3-day walk in Scotland
March 19, 2012 1:57 AM   Subscribe

What's a good itinerary for a 3-day walk in Scotland? Part of the West Highland Way, or the Great Glen Way?

We'll be traveling to Scotland in late May this year, for slightly less than a week. Two days in Edinburgh, and most of the remainder we're planning to spend on some kind of multi-day walk/hike.

The two well-known walks I've read about are the West Highland Way and the Great Glen Way. Both will take more time to complete than we have, so if we choose to go on these walks we'll only be able to do a portion of them. I've seen some articles suggesting an itinerary for part of the West Highland Way, but none for the Great Glen Way.

Are there any suggestions for which "halves" of the walks we should go for, and in which direction? Which ones are more scenic, better views, etc. We're in this more of for the experience of walking out into the wilderness and countryside, and if we can pass by some old medieval ruins or castles that'd be an added bonus. The West Highland Way seems to be the most famous walk of all, so I feel like we should do part of that, but for some reason I find myself attracted to the Great Glen Way (perhaps I just like to be non-conformist).

As far as fitness levels go, we're moderately fit, but we've never hiked such a long distance before, particularly over multiple days. Also we'd probably prefer to not have to rush to make the distance each day, but rather have sufficient time to stop and explore, or sit down and admire the view.

Also, we live very far away from Scotland so we're unlikely to make such a trip ever again, if that is a factor to consider.

If you know of any alternative routes we could take that aren't along the West Highland Way or the Great Glen Way, that'd be great too!
posted by destrius to Travel & Transportation around Scotland (21 answers total) 14 users marked this as a favorite
 
If you do the WHW, I suggest aiming for the second half. You get to walk along Loch Lomond, which is probably the prettiest part of the whole thing. It's also far more difficult though, which can be a good thing or a bad thing. The second half definitely has more climbs and the pace is slower, especially along the Loch as it is very rocky and uneven.

You might also want to think about hiking to the top of Ben Nevis (it takes about a day to get to the top and back down). The view from the top is spectacular and it's a nice day-outing. Feel free to memail me if you want more info from someone who's done the WHW.
posted by costanza at 2:04 AM on March 19, 2012


Loch Lomond is in the first part of the WHW if you leave from Milngavie - I think it was the second day, and I agree with costanza that it's the prettiest / best part - coming down off Conic Hill. One good thing about the first part of the walk is that there are railway stations along the way. You can skip the Rannoch Moor walk, which is really long, but does have a spectacular finish. I think I would do Drymen to Crianlarich, or at least Inverarnan. You can climb Ben Lomond from Rowardennan if you are so inclined.
posted by sagwalla at 2:44 AM on March 19, 2012


For the WHW: Fort William to Crianlarich (or vice vers) - train station at either point - if you like rugged. Crianlarich to Milngavie (or vice versa) if you prefer Loch side and more lowland (and bluebells - amazing in May). The section along the north part of Loch Lomond is actually the hardest part of the whole route. Beautiful train trips as part of the WHW experience are one of the highlights IMHO - so I would not feel bad about starting or stopping half way.

Scotland has a number of other lesser know long distance routes - just as much fun as the WHW or GGW -some you can do in their entirety in the number of days you have available. Personally I like the Rob Roy Way. You can also go to many locations and make your own walk - for example on Skye or Knoydart.

A lot of your options will depend on where you want to spend the night: if you carry your own tent with you then you have the most flexibility. The popular routes offer services where somebody will deliver your camping gear to a specified place at the end of each day - great if you want to carry less weight. If you want to stay in B&Bs or hotels then one of the more popular routes will make things a lot easier.
posted by rongorongo at 6:55 AM on March 19, 2012


I'm very fond of the Crianlarich section, but mainly because I spent a good part of a summer working on the path there. The recommendation varies greatly with the weather, which no-one can guarantee. Late May is generally decent, but I've had days in the same week in May where the weather was glorious and alternately a festival of sog with no view of the peaks.
posted by scruss at 7:32 AM on March 19, 2012


Response by poster: Thanks for the replies everyone!

rongorongo: For the WHW: Fort William to Crianlarich (or vice vers) - train station at either point - if you like rugged. Crianlarich to Milngavie (or vice versa) if you prefer Loch side and more lowland (and bluebells - amazing in May).

Hmm... I'm not very sure what we prefer. By rugged do you mean the scenery, or just the difficulty? I'm hoping to see the highlands, but bluebells sound good too.

Seems like most people are suggesting the southern half of the WHW (Milngavie to Crianlarich), which is the part along Loch Lomond, right? Is that side mostly lowlands?

For accomodations we'll most likely stay in B&Bs along the way, with a porter service to ferry our luggage (I'll be coming from a technical conference so will have bulky stuff like my laptop with me). We might also book with one of the tour agencies like Contours.
posted by destrius at 10:12 AM on March 19, 2012


Best answer: If you wish to use B&Bs - and if you wish to experience the "Must do" route then the WHW would seem to be the one to gravitate towards. If you wish to enjoy the scenery then I would echo your suggestion about using a porter service (even if you are quite fit).

The route is well marked: sometimes, as at the top of Loch Lomond, there are a few steep patches but mostly you are walking along old drover's roads. At no stage does the route go very high - but arduous weather: wet, hot, windy, is common. The traditional way of doing the walk is from South to North - with the thinking that the gentler landscape in days 1 and 2 will prepare you for longer miles towards the end of the trip.

My most recent outing on the WHW was also in May and also over 3 days. Camping with my gear portered by these pleasant guys and walking a dog. For me day 1 was Milngavie to Balmaha, day 2 took me to Ardlui and day 3 got me to Crianlarich by about mid day in time to get a train back to Glasgow (on the first two days I was on the road for about 8 hours including about an hour for lunch). So you could do that. The route gets you some lowlands, an transition along Loch Lomond and then some proper highlands - plus a scenic train ride back to Glasgow.

By taking this route you would be missing out on bigger spaces such as Rannoch Moor and Glen Coe - but you probably get more variety.
posted by rongorongo at 12:15 PM on March 19, 2012


Best answer: My girlfriend and I did the West Highland Way in five days. Here was our breakdown:

Day 1: Milngavie to Balmaha
Day 2: Balmaha to Inverarnen
Day 3: Inverarnan to Bridge of Orchy
Day 4: Bridge of Orchy to Kinlochleven
Day 5: Kinlochleven to Fort William

I would strongly recommend the last three days, or perhaps do the last two days and then climb Ben Nevis on the third day.

Milngavie to Balmaha was somewhat boring, and there's a long stretch through a logging forest with many acres of tree stumps that is not most people's idea of a scenic walk.

Balmaha to Inverarnan is the part that runs alongside Loch Lomond. Definitely more scenic than the first day, and more taxing than the first day, but I don't think you should devote your limited time to this stretch.

Inverarnan to Bridge of Orchy is when the landscapes get more grand and sweeping. The final miles leading into Bridge of Orchy were on relatively level ground but felt very grueling (perhaps because of the rain and the miles we'd walked the previous days). The Bridge of Orchy Hotel is beautiful.

Bridge of Orchy to Kinlochleven
is a must-see part of the Way. This passes through Rannoch Moor, a fabled landscape that was fascinating to me. As soon as you leave Bridge of Orchy you start ascending through some hills, so there's exertion right from the start, then you descend from the hills (the walk through the hills takes about an hour) and within an hour or so you are in Rannoch Moor. You will walk the Devil's Staircase, which is a very famous, grueling part of the West Highland way.

Kinlochleven to Fort William was only fourteen miles but my girlfriend and I thought it felt endless. There's a long climb at the start, then a long trudge through a sort of valley, and then there's the descent into Fort William where you feel like you're close, but it seems to take forever.

I think doing Bridge of Orchy to Kinlochleven, and Kinlochleven to Fort William, and then climbing Ben Nevis, would be a good way to spend three days. I really liked staying at the Rhu Mhor Guest House in Fort William. (I discussed this a little more in this comment.)
posted by jayder at 2:46 PM on March 19, 2012


I walked the Great Glen Way twenty years ago, before it was the Great Glen Way and was just a bunch of footpaths and roads. It took me three days but then I'm 6'5" and have a fast pace and good stamina, and I didn't have anyone to slow me down. It was awesome.

The disadvantage with walking just a part of the Great Glen is that only the ends are well connected. If you stop before you reach the end, you've got a long wait for a bus.

If I was doing it again I'd walk the south side of Loch Ness, not the north: you lose Castle Urquhart but gain the Falls at Foyers, plus a lot of the route is right down beside the water, and there's more variation in countryside. Trust me, that north bank gets pretty relentless.
posted by Hogshead at 3:51 PM on March 19, 2012


Response by poster: jayder: I think doing Bridge of Orchy to Kinlochleven, and Kinlochleven to Fort William, and then climbing Ben Nevis, would be a good way to spend three days.

Hmm... I was just about set to do the first half of the hike (Milngavie to Crianlarich) before I saw your comment, based on what everybody else has been saying. Is that part really as boring as you say? You do mention that its quite grueling, which makes me wonder how difficult it will be for us novices.

One other thing that I forgot to mention is that that kind of walk we'd like to do is one that would let us feel like we're in a remote, wild area, far from civilization and isolated. Does the WHW get a bit crowded sometimes, given its popularity? I'd rather be the only person around for miles than seeing a train of hikers in front and behind me. Such that you could almost feel like you're a lone traveler crossing the country in the ancient times.
posted by destrius at 2:55 AM on March 20, 2012


Best answer: I think the first day is pretty skippable, as is (really) the last day coming through that long valley and down into Fort William (the midgies!). So I would fast-forward to Drymen, as I said earlier, and go to Crianlarich or Tyndrum. That gives you 2-3 days (I did Milngavie to Drymen to Rowardennan (hostel) to Inverarnan to Tyndrum to Kingshouse to Kinlochleven to Fort William). I used a porter and booking service, recommended. I kind of wish I had climed Ben Lomond. By the time I got to Fort William, my feet said "No way!" to another day to do Ben Nevis.

As for remote, if you go in the summer there will be other walkers, but when I did it there were not too many. I was on a roughly similar itinerary to a couple of other folks and we walked together at times, alone at others and tended to compare experiences at the end of the day. It was nowhere just heaving with people. Kingshouse was the most welcome site on my whole journey, but that's because it ended my 20-mile day. If you want remote, that stretch from Inveroran to Kingshouse across Rannoch Moor is completely 'out there'.
posted by sagwalla at 5:11 AM on March 20, 2012


Crianlarich is somewhere between Inverarnan and Bridge of Orchy, right? If I'm remembering it correctly, we didn't stop there, as it requires a bit of a detour off the WHW to visit the town.

The first day on my itinerary is skippable. It's anything but remote. You're sort of walking past people's backyards part of the way (they'd put out refreshments and an "honesty box" to pay for them). Lots of farms. And that depressing logging forest. So skip Milngavie to Balmaha.

I think my third, fourth, and fifth days were definitely the most remote. Based on what you've says interests you, you do not want to miss the Rannoch Moor section.
posted by jayder at 6:45 AM on March 20, 2012


Re numbers of other people: in May I found I was maybe encountering another individual or group every 20 minutes along the route - either people coming in the opposite direction or people passing me/being passed. This is a lot more people than would be found by choosing some random mountain trail in Scotland at the same time of year -(where one might hike all day without seeing another soul) - about 70,000 people complete the route each year. You are most likely to enjoy the route if you are happy meeting these others - having the opportunity to have pick up advice on places to visit or a shared chance to moan about the weather/midges/blisters is part of the appeal.
posted by rongorongo at 1:09 PM on March 20, 2012


Jayder - I am impressed you carried on past Kingshouse and did the Devil's Staircase at the end of your Rannoch Moor day. I did the last (downhill) stretch into Kingshouse at about 1 mph, I was so knackered. Then again, that was the end of my 20-mile day (so I'm impressed you did the whole walk in 5). I was really happy for the short up-and-over to Kinlochleven, which is a lovely place FWIW. Just small, remote and (in 2001) surprisingly sad. I gave serious thought to taking on the brewery opportunity there before eventually landing elsewhere.

You do Rannoch Moor with a bit of aplomb. You take a deep breath and say, "From here, 10 miles, no bailing, no nothing. I'm up for this." It is splendid isolation.

Also, you know from the top of Conic Hill that downhill is sometimes more difficult than uphill.
posted by sagwalla at 1:49 PM on March 20, 2012


Response by poster: Thanks for all the help, once again. I think I've settled on the following itinerary:

Day 1: Inverarnan to Tyndrum: 13 miles / 21km (4.5 - 5.5 hours)
Day 2: Tyndrum to Kings House Hotel: 19 miles / 30.5km (6.5 - 8 hours)
Day 3: Kingshouse to Kinlochleven: 9 miles / 14.5km (3-4 hours)

The second day seems quite long, but this itinerary is actually part of what was listed in Lonely Planet's suggested walk; I assume if its in LP it shouldn't be too difficult.

We'll probably take a bus from Kinlochleven to Fort William and take the West Highland Line from there back to Glasgow (and from there Edinburgh). Alternatively we might take a bus back to the Loch Lomond area and spend the most part of the fourth day there, before heading back.

Does this sound workable?
posted by destrius at 1:54 AM on March 22, 2012


Response by poster: I'm a bit sad that we won't be able to do Conic Hill, but I think the landscapes of the northern half will be more interesting and novel to us.
posted by destrius at 1:55 AM on March 22, 2012


Day 2: Tyndrum to Kings House Hotel: 19 miles / 30.5km (6.5 - 8 hours)

That is the day where you pass the Ba Bridge, which according to something I read is the most remote spot on the WHW.

This is going to be a tough day but doable I think. Start early. Twenty miles on the West Highland way is not at all like twenty miles on flat, level ground. You will be hitting the Devil's Staircase really late if you don't start early.
posted by jayder at 5:58 AM on March 22, 2012


Upon reflection, I actually think it makes more sense on your first day to go from Inverarnan to Bridge of Orchy. Bridge of Orchy Hotel has a bunk house and camping areas if that's the accommodations you want.

I say this makes more sense because Bridge of Orchy is only a couple of hours (maybe three hours?) walk past Tyndrum and the Tyndrum - Bridge of Orchy path is relatively level. So pushing on will not be utterly draining. Tyndrum is a pretty populated town, Bridge of Orchy seemed pretty remote.

Basically I'm saying you may want to make Day One a little harder, to make Day Two a little easier. That will give you more time to take in the scenery on Rannoch Moor and not feel so rushed to reach King's House.
posted by jayder at 6:31 AM on March 22, 2012


Response by poster: I thought of going to Bridge of Orchy on the first day, but it seems that the bunk house there is full on the night we'd be there. Tyndrum seemed to be a good compromise.

Hmm.. Isn't the Devil's Staircase past Kings House? According to what I've read, that stretch of the Way is pretty level and isn't that difficult, unless the weather isn't too good.
posted by destrius at 7:24 AM on March 22, 2012


You're right, I don't know why I was talking as though you would hit that before Kings House.
posted by jayder at 11:52 AM on March 22, 2012


Response by poster: Okay, one last question, if anybody is still here. Its a pretty silly question. We're going to take the West Highland Line from Fort William down the Glasgow, and the line is known to be pretty scenic.

However almost every description I've read of it talks about the ride from Glasgow up to Fort William and beyond, and not the other direction. I assume the tracks and parallel so the scenery on both directions is the same, but I'd just like to confirm this is the case.

Thanks guys!
posted by destrius at 2:54 AM on March 23, 2012


Best answer: Have a look at the man in seat 61's entry about the West Highland Line. A lot of the line is single track with only one train at a time in each direction - but the route taken is absolutely the same in both directions.
posted by rongorongo at 7:31 AM on March 23, 2012


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