West Highland Way

West Highland Way

A walking holiday along the iconic long-distance route between Milngavie and Fort William.

4 to 10 nights
47-95 miles
Moderate to Strenuous

From £505 per person

Find your holiday

About the trail

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 offer multiple holiday options along this trail. If you wish to experience the entire trail, simply select the first option from the list below.

Choose your route

  • West Highland Way
  • West Highland Way - North Section
  • West Highland Way - South Section

About this route

4 to 6 nights
47 miles
Moderate to Demanding
23rd March to 19th October

From £505 per person

West Highland Way - South Section

This walking holiday keeps to the lower-level trails of the southern half of the West Highland Way, steeped in Scottish landscapes and history. Through woodland and farmland, the route ascends to Conic Hill for a panoramic introduction to Loch Lomond.

Down it descends to the loch’s smooth shores, which lead the way to Inverarnan. Glen Falloch lies ahead, guiding the route into Crianlarich along gentle pathways well-suited to this more approachable section of the West Highland Way.

This route can be walked in the opposite direction upon request. Please contact us and we will be happy to assist you.

Available tours

Code Tour Duration Difficulty Price per person
WHWS1 From Milngavie to Crianlarich 4 nights, 3 days walking Demanding £505
WHWS2 From Milngavie to Crianlarich 5 nights, 4 days walking Moderate / Demanding £620
WHWS3 From Milngavie to Crianlarich 6 nights, 5 days walking Moderate £745

West Highland Way - Southern section 4 nights, 3 days walking

£NNN per person
  • Itinerary
  • What's included?
  • Extra nights?
  • Tour facts
  • Route profile
  • Travel info
  • Weather
  • Holiday Highlights

Important information

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.

Start

Travel to Milngavie where your first night's accommodation will be booked

Day 1

Milngavie to Drymen. 12 miles (19km) / 837 ft (255 m) ascent

Day 2

Drymen to Rowardennan(L). 14.5 miles (23km) / 2136 ft (651 m) ascent

Day 3

Rowardennan(L) to Crianlarich. 21 miles (33.5km) / 2799 ft (853 m) ascent

Finish

Depart from Crianlarich after breakfast

Your Itinerary

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:

A note about transfers
Solo Traveller Supplement
£60.00 per person / per night
Single Supplement
£50.00 per person / per night


You can add rest days at any of the overnight stops:

Extra night (Standard)
£65.00 per person / per night
Extra night (Milngavie)
£75.00 per person / per night
Extra night (Rowardennan(L))
£80.00 per person / per night
Standard
Interactive
© Contours Walking Holidays West Highland Way - South Section map
Milngavie to Crianlarich
47 miles (75 km)
23rd March to 19th October

Holiday highlights

Experiencing Scotland’s iconic and beautiful lochs and lowlands.

Exploring the wealth of fascinating history found along the trail.

Peering out to the amazing Highland Boundary fault line from Conic Hill.

What's included?

  • 4 nights' accommodation in en-suite rooms (where available) in selected B&B’s, hotels, inns and guesthouses along the trail, or a short distance away via taxi provided at our expense.
  • Breakfast each day.
  • Door to door luggage transfer.
  • Maps with the route marked on and a guidebook or route notes describing the trail.
  • An information pack containing an itinerary, instructions on how to find your accommodation each night and a kit list.
  • Detailed travel instructions on how to get to the start of your holiday and back from the end of it.

Extra Nights & Rest Days

Rest days provide the opportunity to explore some of the fascinating little towns along trail. Whether you spend your time exploring the sights and sounds of Scotland or simply rest your weary feet, an extra night is a wonderful way to extend your holiday.

Book an extra night in Rowardennan if you would like to climb Ben Lomond, which provides amazing views of both the Lowlands and the Highlands.

You can add rest days at any of the overnight stops:

Extra night (Standard)
£65.00 per person / per night
Extra night (Milngavie)
£75.00 per person / per night
Extra night (Rowardennan(L))
£80.00 per person / per night

Tour Facts

Total distance: 47 miles (75 km)
Duration: 4 nights, 3 days walking
Minimum daily distance: 12 miles (19 km)
Maximum daily distance: 21 miles (33.5 km)
Code: WHWS1 Grade: Demanding
Season: 23rd March - 19th October
Start of holiday: Milngavie
End of holiday: Crianlarich

Route Profile

West Highland Way - Southern section Route Profile

Travel Information

Useful information and travel links that will assist you in your plans to travel to the start of the holiday and back from the end of it are sent to you with your full tour pack. A summary is given below:

By Air - The most convenient major city and international airports are Glasgow and Glasgow Prestwick.

By Rail - There is a rail station at the start of the trail (Milngavie) and also at the end of the trail (Crianlarich).

By Bus - Various bus/coach services run to Milngavie and from Crianlarich.

From London - Trains run from London Euston or London Kings Cross stations to Milngavie.

Return To The Start - The easiest way to return to the start of the trail, is to take the train from Crianlarich to Milngavie. You can also take the Citylink coach to Glasgow and then a bus/train to Milngavie. Check Traveline for the option which best suits the date & time you wish to travel.

Weather Information

To find out more about the weather forecast for your chosen holiday's general location, please see the following websites:

  • MetCheck - This website allows you to look up detailed weather information for specific locations as far as six months in advance.
  • Met Office - This website shows regional area forecasts a few days in advance, with a general UK forecast description of up to 30 days in advance.
  • Mountain Forecast - This website shows what the forecast is like up on specific hills and fells, and offers forecasts a few days in advance.

Customer reviews from the West Highland Way - South Section

“Perfect weather for walking, good accommodation and luggage always waiting for us on arrival.”
Mrs Shipley, Jersey
“It was a lovely holiday, made extra special by the particularly good weather we had, especially considering it was mid-September. The scenery was beautiful, the walks were challenging, without being too hard, and the accommodation, on the whole, was very good. It was very well organised and saved me a lot of time to try and do it myself, as well as giving us some reassurance before venturing on what may have been some isolated walks.”
Mrs Jervis, UK
“Truly wonderful! Everything from the luggage transfer to our accommodations ran completely smoothly. We were hooked on Day 1. Already planning on coming back to finish the north section of the West Highland Way, and looking into stile-free tours for my mom.”
Mrs McKenzie, USA
“Flawless logistics and excellent communications with Contours prior to travel. Contours has a seamless process that eliminates the need to worry about the ‘travel details’.”
Mr Haynes, USA
“Great walking and we were very lucky with the weather. Looking forward to doing the northern section!”
Mrs Keattch, UK
“It was great. The accommodation was good except for sometimes No WiFi availability.”
Mr Raveh, Israel
“It was a fantastic experience. There were loads of people hiking and if ever something would happen to someone, there is always help at hand. As soon as I would be able to do another tour like this, I would definitely book with Contours Walking Holidays.”
Mrs Radtke, Germany
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