Clancy - Self Guided west Highland Way

The West Highland Gate is situated on the main road through Milngavie (near the Police Station). From Milngavie railway station, exit onto Woodburn Way and turn left. Follow this road for 800 yards/725 metres and the Premier Inn be on your left. For the start of the Way cross over Main Street and retrace your steps for 355 yards/325 metres then bear left into Milngavie’s shopping precinct. Proceed through the precinct to the central clock tower. Bear right and you will arrive at the start of the West Highland Way in around 100 yards/90 metres.

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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). You will be on Stirling Road as you enter the village and reach the village square. At the village square turn right onto Old Gartmore Road and Braeside is the second house on your right.

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 the farm as you walk along the route to Inverarnan.

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. Continue on the Way, passing through a small group of houses and then you will reach a small tarmac road. Turn right and walk up the road for a short distance until you reach Dalkell on the left hand side of the road.

The twin with private facilities has the bathroom just outside in the corridor for your sole use. The cottage is on the grounds of the B&B and has a lovely conservatory for you all to relax in.

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.

The Way leads directly to the Kingshouse Hotel.

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.

On arrival at the original end of the Way (the old signpost should still be standing, ie just as you approach the Edinburgh Woollen Mill), you will be at the Glen Nevis roundabout. Follow the West Highland Way signs along Belford Road towards the town centre and you will soon pass a swimming pool on your left hand side (Lochaber Leisure Centre). Look out for the first left after the pool (signposted Victoria Road) since this is the turning for Guisachan upon your return from the end of the Way. Therefore, continue to follow 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 and ‘Sore Feet’ in Gordon Square at the west end of town. To make your way to Guisachan, simply retrace your steps through the precinct, back on to Belford Road. After passing the Belford Hospital turn right up Victoria Road (which leads shortly on to Alma Road), walk for a short distance up the hill and you will see Guisachan on the corner.

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.