West Highland Way : Glasgow to Fort William

by Charlie Loram

• ISBN13: 9781905864133
• ISBN10: 1905864132
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2008-08-21
• Publisher: Trail Blazer Pubns

Summary

Fully revised third edition of the first of Trailblazer's 10-title series of British Walking Guides. The West Highland Way is the most popular long-distance path in the country, passing through some of the most spectacular scenery in all of Britain. From the outskirts of Glasgow it winds for 95 miles along the wooded banks of Loch Lomond, across the wilderness of Rannoch Moor, over the mountains above Glencoe to a dramatic finish at the foot of Ben Nevis - Britain's highest mountain.

Author Biography

Charlie Loram was the series editor who developed this British Walking Guides series for Trailblazer.  He has hiked in the Himalaya as well as in Wales and Scotland.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Planning Your Walk

About the West Highland Way (History, How difficult is the West Highland Way, How long do you need?),

Practical information for the visitor (Accommodation, Food and drink, Money, Other services, Information for foreign visitors, Walking companies),

Budgeting (Accommodation, Extras),

When to go (Seasons, Temperature and rainfall, Daylight hours, Annual events),

Itineraries (Which direction? Highlights, Village and town facilities, Suggested itineraries, Hillwalking side trips, Mountain biking, Walking with dogs),

What to take (Keep it light, How to carry it, Footwear, Clothes, Toiletries, First-aid kit, General items, Sleeping bag, Camping gear, Money, Maps, Recommended reading),

Getting to and from the West Highland Way (National transport, Getting to Britain, Local transport, Local transport map and details)

Sources of further information

Minimum Impact Trekking

Economic impact, Environmental impact, Access

The Environment and Nature

Conserving Scotland’s nature (Scottish Natural Heritage, Campaigning & conservation organizations),

Fauna and flora (Mammals, Reptiles, Birds, Trees, Flowers

Glasgow City guide (Orientation, Arrival and departure, Getting around & to Milngavie, Services, Where to stay, Where to eat and drink, What to see)

Walking from Glasgow to Milngavie (Getting to the start, Services, Route overview, Maps A-D)

Route Guide & Maps

Using this guide, Milngavie (Services, Where to stay, Where to eat),

Milngavie to Drymen – Maps 1-8 (Route overview, Services, Drymen),

Drymen to Balmaha – Maps 8-11 (Route overview, Services, Balmaha),

Balmaha to Rowardennan – Maps 11-15 (Route overview, Services, Rowardennan, Ascent of Ben Lomond),

Rowardennan to Inversnaid – Maps 15-19 (Route overview, Inversnaid),

Inversnaid to Inverarnan – Maps 19-22 (Route overview, Services, Inverarnan),

Inverarnan to Crianlarich – Maps 22-26 (Route overview, Crianlarich)

Crianlarich to Tyndrum – Maps 26-29 (Route overview, Services, Tyndrum),

Tyndrum to Bridge of Orchy – Maps 29-32 (Route overview, Bridge of Orchy)

Bridge of Orchy to Kingshouse – Maps 32-38 (Route overview, Services, Kingshouse, Glen Coe, Day walks around Glen Coe),

Kingshouse to Kinlochleven – Maps 38-42 (Route overview, Kinlochleven),

Kinlochleven to Fort William – Maps 42-49 (Route overview, Glen Nevis),

Fort William (Services, Where to stay, Where to eat, What to see),

Ben Nevis (Climbing Ben Nevis, Tourist Route, Carn Mor Dearg Arête Route)

Health and outdoor safety, B: Gaelic

Map Keys

Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Introduction

[Glencoe and Lochaber] had everything: peak, plateau, precipice, the thinnest of ridges, and green valley, all set between the widest of wild moors and a narrow sea-loch.  WH Murray Undiscovered Scotland

 

WH Murray is not alone in thinking the dramatic concluding stages of the West Highland Way (Glencoe and Lochaber) equal in beauty to anywhere in the world. The Way has become a pilgrimage for mountain lovers keen to travel simply on foot into the heart of the Scottish Highlands. A better introduction to this stunning region could not have been designed and, what is more, you don’t have to wait until the end for the highlights. Right from the start the Way gives walkers a taste of the magic of Scotland’s wild land and within a week you will have walked through some of the most fabulous scenery in Britain with relative ease, safety and comfort.

            The Way begins kindly just 20 minutes from the centre of Glasgow, gently undulating through woods and farmland, easing you in to the new demands of long-distance walking. As you stroll along the length of Loch Lomond’s celebrated wooded shore, lowland subtly transforms into Highlands and rugged mountain grandeur begins to dominate the scene. Ancient tracks previously used by soldiers and drovers lead you north along wide valley bottoms past historical staging posts which still water and feed today’s Highland traveller.

            The character of the Way becomes more serious as it climbs across the bleak, remote expanse of Rannoch Moor, skirting the entrance to Glen Coe and climbing over the Devil’s Staircase, the highest point on the trail. This is true hillwalking country and the extra effort is amply repaid by breathtaking mountain views. As you approach Fort William, the end of the Way, Ben Nevis comes into view rising above the conifer forests. If you have energy left after this superb 95-mile (152km) walk an ascent of the highest mountain in Britain makes a fitting climax.

 

About this book

This guidebook is as practically useful, comprehensive and up to date as humanly possible. It is the only book you require; no need to phone around for tourist brochures. From the comfort of your armchair you can look up everything necessary for planning your trip including:

All standards of places to stay from the best free campsites to the most comfortable guest houses

Walking companies if you want an organized tour

Itineraries for all types of walkers

Answers to all your questions: when to go, degree of difficulty, what to pack and how much will the whole walking holiday cost me?

 

When you’re all packed, boots on and ready to go, there’s detailed information to get you from home to the start of the trail and 48 large-scale (1:20,000) walking maps to keep you on it. The trail guide section has:

Walking times in both directions

Details of campsites, bunkhouses, hostels, B&Bs, guest houses and hotels

Cafés, pubs, tea-shops, take-aways, restaurants and shops for buying supplies

Rail, bus and taxi information for all the villages and towns along the Way

Street maps of Glasgow, Milngavie, Glencoe and Fort William

Historical, cultural and geographical background information

 

Minimum impact for maximum insight

Nature’s peace will flow into you as the sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their freshness into you and storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.

John Muir (one of the world’s earliest and most influential environmentalists, born in Scotland in 1838)

 

Walking in wild places is about opening ourselves up to all that is ‘green’. Treading lightly and with respect we give ourselves a precious chance to tap into the curative power of the natural world. Physical contact with the land makes us more in tune with it and as a result we feel all the more passionate about protecting it.

            It is no surprise then that, since the time of John Muir, walkers and adventurers have been concerned about the natural environment; this book seeks to continue that tradition. There is a detailed, illustrated chapter on the wildlife and conservation of the Highlands as well as a chapter devoted to minimum impact walking with ideas on how we can broaden that ethos.

            By developing a deeper ecological awareness through a better understanding of nature and by supporting rural economies, local businesses, sensitive forms of transport and low-impact methods of farming and land-use we can all do our bit for a brighter future. In the buzz-words of today there can be few activities as ‘environmentally friendly’ as walking.

 

Break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean. John Muir

 

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Excerpted from West Highland Way: Glasgow to Fort William by Charlie Loram, Bryn Thomas
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.