WHW trip report, a non-seasoned hiker’s experience
This community helped me plan my WHW trip, so I figured I’d give back by sharing my experience with those who might still be planning theirs.
I’m 40M of average-to-below-average fitness, mostly in the sense that I drive a desk, only had prior experience with day hikes of <10 miles, and really didn’t get a chance to prepare or train for this trip in any way, so my hike was pretty much “off the couch.” I started the hike with a buddy who had similar stats but lost him to a foot injury on day 3 (more on that later), so from Tyndrum on this was a solo hike for me. Since neither of us were fans of wild camping, we did inns/hotels throughout, and used a luggage transfer service, hiking with just daypacks.
I’ll put a TLDR at the end with some general thoughts if you don’t feel like reading the entire story, but here we go.
Day 1, Milngavie to Drymen, was fairly easy walking through farmland and gentle rolling paths. We probably did about 12-13 miles and it really was quite pleasant, but lulled us into a false sense of security. Stayed at the Drymen Inn and ate at the Clachan Inn just up the street, both of which I highly recommend.
Day 2, Drymen to Rowardennan, started out quite pleasant as well. Conic Hill followed, which was a beautiful though somewhat strenuous ascent. We still felt good and had fantastic weather, so we even did the extra climb to the summit. The descent into Balmaha was the first time I’ve ever felt my knee while hiking. Lunch in town helped us recharge a bit, but the day kicked our asses towards the end because we were closing in on 18 miles total and the path was quite undulating through the woods and had additional mini hills to climb throughout. We ate at The Clansman (great food and view) and spent the night at Rowardennan youth hostel (a fine establishment for what it is, but beware, no real breakfast and you need serious calories).
Day 3, Rowardennan to Inverarnan, was of course our trial by fire because it included the infamous Loch Lomond stretch. Part of the challenge for us was that we are not seasoned hikers to begin with, so there was already some pain from the miles of the first two days. The first half was okay, but the going got progressively worse, and once we got to “that” part after the Inversnaid hotel… not gonna lie, it was challenging. It’s not super technical, but there were parts where you really have to watch your footing, scramble a bit, and just generally be very aware of where and how you’re stepping, doubly so if it’s wet and slippery (which it was for us). I have a moderate fear of heights which was activating a bit, since there were some spots where you’re 15-20 feet above the loch, on a very narrow rocky and rooty path, with not much between you and the water. Trekking poles helped tremendously here and definitely gave added stability, helping the height thing not get to my head. It felt like forever, but we eventually cleared the loch and came down into Inverarnan. My buddy mentioned to me that his Achilles was a little tweaky, but we didn’t think much of it. Spent the night at the Drovers Inn (food was okay, but not a fan of shared facilities at the rooms, or the squirrels/mice running around inside the walls making a racket 😆)
Day 4, Inverarnan to Tyndrum, was a bummer. We started walking from the Drovers in the morning and my buddy realized he could not really put any weight on that foot. Long story short, he probably damaged his Achilles somewhere at the end of Loch Lomond with a poorly placed step or an unfortunate rock underfoot. We slowly returned to Inverarnan and caught the bus to Tyndrum, so this is the only section of the WHW I did not complete (though I walked around town for the equivalent miles - The Green Welly is worth a stop!) We spent the night at the newish Ben Doran hotel (great food and overall experience).
Day 5, Tyndrum to Bridge of Orchy, was when my buddy caught the bus back to Edinburgh for an early flight home and I pressed on solo. This was an easy walking day, only about 8 miles, but the views really started to open up here, and it was the beginning of the true highland scenery. Stopped at the Bridge of Orchy Hotel for a nice relaxing afternoon, and they’ve got fabulous food at their restaurant, so the place comes highly recommended.
Day 6, Bridge of Orchy to Kingshouse, was a great day’s walk after an initial ascent to some fantastic views. I stopped for a quick bite at the Inveroran hotel which is the last bit of civilization before the Rannoch Moor. Weather was good, but some dodgy clouds were promised for the afternoon, so I picked up the pace a bit to make sure I don’t get drenched in the moor. When I was about an hour away from the Kingshouse hotel, things went from sunny and pleasant to rainy, windy and cold very quickly. The reputation that this stretch has for sudden weather changes is very well deserved, and there is most definitely nowhere to shelter if the sky really opens up. Kingshouse hotel is quite fancy with great food and amenities, and I was very glad to have sprung for it.
Day 7, Kingshouse to Kinlochleven, was a banger and possibly had the best views of the WHW. Weather held out which was great because this was Devil’s Staircase day. IMO, while it was definitely a sustained workout and moderately strenuous to get up, it’s slightly less so than Conic Hill. The elevation is definitely higher, but there is less verticality thanks to the switchbacks. The wind at the summit was something else though, and it got cold real fast up there. The second half of the day was spent descending into Kinlochleven, which is quite rough on the knees. Grabbed dinner at The Highland Getaway and spent the night at the Bank House B&B, both of which were quite nice.
Day 8, Kinlochleven to Fort William, was intense. I feel like this stretch is basically the WHW in a nutshell because it’s got a little bit of everything. There is a notable ascent from Kinlochleven early on, and while it’s not quite as intense as the staircase, it’s still a bit rough because at this point whatever parts of you are banged up from the walk are making themselves known. The overall miles are also high this day, and you’re going through the Lairigmor mountain pass which is very open and again, has no shelter should weather happen. I think I got fully drenched and then fully dried off by the sun and wind 4 separate times. The day ends with a very protracted descent into Fort William, and those last couple of miles on sidewalks just feel like forever, though I found Fort William itself to be quite lovely.
TLDR - some general thoughts:
With my stats and zero prep, I found the hike to be quite doable, though non-trivial. There are some challenging stretches if you are not steady on your feet, and trekking poles are super helpful there. If you’re not used to occasional scrambling and/or if it’s wet and slippery, take your time and don’t rush through these.
I was super paranoid about blisters, but did not end up with any. My strategy was using liner socks with merino hiking socks, and leukotape on any hotspots immediately.
Weather is a significant factor in the experience, and while I was fairly lucky, the second half in particular is very exposed and waterproofs were needed.
Using a baggage transfer service made this a hiking vs a backpacking trip. If you’re not specifically looking for a backpacking experience, my humble opinion is that having your bag waiting for you at your next stop makes a huge difference in overall enjoyment and is well worth it.
Happy to answer any questions, thanks for reading!