West Highland Way
Book your walking holiday on the West Highland Way. Flexible, self-guided itineraries with daily luggage transfer.
West Highland Way
https://www.contours.co.uk/west-highland-way
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A walking holiday along the iconic long-distance route between Milngavie and Fort William.
From £505 per person
From its jagged mountains to its glittering lochs, the Scottish Highlands offer up truly epic countryside – and the West Highland Way clambers right through it. Although the trail begins in wooded lowlands and along pebbled lochsides, it soon rises past dramatic cascades and over windswept moorland onto rugged mountainsides.
With mighty peaks as a constant staggering backdrop, the West Highland Way clambers ascents such as the Devil’s Staircase to win breath-taking views across the Scottish Highlands. This is a gorgeous and immersive route, supported by the villages dotted along its length that provide warm, cosy places to rest up.
We also organise trail running holidays along this route. Find out more.
From £745 per person
Walk the West Highland Way long-distance trail and traverse 95 miles from Milngavie to Fort William, taking in the very best scenery of the Scottish Highlands.
The most popular, oldest and most dramatic of Scotland's Great Trails, the West Highland Way clambers steep slopes and wends through utter wilderness between little pockets of warmth in remote, welcoming villages. Along the way, you'll encounter a selection of deep blue lochs, rugged mountains, tranquil woodlands and remote moors that provide unforgettable views throughout.
It's no surprise the West Highland Way is high on most walkers' to-do lists. Tackle the full route on our longer itineraries, with flexible options available to suit your personal pace, or scroll further to find our partial-route options.
| Code | Tour | Duration | Price per person | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WHW1 | From Milngavie to Fort William | 5 days walking | £745 | |
| WHW2 | From Milngavie to Fort William | 6 days walking | £865 | |
| WHW3 | From Milngavie to Fort William | 7 days walking | £985 | |
| WHW4 | From Milngavie to Fort William | 8 days walking | £1105 | |
| WHW5 | From Milngavie to Fort William | 9 days walking | £1225 |
Please note that accommodation along the West Highland Way is in extremely high demand, so be sure to await confirmation of your booking before making firm travel plans. We would advise to book a year in advance for his trail.
Please note that LATE APRIL and MAY 2024 is now FULLY BOOKED. This trail is very popular, if you have flexibility with your start date, please advise this when booking. Please do not make any travel plans until we have double checked and confirmed availability for your booking.
As an additional side-effect of this high demand, accommodation providers at the Kingshouse and Bridge of Orchy overnight stops have limited availability for their standard rooms year-round. If these rooms are not available, transfers to nearby accommodation will be provided. Kingshouse also usually have a two night minimum booking policy, especially at weekends. If you are happy to pay an upgrade supplement to stay at these two locations please advise this on your booking form. An upgrade supplement may still apply for a two night stay. NB: We will request payment for Kingshouse room bookings upfront, including any upgrade supplements. These will go towards your balance payment.
Travel to Milngavie where your first night's accommodation will be booked
Milngavie to Balmaha. 19 miles (30km) / 2041 ft (622 m) ascent
Balmaha to Inverarnan(L). 21.5 miles (34.5km) / 2812 ft (857 m) ascent
Inverarnan(L) to Bridge of Orchy. 19 miles (30km) / 2313 ft (705 m) ascent
Bridge of Orchy to Kinlochleven. 21.5 miles (34.5km) / 2910 ft (887 m) ascent
Kinlochleven to Fort William. 14.5 miles (23km) / 1998 ft (609 m) ascent
Depart from Fort William after breakfast
This itinerary lists our preferred overnight stops for this tour. Sometimes there may be a shortage of available accommodation in a preferred location, in which case we will transfer you from the trail to your accommodation and back again at no extra charge. Overnight stops marked with a (T) will always require transfers as standard.
Overnight stops marked with an (L) have very limited accommodation, and therefore more often than not will also require a transfer, particularly on bank holidays and weekends. We will use non-transfer accommodation wherever possible.
The daily mileages quoted are average trail miles only and do not include the distance from the trail to your accommodation. We do not expect you to have to travel more than a mile from the trail to your accommodation in most cases; should your accommodation be further than this, transfers will be provided as standard if practical. A very limited number of stops will require you to travel on foot up to two miles off the trail, however these instances will be clearly communicated to you if applicable.
Further transfers may also be required due to some accommodations having a two-night minimum booking policy, especially at weekends.
Below are the additional costs that may apply depending on your requirements. Dog-friendly tours are subject to a Daily Dog Charge, which will be listed below if applicable. Our standard prices per person are based upon two people sharing a room; if you are on your own, or are part of a group but require a room of your own, then the Solo Traveller or Single Supplements apply respectively:
You can add rest days at any of the overnight stops:
Sharing a sense of camaraderie with fellow walkers and mountain lovers along this popular route.
Wandering along the banks of Loch Lomond, Scotland’s largest loch, overlooked by Conic Hill.
Spotting the elusive red deer in the open expanses of wild Rannoch Moor.
You can add rest days at any of the overnight stops:
To find out more about the weather forecast for your chosen holiday's general location, please see the following websites:
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“We had an absolutely wonderful time walking the West Highland Way. We were so happy with the job Contours did planning out stay overs and with making sure our baggage made it to every Guest House along the way. We were especially impressed that our bags were found and collected at the Attic at Eden Mill where we stayed the night prior to beginning our walk. We (and the taxi driver) barely found the Attic!! Thank you! At first we were a bit perplexed because there was a great deal of activity along this trail. Being use to wide open, remote hiking trips in the States we were not expecting the trail to be so populated. However, once we adjusted our minds, and viewed this as a cultural and historical experience instead of a wilderness experience, we relaxed and enjoyed all the fun people we met from many different countries. We had an amazing walk and hope to be able to do another that Contours offers.”Ms DiMaggio, USA
“The beauty of the land and the joy of everyone we met (Scottish and all) made the trip wonderful. We went North to South and found that the first few day in the Highlands were the best even in a gail and heavy rain. But all of the West Highland Way was fantastic.”Mr Connors, USA
“Stunning start, a bit wet and windy at the end, but fun for the entire time! We were very pleased with the arrangements and the accommodations.”Dr Mcllroy, USA
“The lodgings were excellent, comfortable and friendly.”Mr Mogan, Canada
“It was really great. A chance to embrace the weather and enjoy the outdoors.”Ms Ottenberg, USA
“We had a great time. The walk was beautiful, accommodation good and organisation flawless. It was easy booking through Contours and you were responsive to questions.”Mr Shipley, UK
“I absolutely loved this holiday which was completely diffrent to my previous holiday walking experiences. I loved the scenery walking along Loch Lomond and through glen coe and I enjoyed the way the scenery changed each day as I walked further north. I will have to do it again one day! A really great holiday and walking experience that I would do again in a flash! I did the five day walk which is quite strenuous but the longer agendas make it suitable for anyone to undertake and they will definitely enjoy it. I have frequently booked holidays with contours and intend to continue to do so.”Mr Madge, UK
“Thank you for all your arrangements - was a wonderful walk; busy, but not excessively, met interesting people and the scenery of course was spectacular. I had a permanent grin on my face! Have completed 9 trails now and the West Highland Way heads the list. The weather was kind, which always helps, but the mountains will tug, no, are already tugging me back. Great Glen Way as a 'starter' next April? As you may have surmised, I loved it!”Mrs Douglas, UK
“Perfect weather and everything smooth and easy - bags arrived, hosts were welcoming, the landscapes were glorious, the people THE BEST! We both posted daily on FB - so the trip got a lot of exposure!”Mrs Turner, USA
