kg (~120) - Sleeping Mat: TRINORDIC Ultralight Inflatable Mat (with pillow)
0.55 kg, packs tiny, comfortable enough for tired legs. (~£40) - Stove: Fire-Maple FMS-300T
Ultralight titanium gas stove, only 45 g. Works with standard gas canisters. (~£25) - Gas: Coleman C100 Xtreme
Small butane/propane mix, burns hot even in poor weather. (~£6)
Tips from the Trail
- Don’t overload on food: you pass shops and pubs most days. Carrying 5 days of supplies isn’t worth the weight.
- Skip the heavy extras: large torches, saws, axes, books, or fishing rods are dead weight.
- Feet will hurt early: the first couple of days are an adjustment. Take it steady, don’t chase miles.
- It’s not a race: embrace being outside, enjoy the trail.
- Always plan a buffer day: if you need to rest or something goes wrong, you’ve got time.
💭 Final Thoughts
Day one is a test. It’s long, the route can be busy, and the Conic Hill climb is the first “real” challenge of the WHW, especially if you’re doing it on day 1. The reward for having a long first day is you could be camping by Loch Lomond, and realising this is only just the beginning.
Hope you enjoyed following my first day of the West Highland Way. There will be 4 more posts, coming next 🙂
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