The West Highland Way

Discover Glasgow, Scotland’s dynamic cultural capital, blending Victorian elegance with modern vitality. Explore historic landmarks like Glasgow Cathedral and the vibrant West End’s boutiques and cafes. Dive into art and music at Kelvingrove Museum and lively venues. Indulge in diverse dining options and experience the city’s buzzing nightlife. From its rich history to contemporary charm, Glasgow promises an unforgettable adventure.

Name: Liam Allan
Contact Number: +44 (0) 7745133639
Meeting Place: Glasgow Queen Street Station, Queen Street, Glasgow, G1 3DN | Meeting Time: 08:15

The largest freshwater lake in Britain, Loch Lomond is over 23 miles long and 5 miles wide at its widest point. Loch Lomond’s beauty has drawn visitors from all over the world. Famous writers such as Boswell, Johnson, Sir Walter Scott, William Wordsworth and John Keats have all visited its shores – and Queen Victoria sailed on a steamer from Inversnaid in 1869. Steamers used to provide the main form of transport, linking the loch side with Balloch.

The small village of Rowardennan on the east shore of Loch Lomond nestles at the foot of Ben Lomond This is Rob Roy country. One of Rob Roy’s sons brought a kidnapped heiress to the Rowardennan Inn and forced her to go through a ceremony of marriage; a plot for which he was hanged in Edinburgh.

The Inn served as a wayside halt for the drovers who brought their highland cattle across the loch by ferry on their way to the markets of Stirling and Falkirk. Rising from the east shore of Loch Lomond, to a height of 974 m (3,193 ft), is Ben Lomond, the most southerly ‘Munro’ in Scotland. The road along the eastern shore of Loch Lomond stops at Rowardennan and the only way to continue along the shore is on foot.

The West Highland Way continues northwards from Rowardennan along the ‘bonnie banks’ of Loch Lomond, sometimes close to the water’s edge and sometimes well up the slopes. The village of Inverarnan is situated at the south end of Glen Falloch and just beyond the northern point of Loch Lomond. It sits on the banks of the River Falloch, which flows into Loch Lomond.

The Most famous landmark at this stage is the ‘Drovers Inn’ one of the best known pubs in Scotland. The Drovers Inn was originally used by the Highland drovers who used to drive their cattle down the side of Loch Lomond to the markets. Three hundred years ago The Drovers opened for business, Rob Roy MacGregor, Robert Burns, General Wade, Johnson and Boswell, Robert Louis Stevenson all passed by and quite probably entered the premises for refreshment or lodging. Beinglas takes its name from Ben Glas, Gaelic for Grey Mountain, down which the dramatic ‘Grey Mares Tail’ waterfall thunders.

Tyndrum, Taigh an Droma in Gaelic, translated as ‘the house on the ridge’ lies in Strathfillan at the southern edge of Rannoch Moor. Overshadowed by Ben Lui, one of the Munros (Scottish mountains over 914.4 metres or 3000 feet), Tyndrum has historic connections with Robert the Bruce and Rob Roy MacGregor. In 1306 Bruce suffered one of his rare defeats at nearby Dal Righ, the King’s Field. Tradition tells of his retreating soldiers throwing their heavy weapons into Lochan nan Arm. Defeat came at the hands of the MacDougall’s, during the battle, Alastair MacDougall ripped a brooch from Bruce as he made off and the ‘Brooch of Lorne’ is still in the possession of the MacDougall family. Tyndrum is a gold, silver & lead mining centre. Up on the hillside beyond Clifton the tailings of a former lead mine can be seen on Sron nan Colan hill. The actual gold mine is a couple of miles to the south and west of Tyndrum at Cononish, situated above Cononish Farm.

The story of Bridge of Orchy is a story of travel and of travellers. In the years after the 1715 and 1745 Jacobite uprisings the government put a huge amount of effort into building roads and bridges over the length and breadth of the Highlands. Until then drove routes had existed to move cattle to the lowland markets. However, most travel took place by sea and the majority of significant settlements hugged coasts or major rivers. A bout of road building during the eighteenth century was intended to provide a means of moving troops quickly around the interior to suppress the rebellion. These were the military roads built by General Wade and later by Major Caulfield.

Glencoe (Gleann Comhann in Gaelic) is one of the most spectacular places in Scotland. With a wild and haunting beauty, Glencoe is often said to mean ‘Glen of Weeping’, perhaps with some reference to the infamous Massacre of Glencoe which took place there in 1692. However, ‘Gleann Comhann’ does not translate as ‘Glen of Weeping’ rather the Glen is named after the River Coe which runs through it and bore this name long prior to the 1692 incident.

Kinlochleven, at the head of Loch Leven, 20 miles south of Fort William and 90 miles north of Glasgow, is a unique village, rich in natural resources and with a strong industrial heritage. The village developed in the 1900’s when the North British Aluminium Company built a hydro scheme and smelter in the area. As the smelter developed, so the population grew. At its peak the smelter employed over 800 people. The smelter closed in April 2000 but the sense of community continues. Now the growing popularity of the West Highland Way brings a steady stream of visitors to the village. Loch Leven is one of the most attractive lochs in Scotland and the village is surrounded by imposing mountains. To the north lie the Mamores, while to the south are the mountains guarding the north side of Glencoe.

Fort William sits on Loch Linnhe with the majestic Ben Nevis, at 1344m Britain’s highest mountain, as its backdrop. The town takes its name from the fort that William Prince of Orange built in 1690. Fort William was successfully held by government troops during the Jacobite uprisings of 1715 and 1745. However, the surrounding area saw great turmoil. Today, such a bloody past is difficult to imagine and the town is the main centre for visitors to the Western Highlands.