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. I completed the route over five days, quicker than the more common seven or eight day itinerary, which meant longer days on the trail and fewer extended rest stops.
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 (this includes my travel to starting point)
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 full 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 believe 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 which is a good option if you’re planning on doing West Highland Way over 7 days or more.
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 along this stretch is doable, but it can be tricky:
Drymen area: A lot of farmland here, so it’s usually better to aim for a campsite in Drymen rather than trying to force a wild pitch.
Conic Hill: There are some great spots before the ascent if you’re ready to stop for the day. Options drop off quickly once you commit to the climb and descent.
Balmaha: Very touristy and busy, especially in summer, which makes it far from ideal for wild camping.
Near Rowardennan: This section sits within the Loch Lomond Camping Management Zone, so you’ll need a campsite booked if you plan to stop here.
Beyond Rowardennan: If you push on another couple of miles, you can usually find something workable. It might not be perfect, but it’ll do the job when you’re tired.
I could hear walkers passing close to the WHW path in the morning, which gives you an idea of how tight some pitches can be. When you’re struggling, any flat patch of grass can feel like a win. There are better spots further on than where I ended up, but after a long first day I didn’t have much left in me to keep searching.
Wild camping rules around Loch Lomond vary by season and location, and this whole stretch falls within the Camping Management Zone where restrictions apply, so it’s worth knowing the rules before you go.
🏕️ Gear I Used
Backpack: SKYSPER Hiking Backpack 50L
Roll-top design, around 1.3 kg. Cheap, comfortable, and tough enough for five long days on the trail. (~£50)
Tent: OEX Bobcat 1
Compact and easy to pitch, around 1.7 kg. Ideal for solo wild camping, especially when you’re setting up late or in poor conditions. (~£120)
Sleeping Bag: Chimera EV 500 Down Sleeping Bag
Duck-down four-season sleeping bag weighing about 1.1 kg. This proved its worth later on the trail, particularly on cooler nights further north. I’ve written a full review of this sleeping bag separately. (~£120)
Sleeping Mat: TRINORDIC Ultralight Inflatable Mat (with pillow)
Weighs around 0.55 kg, packs down small, and made a big difference to recovery after long days on my feet. (~£40)
Stove: Fire-Maple FMS-300T
Ultralight titanium gas stove, only 45 g. Simple, reliable, and perfect for quick coffees or basic hot meals. (~£25)
Gas: Coleman C100 Xtreme
Small butane and propane mix that burns hot even when the weather turns. (~£6)
Several pieces of this kit proved their worth as the days went on, especially with colder nights and longer mileage. I’ll reference how each item held up throughout the rest of the walk, and I’ll also write more detailed reviews where it’s useful, including a deeper look at the Chimera sleeping bag.
💡 Tips from the Trail
Don’t overload on food: You pass shops, pubs, and cafés most days. Carrying five days of supplies usually isn’t worth the extra weight on your back.
Skip the heavy extras: Big torches, saws, axes, books, or fishing gear sound nice in theory but quickly become dead weight once the miles add up.
Expect sore feet early on: The first couple of days are an adjustment, even if you’re fit. Take it steady and let your body settle in rather than chasing miles.
It’s not a race: Even on a quicker itinerary, the value is in being outside and moving through the landscape, not just ticking off distance.
Build in a buffer: If something goes wrong or you need an unexpected rest day, having time in hand makes a huge difference.
💭 Final Thoughts
Day one is a test. It’s long, the route can be busy, and the climb over Conic Hill is the first real challenge of the West Highland Way, especially if you’re tackling it on Day 1. The reward for pushing on is real though, camping by Loch Lomond and realising this is only the beginning of the journey north.
Day 1 was long and brutal, but the hardest part wasn’t the distance, it was committing to the walk and settling into the rhythm of it. Once that’s done, everything else feels possible.
On Day 2, I take on the tough low route along Loch Lomond, one of the slowest and most demanding sections of the entire trail, before finally getting some proper rest beyond Inverarnan.
Read Day 2 here → Link
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