Author Topic: West Highland Way  (Read 1197 times)

myxpyr

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West Highland Way
« on: 08:24:44, 04/05/20 »
I know this should really be on the Scotland forum but I'm not sure if that's getting many "hits" at the momemnt so, apologies.
Post lockdown and prior to hopefully getting back to the Alps or Pyrenees(next year?) I'm thinking about doing the WHW. I imagine a few on here will have done it. I'd be grateful for any comments and information. Is there any great difficulty? From what I've seen and read it seems to be well defined, paths all the way.

Of cours I imagine some of the logistics(accommodation etc) could have changed post lock down so I'll need to keep abreast of what goes on.
Thanks in advance

watershed

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Re: West Highland Way
« Reply #1 on: 08:58:19, 04/05/20 »
Hi Myxpyr,
             I did it as part of a group of 7 people last July. they were of mixed ability, all managed and enjoyed it.
there are many recent comments on the WHW if you use the search button.
there are many different ways you can go about it.
You can camp all the way.(you will need a camping permit in the Loch Lomond area) this was easily gotten just by phoning a number I got of their web site. https://www.lochlomond-trossachs.org/contact-us/.
you can carry all your gear.
Or you could use the bag carrier service. This transports the gear to your destination, either camp site or accommodation. Or you can do a combination of both. If I had travelled myself I would have carried. (But having used the facility, would be tempted to do so again) as it was we did a combination of both.
Having only wild camped and carried my own gear in the past on routes picked/designed myself I wasn't sure what to expect, but was very pleasantly surprised, both with the route and the services. The route evolves as you head North, and I feel the best experience would be to do it South to North. It is well sign posted all the way and would be difficult to get lost.
In our experience the piece that you had to most careful on was the path alongside Loch Lomond. People run the whole trail in a day, but that piece must be rough on them.
I had got the impression, listening to "old hands" on the TGO challenge that some looked down on the WHW as a bit Less. But I am glad I did it and thought it a very worthwhile experience.

Birdman

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Re: West Highland Way
« Reply #2 on: 13:01:34, 04/05/20 »
If you are used to the Pyrenees and Alps, I think you'll find the WHW very easy. It's a pleasant walk though.


Not sure if campsites along the way are open, but you can wild-camp along the way. I brought all my food from home when I walked it (5 days) but you can also resupply in Tyndrum and Kinlochleven if you want to carry less.
My travel and walking reports: https://www.hikingbirdman.com/

myxpyr

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Re: West Highland Way
« Reply #3 on: 13:05:12, 04/05/20 »
If you are used to the Pyrenees and Alps, I think you'll find the WHW very easy. It's a pleasant walk though.


Not sure if campsites along the way are open, but you can wild-camp along the way. I brought all my food from home when I walked it (5 days) but you can also resupply in Tyndrum and Kinlochleven if you want to carry less.
Sounds good, thanks. I'm hoping that by the time I do it that pubs, hotels, hostels etc will be operating as I wasn't planning to camp.

Birdman

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Re: West Highland Way
« Reply #4 on: 13:07:44, 04/05/20 »

I had got the impression, listening to "old hands" on the TGO challenge that some looked down on the WHW as a bit Less. But I am glad I did it and thought it a very worthwhile experience.


Lots of folks are a bit elitist about it because it is such a popular trail, often pretty crowded and not difficult. However, I enjoyed it a lot. (I used it as walk-in for my Cape Wrath Trail walk last year). Here my report of the WHW + CWT:

https://www.hikingbirdman.com/cape-wrath-trail-via-west-highland-way/
My travel and walking reports: https://www.hikingbirdman.com/

myxpyr

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Re: West Highland Way
« Reply #5 on: 13:32:05, 04/05/20 »
I know it's not to everyone's liking but I want to spend a night at the Drovers Inn at Inverarnan. I spent a very memorable evening there with a mate of mine after doing my first Munro(Ben Vorlich) Sadly he had liver cancer and died a few months later.

Slogger

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Re: West Highland Way
« Reply #6 on: 16:29:44, 04/05/20 »
We did the route several years ago. We started on the Saturday of the May bank holiday. It seemed that everyone else was too. Many of those hadnt' booked any accomodation ahead thinking they could wing it. Wrong the route was booked out solid. That left some to go straight back home and others, in particular, from oversees, scurrying about buying out the local camping shop in Dryman after the first day. it's an easy route, both in navigation and terrain. Mind the midges, get yourself a headnet.

Vincent82

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Re: West Highland Way
« Reply #7 on: 21:29:41, 06/05/20 »
I started a discussion about that in the Long Distance Walks section of this forum. I got lots of information here and booked everything in February for beginning of June. I'll have to postpone now.


My big issue with it was to find accommodations. Most hotels were almost fully booked, months in advance. I had to move the trip by a whole week twice.


Booga

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Re: West Highland Way
« Reply #8 on: 16:25:39, 14/07/20 »
It may be worth noting that although some lockdown restritions have eased, MBA maintained bothies are still closed until further notice. So if you were planning on using the 2 on this route for overnight stays it would be worth checking the situaton before you head off or have a plan B. :)

 

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