Ten takeaways from the West Highland Way

Currently on a bus from Fort William to Edinburgh. The weather is magnificent, as it has not been at any time in the WHW.

In no particular order, my subsequent thoughts on the WHW are as follows:

(1) Walking the WHW on 7 consecutive days is eminently doable, if you train (I walked 19km on rugged terrain in Ireland the week before, for example). At no point did I consider abandoning the walk. At no point did my heart sink when I thought about how far I still had to go, as it did when I cycled into a headwind on exposed terrain in Connemara in 2024.

(2) Buy the best rain gear (jacket and pants) you can afford and always bring it.

(3) Similarly, wear good quality waterproof walking shoes (not boots) and loosen them. Pair them with walking socks and toe protectors to minimize, but not completely eliminate, blisters.

(4) There were virtually no problems with mosquitoes in mid to late May.

(5) We found Day 2 (Conic Hill and South Loch Lomond) to be more difficult than Day 3 (North Loch Lomond), contrary to what most commentators say.

(6) Book accommodation in advance: 15 months in advance in my case! Accommodation and luggage transfer are easy to organize independently, unlike with a provider.

(7) I would consider staying two nights at the Drovers Inn in Inverarnan and traveling to and from Tyndrum.

(8) I was busier than I expected. Be prepared to pass or be passed by many hikers.

(9) It is a fantastic option for a first hike.

(10) You will spend at least 35 hours total with minimal distractions. It is a great opportunity to reflect.

Regarding (10), referring to the «starts in Scotland» theme of my first post, it reinforced my desire to walk for several hours in (relative) nature. But it did discourage me from multi-day hikes where you have to camp for several nights in a row. I will camp when I climb Mount Whitney next year, but it will be the exception rather than the rule.

Walking for 5 or 6 hours is difficult enough without having to pitch a tent in the pouring rain.

Fortunately, there are plenty of opportunities to walk from accommodation to accommodation in the UK and Europe. The South West Coast Path (which we will walk for 120km next week), the Caminos, the Via Francigena, the Lycian Way, etc. I will have to be more innovative on future trips to the United States.

I felt a quiet sense of satisfaction when I arrived at the ‘northern terminus’ of the WHW. Of course, that sense of satisfaction would have been deeper if it had taken months to finish instead of a week. But I don’t think the sense of satisfaction is great enough to justify the physical difficulties of camping for weeks or months, as well as separation from family.

The desire for adventure and to challenge myself remains. It will be interesting to see if 5 days on the SWCP ignites the desire to complete it as soon as possible or if a Camino is the next logical option.

Thanks for reading!

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