West Highland Way | OUR TRIP
Did you just decide to embark on the West Highland Way adventure, but you still have to figure out how to best schedule your trip? This post describes our travel itinerary and it might give you some inspiration.
Reaching the West Highland Way
DAY 1
06.09.2018
Flight from Milan to Glasgow - Train to Milngavie
We catched our flight from Milan (Italy) to Glasgow and took a bus to the city centre, where we spent some time for resupplying at sports shops. We purchased fuel for our camping stove, a head net and a spray against midges. We then headed to the central station and hopped on a train to Milngavie, where we planned to spend one night before starting our WHW adventure.
Here below you can find our choices in terms of accommodation and food.
ACCOMMODATION
We stayed at a cozy and hiker friendly AirBnB “Milngavie West Highland Way”, where the hosts could give us some good advices for our upcoming thru hike.
FOOD
We resupplied at a supermarket in Milngavie, where we bought bread, cheese, cold cuts and water for the trail. We then had a lovely dinner at the restaurant Finsbay, where we could taste an amazing haggis burger!
Hiking the West Highland Way
DAY 2 - DAY 8
07.09.2018 - 13.09.2018
The Trail
On the 7th of September, we left Milngavie and started our adventure on the West Highland Way. We then spent 7 days on this special trail, crossing the Scottish Highlands and fighting against crazy weather conditions. You can find further tips about the WHW stages in the post OUR STAGES.
On the 13th of September we arrived in Fort William, the official end of the West Highland Way. After spending some time at the pub and sharing a “victory beer” with our trail friends, we headed to Banavie by taxi... our adventure was not over yet.
Visiting Scotland
DAY 9 - DAY 10
14.09.2018 - 15.09.2018
Road Trip to Oban and Glenfinnan Viaduct
We spent one day and a half as tourists and took the chance to visit some attractions not too far away from Fort William. Here below you can find our choices in terms of accommodations and activities.
ACCOMMODATIONS
We spent two nights in Banavie, a little village close to Fort William, at the AirBnB “Stalkers Dream”. It was a perfect and cozy room to rest after spending one week on trail.
ACTIVITIES
During our first day as tourists, we decided to go on a little road trip together with our trail friends Brian and Carla. We rented a car and drove to the town of Oban, which is very famous for its whisky… we therefore couldn’t miss a tour of the Oban Distillery, where we could learn about whisky making process and taste different types of whiskys!
On our last day in Scotland, we woke up super early and catched a train from Banavie to Glenfinnan… my last wish was to photograph the Glenfinnan Viaduct, the stunning arched bridge where a few iconic Harry Potter train scenes were filmed! This last touristic attraction was definitely worth a visit… as we hiked to the bridge, the weather cleared up, and WOW! The landscapes were magical!
Coming Home
DAY 10
15.09.2018
Train to Glasgow - Flight from Glasgow to Milan
Our trip came to an end way too quickly. Right after visiting the Glenfinnan Viaduct, we hopped on a train from Glenfinnan to Glasgow, and spent the next hours gazing at the landscapes of the Highlands outside the window, trying to recognize the path of the West Highland Way. We then catched our flight from Glasgow to Milan in the evening. The West Highland Way made us realize how much we love trekking together, and opened up the possibility to dream about a million long distance hikes and adventures for our future.