John Muir Way - West Section
Explore John Muir Way at your own pace on a self-guided walking holiday along the western half. Accommodation, luggage transfer and custom holiday pack included.
John Muir Way - West Section
https://www.contours.co.uk/john-muir-way-west-section
Cross the magnificent Scottish heartland in honour of the 'Father of National Parks'.
From £530 per person
Named for the ‘Father of National Parks’, the John Muir Way is an energetic walk that strings together the best sights of the Scottish heartland along low-level, approachable paths. Pack your walk with visits to the Glengoyne Distillery, the Roman remains at the Antonine Wall, the world’s only rotating boat lift, the Falkirk Wheel, and Edinburgh Castle, to name but a handful of possibilities.
Canal paths, smooth trails, and old coffin roads lead the trail along lochsides and through rolling fields, with beautiful coastal views over the Firth of Forth. John Muir was all for making the best of the countryside more accessible, and this celebratory route does an excellent job of it.
From £1035 per person
From Helensburgh to Scotland’s capital of Edinburgh, the west section of the John Muir Way follows coffin roads, canal paths, dismantled railways and a stretch of the West Highland Way through flourishing countryside, omitting the coastal stretch at the eastern end of the trail.
This half of the route enjoys staggering views across Loch Lomond and some of the wildest parts of the John Muir Way as it passes Lennoxtown and Kirkintilloch. The 14th century Callendar Park and House lie on the route, too, and the broad Union Canal leads the way into Edinburgh, a grand city full of history, architecture and all kinds of shops, museums and theatres.
| Code | Tour | Duration | Price per person | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JMWW1 | From Helensburgh to Edinburgh | 7 days walking | £1035 | |
| JMWW2 | From Helensburgh to Edinburgh | 8 days walking | £1160 |
Travel to Helensburgh where your first night's accommodation will be booked
Helensburgh to Balloch. 9 miles (14.5km)
Balloch to Strathblane(L). 18.5 miles (29.5km)
Strathblane(L) to Kilsyth(L). 13.5 miles (21.5km)
Kilsyth(L) to Falkirk. 13 miles (21km)
Falkirk to Linlithgow. 9.5 miles (15km)
Linlithgow to South Queensferry. 14.5 miles (23.5km)
South Queensferry to Edinburgh. 15.5 miles (24.5km)
Depart from Edinburgh 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:
Stopping for a sip of whisky at Glengoyne Distillery, where the distilling process takes longer than anywhere else in Scotland.
Walking along dismantled railways through what feels like deep, desolate wilderness as the route departs the foot of Campsie Fells.
Gazing up at the Falkirk Wheel, the only rotating boat lift in the world.
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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“Interesting walk, well signposted, did complete the East section under my own arrangements so I was pleased to do the whole John Muir Way.”Mrs Wood, UK
“We enjoyed beautiful walks! We walked more on hard surfaces/tarmac than we expected, which made it tougher to keep up the walking. The holiday pack was very useful for our day-to-day planning. The transfer of our luggage worked out great every day, as did the taxi transfers to and from our overnight locations. Both walking holidays we booked with you were very enjoyable. More so because everything was arranged perfectly!”Mrs Maas-Emmen, Netherlands
“All went very smoothly, thanks for organising it. Interesting and successful holiday.”Mrs Murray, UK
“We had an awesome time! The trip exceeded our expectations! I already have recommended this holiday several times. I sure hope to book another holiday with you!”Mr Fuglestad, UK
“We had a lovely walking tour. We very much enjoyed the trip and appreciate Contours' assistance with our special arrangements. We have told others of our three wonderful trips with Contours and highly recommended your company.”Ms Green, USA
