These are a few of my thoughts on hiking the West Highland Way as a complete beginner to long distance walking paths. I am certainly no expert on hiking and backpacking but please write in the comment box if you’s like to ask anything further.
Packing for backpacking
Every pound matters when you are carrying your world on your back for 10 – 20 miles a day. At one point during my packing I was thinking ‘… it’s only another pound or two, I’ll put it in…’ before realising that every pounds really, really does matter. I got my pack down to abut 23/25 lbs but that was before any food and water. Read My Hiking Gear List here
Getting there
From Glasgow, there is a regular local train journey (about 30- minutes) to Milngavie from Glasgow Central or Queen Street, to the start of the trail.
I booked my return journey from Fort William to Glasgow in advance. This is a magnificent journey back though the Highlands. I highly recommend a window seat and, if your inclined, take a beer to enjoy on the journey – after all, you’ve walked 94 miles, you deserve it.
Will I be lonely?
Being alone did not concern me, but the fear of feeling lonely did.
London, my home, can be a lonely place but rather than try to erase this emotion, I wondered whether by journeying deeper into its peculiar fluidity, I could somehow overcome it, or understand it. But once immersed in the spectacular scenery of the West Highland Way, all notions of loneliness disappeared. I recall Will Self’s discussion on the meditative impact of walking, but it wasn’t until I did this hike that I really understood what this really meant. The repetition of boots hitting the ground while absorbing the surrounding scenery pulled me deeply into the moment. The energy and peace of the landscape has a powerful impact.
Hiking solo is particularly empowering and I feel that the connections I made with others had more gravity than they would’ve had if I’d been with a group or friend or partner.
Is it safe?
As a female hiking alone, I felt very safe. There is a great sense of community on the trail and I met the same people over and over. I walked up Ben Nevis with a woman I met (who I then randomly bumped into on the North Downs in Surrey the following year).
The path is well marked and popular so I think it would be pretty difficult to get lost. I took the West Highland Way map and the Cicerone guide book but I only looked at then a couple of times to actually find the trail. Rannoch Moor can be dangerous if you do not stick to the path.
There is one section alongside Loch Lomond, between Rowardennan and Beinglas which is very rocky and requires quite a lot of clambering – sometimes necessary to take of the pack and let it go on ahead! Some of this section is bit precarious, but ultimately it is a lot of fun.
How much food should I carry?
There are many cafes, restaurants, pubs on the West Highland Way so you could eat out every night and not have to worry about carry large amounts of food. I had my delicious (!) dehydrated hikers food at my first stop at Drymen camping as I was too exhausted to walk any further to find a cafe. Other than that, I ate out every night, and bought bread, cheese and tomatoes to eat for lunch. I had a snack bag and carried an extra packet of hikers food just in case. It might be a good idea to carry some breakfast food.
How hard is carrying your Backpack?
This was my first long distance path and it took the first few days to get accustomed to the weight on my back. By the end of the week, I couldn’t even feel my rucksack. Carrying all my own gear gave me the amazing thrill of complete freedom. Many of my fellow hikers who I met on the way were using the courier service to take their luggage but this obviously doesn’t allow you the freedom to change your mind about where you want to stop. I over estimated how far I could walk on a couple of occasions but as I had all my gear with me, I had the freedom to do whatever I wanted.
Camping
In Scotland you can wild camp but I stuck to the campsites mainly because, at the time, I wasn’t confident about camping alone (and I like a hot shower). There is a section along Loch Lomond where wild camping in prohibited but I think other than that it is certainly an option – and cheaper, and will probably afford you much better views when you wake up in the morning. I also spent one night in the hotel at Rowardennan (on a whim), and one night camping in the grounds of the Kingshouse – which they are happy for you to do.
Midges
Whatever you have heard about the Scottish midge is true – and probably worse. They are indeed the stuff of nightmares. Luckily I only experienced them twice – one in Beinglas and once at the Kingshouse. I’d heard Avon’s Skin So Soft was effective but it is potent; putting it on my face made my eyes feel scorched. Midges were not a problem whilst walking, just in the evening and first thing in the morning so I didn’t really need to use any repellent.
And what about the cows?
I think I walked through two fields of cows. For a cow fearing woman this is two too many although I have to admit the ferocious looking Highland cattle were overwhelmingly disinterested in me.