West Highland Way - advices ?

Posted by chi.accounts on 04/01/25 08:46 AM

Hi everyone,

I've already walked several Camino de Santiago routes, and I'm looking for something similar in terms of atmosphere, but in a different setting—to change things up and discover new horizons. The West Highland Way seems like a great option, but I have a few questions for those who have done it before:
Do I absolutely need to book accommodations in advance, or is it possible to find a bed upon arrival, like on the Camino?
I don’t want to carry a tent—does that make organizing the trek much more difficult? Are there enough B&Bs, hostels, or hotels along the way?
How easy is it to meet people on the trail? On the Camino, it's easy to walk with other pilgrims and share the experience. Is it similar on the WHW, or are hikers generally more solitary?
What is your most valuable piece of advice for someone about to set off? What do you wish you had known before doing the WHW?

Thanks in advance for your insights and experiences! 😊

Posted by richard

Yorkshire

04/01/25 09:59 AM

1391 posts

Its a VERY popular trail think near 100,000 walk all or part of it.The statue of the hiker rubbing his foot in Fort William often has a queue waiting for people to take their finishing photo. Bit like Skye, accomodation is limited.
Pretty sure there's a bag courrier service on the route ,so if you had to camp you could just walk with a daysac.
Be no trouble hiking with people.

There are 5 West Highland Way,Facebook groups !

Posted by ianandjulie

Yorkshire

04/01/25 05:20 PM

1410 posts

Hi chi -

You absolutely need to book your accommodation in advance, either independently, or possibly more easily, through one of the many companies that do ‘Sherpa’ tours where you carry your daily needs in a day sack, while your main baggage is transported to the separate lodgings along the route on a daily basis. I have a feeling (only that) that while there’s quite a lot of accommodation on or near the route, that the sherpa companies may reserve the best in bulk long before individuals get around to booking rooms. I have no direct evidence for this but it would make sense for the companies to reserve rooms in bulk knowing how popular the trail is.

As for meeting other hikers en route, I’d say that was highly likely, but I’m not sure the WHW is as busy as the Camino in that regard. It’s been a while since I walked the whole thing, but I’ve walked along sections plenty of times since and there have been folk out and about, even in late winter/early spring.

I’m sure you’d have a great time, given the weather cooperates (which always helps)!

Ian

Posted by Steve

04/02/25 10:35 PM

385 posts

We hiked the last 3 segments (from Bridge of Orchy to Fort William) in June 2022.

While you can absolutely do the trail yourself, we booked through Hillwalk Tours and they were great. They book your accommodations, carry your luggage (as others have mentioned you can get this service by itself from other companies without booking a full tour), and so forth. It might be hard to get your accommodation of choice without booking well in advance - as others mentioned, options are limited.

You will definitely run into people on the trail (especially in summer), but will also have stretches where you're alone. There's definitely a sense of community on the trail. Many people will bump into each other on several successive days, and you'll get to know them a bit as you progress through the same trail segments in roughly the same time frame. This is especially true if you end up at the same camp site or hotel. For example, we met a lovely father/daughter couple from Belfast and walked the last 1.5 hours of our trail on day 2 with them and then bumped into them at the pub in the town of Kinlochleven that night (the highly recommended Tailrace Inn).

The trail is fairly rigorous. Footing is not always easy (loose rocks and so forth) and some of the inclines are significant. Even for those in good shape it can be hard on the knees, ankles and feet. Walking poles are definitely a good idea.

The weather is also a factor, but if you plan for rain (full rain gear, waterproof hiking boots, waterproof cover for backpack, etc.) then you'll be fine. We did not have trouble with midges, but I think that's because we had so much rain. (:

It is a beautiful and rewarding hike. I am sure you would love it just as we did!