Reid - Self Guided West Highland Way

If you are travelling from Glasgow Airport, then you will arrive at Glasgow Buchanan Bus Station in the city centre of Glasgow. Glasgow Buchanan Bus Station to Hotel Indigo Glasgow, it’s a convenient and straightforward journey:

Exit Buchanan Bus Station and head west on Killermount Street towards West Nile Street. Turn left onto West Nile Street and continue along until you reach Gordon Street, and then turn right heading towards Central Station. Past the station and turn left on to Hope Street and then right onto Waterloo Street. Walk along Waterloo Street and Hotel Indigo Glasgow will be on your left, located at 75 Waterloo St, Glasgow G2 7DA.

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.

On the latter stage of the route from Milngavie to Drymen you will be walking along a country road. Shortly after leaving this road you will arrive at the A811 road (you will have walked through a field and crossed a stile). At this point make your way into Drymen village (signposted). On arrival into the square, turn left and walk down the hill for a short distance until you arrive at the hotel clearly signposted on the left hand side of the road.

Drymen is a small village in the west of Scotland forming the gateway to East Loch Lomond. In the 1700s Drymen found itself on the route of the military road from Stirling to Dumbarton. The Clachan Inn, on a corner of The Square, dates back to this period and carries signs proclaiming that it was first licensed in 1734. The area – steeped in history – is Clan Buchanan country. Rob Roy McGregor was a ‘local’ and this is the area in which he carried out his famous (or infamous) exploits against the Duke of Montrose.

The Way leads directly to the hotel.

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.

You will arrive at Beinglas Farm which is directly on the Way. Take a left off the Way onto a track, pass the farm and cross the bridge that leads to the main (A82) road. On reaching the A82 turn left and follow a path by the side of the road and continue until you arrive at the Drovers Inn a short distance on the left hand side of the road.

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.

As you approach the outskirts of Tyndrum village, you will have been following a river or burn on your right hand side. Look out for the small bridge which crosses the river and leads into Pine Trees Leisure Park. Turn left and walk through the leisure park (parallel to the river) for a short distance until you pass through a five bar gate and into Tyndrum Lodges.

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 hotel is easy to find since it is situated directly on the Way.

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.

They built some 1200 miles/1931 km of road and 700 bridges in the years from 1725 and 1767 and in doing so transformed the Highlands. The old military road crosses the A82 at the crossroads in the centre of Bridge of Orchy before descending past the hotel to the 1751 bridge over the River Orchy, also built by Major Caulfield. The bridge gave the village its name and from it the old road carries on around the western end of Loch Tulla to Forest Lodge. Beyond Forest Lodge the old road is closed to motorised traffic as it carries on to Glencoe although it now provides a track for walkers on the West Highland Way.

The hotel is easy to find since it is situated directly on the Way.

Originally built in the 17th century, Kingshouse Hotel is believed to be one of Scotland’s oldest licensed inns. The building was used after the Battle of Culloden (1746) as a barracks for troops of George III, hence the name Kings House. It was their task to keep the Highlanders under subjection and to capture their elusive champion, Bonnie Prince Charlie. The Hotel’s history is colourful and varied. Dorothy Wordsworth wrote in 1803 ‘Never did I see such a miserable, such wretched place – long rooms with ranges of beds, no other furniture except benches, or perhaps one or two crazy chairs, the floors far dirtier than an ordinary house could be if it were never washed.’ By the 21st Century, the old building has been altered considerably and the owners together with their staff assure you of a warm welcome. The mountain situated right across from the hotel is the Buachaille Etive Mòr at the head of Glen Etive. Nearby is Glencoe (Gleann Comhann in Gaelic) 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.

As you arrive into Kinlochleven, you will pass the Tailrace Inn on your left hand side. Continue to follow the Way, ie walk straight along the road until you come to the local school. The hotel sits on the left hand side just past the school.

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.

As you approach Fort William and the Glen Nevis Roundabout you will see the signpost for the original end to the West Highland Way – the new end is in the town centre. To finish the Way continue along the road past the Glen Nevis roundabout, following the West Highland Way signs along Belford Road until you reach the town centre. Walk through the pedestrian precinct until you reach the end of the Way in Gordon Square at the west end of town. To reach Myrtle Bank continue to the end of the High Street and you will be at a roundabout. Take the second exit off the roundabout and continue along Achintore Road for approximately 350 yards/320 metres and Myrtle Bank is on your left hand side.

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.