(5/2 – 5/18/2025)
The main purpose of this Scotland trip was to hike the famous West Highland Way (WHW). We were going in early May to avoid the famous (or infamous) midges on the trail. There were only limited lodging options along the way, so we planned the trip and started to make reservations almost a year ahead.
Rei refused to hike the WHW without luggage transfer, so I booked luggage transfer with Sherpa Van and made lodging arrangements accordingly. Fortunately, the WHW was mainly along a main route A82 with easy transportation, and therefore the luggage transfer cost was very reasonable.
On average Scotland has about 10 rainy days in May. So we packed our rain jackets, rain pants, backpack covers and ponchos. I even purchased a new Helly Hanson rain jacket for the trip.
Day 1: Glasgow
Our flight arrived in Glasgow last night after 8:30pm. There was a convenient airport bus 500 just waiting outside when we left the airport. It was a short ride to the city center. Our hotel Moxy Glasgow Merchant City was only about half a mile from the bus stop. It was already close to 10pm when we arrived at the hotel, and we couldn’t do anything besides taking a shower and going to bed.
We got up very early this morning. After breakfast at the hotel, we set out around 8:30am to explore Glasgow. Today was Sunday, and the Cathedral was closed for Sunday mass in the morning, so we decided to do the Mural Walk and to stroll along the River Clyde instead.
Among all the murals we saw, “Fellow Glasgow Residents” was my favorite. The fellow resides it depicted covered various birds and animals, including a Highland Cow! It’s a pity that some murals were vandalized with graffiti. People should really learn how to show respect!
We only went as far as the SEC Armadillo, an iconic event center building along the River Clyde, then we had to head back to the hotel because we booked 12:30pm afternoon tea at Mackintosh-at-the-Willow. On the return trip, we saw more murals, including the famous “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” and a few others.
Mackintosh-at-the-Willow was a very elegant tearoom designed by the famed architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh. The Classical Afternoon Tea included four sandwiches, plain and raisin scones, and four cakes for each person! It cost around £34 per person. Considering the afternoon tea also doubled as lunch for us, it was quite reasonable.
After such a full meal, walking half an hour to the Kelvingrove Art Museum was a great way to burn off the extra calories. The walk included a section in the verdant Kelvingrove Garden, which was very pleasant.
The museum, like many other museums in Scotland, offered free entrance. After touring the ground floor, we found out that there’s an organ concert at 3pm, so we quickly grabbed two of the remaining seats to wait for the concert. Mr. Chrostopher Nickol, the Director of Music at New Kilpatrick Church, was an established organist. He delivered an excellent performance, including a Star War theme song because today was the Star War Day (May 4th — “May the Force be with You”). This was our first organ concert, and we enjoyed it very much! Rei made the suggested £5 donation after the wonderful concert, and many other people followed suit.
After the concert, we continued to view the exhibitions on the first floor, which included paintings by famous artists such as Dali, Monet and Picasso.
Rei figured that we had enough time to stop by the Riverside Museum to see the tall ship, which we missed this morning. He wanted to take a photo of the tall ship to send to Sister, who was a big fan of tall ships. Since the Riverside Museum closed at 5pm, and we had a dinner reservation at 5:30pm, we only toured the outside.
Dinner was delicious but a bit salty to my taste. We walked back to the hotel after dinner to end today’s exploration.
Day 2: More Glasgow, then to Milngavie
The Glasgow Cathedral was closed yesterday morning for worship, so we went this morning instead. We saw a few more murals on our way. We arrived very early, and the Cathedral wouldn’t open until 9:30am, so we toured the nearby Necropolis first. There were several large groups visiting around the same time.
The Necropolis was a cemetery with a lot of old tombs. It was situated on an adjacent low hill and provided excellent views of the Cathedral and the city. The Necropolis felt more like a ruin than a graveyard. The atmosphere was solemn but not creepy. Many celebrity Glasgow citizens were buried there. Some tombs were pretty magnificent.
The Cathedral itself wasn’t too impressive in my opinion. It was a moderately sized cathedral, though it did have a lot of beautiful stained-glass windows. St. Mungo’s tomb was at the lower level.
Then we took a ScotRail train to the Pollok County Park to see the famous Highland cattle. Today was a bank holiday, so we saw many families visiting the park.
Highland cows were super cute with pointed horns and long hair covering their eyes. When I tried to switch to use camera to take photos of the highland cows, my phone accidentally fell inside the cattle enclosure, and we couldn’t reach it! Fortunately, there was a little boy carrying a plastic sword nearby. He graciously allowed me to borrow his sword to successfully retrieve my phone. However, I found out that my phone was cracked on the left side when it fell.
We had a picnic lunch at the park before riding the train back to the hotel to retrieve our luggage. We were traveling to Milngavie, which was the official starting point of the West Highland Way. It was only about 30 minutes train ride away from the Glasgow Queen Street Station. We arrived at tonight’s hotel, Premier Inn in Milngavie, before 3pm.
Originally, we planned to go to the downtown area to have dinner, but we were already exhausted by now. So, Rei decided that we should just have dinner at the hotel and have a good rest in preparation for the HWH hike.
Day 3: Milngavie to Drymen (12.1 mi/19.4km)
Today was the first day of the West Highland Way hike. We booked luggage with Sherpa Van, and had to meet the driver at 7:45am outside of the hotel. We had an early breakfast with many fellow hikers. Table mates on both sides were also hiking the WHW. It seemed that everyone staying at the hotel was hiking the WHW! I was surprised when people asked us whether we were hiking the entire WHW. Later we were asked the same question multiple times, and I realized that many hikers were only doing section hikes.
When we brought the luggage out at 7:40am, we saw a Baggage Freedom minivan. It turned out that Sherpa Van “outsourced” our luggage transfer to Baggage Freedom. After we turned in our luggage, we walked toward Milngavie downtown, where WHW started.
The starting point was marked by an archway. There was also an obelisk and a blue water fountain nearby. Walkers were all taking photos in front of the archway or by the obelisk. Groups took photos for one another.
Previously we had great fun stamping our way through the Portugal Coastal Camino, so Rei wanted to purchase a West Highland Way Passport. The nearby Spar market didn’t have any passports left, and the other stores wouldn’t open until much later, so we had to give up the idea.
Today was a gorgeous sunny day. There were only a few low clouds. The trail was mostly flat and partially shaded. The temperature was cool. We couldn’t have asked for a more pleasant day for hiking! The first part of the trail was in the wood. Both sides were full of blue bell flowers. Several young hikers passed by. It’s an easy hike, and we didn’t need to use our hiking poles, and we were walking close to 3 miles per hour.
We reached Craigmaddie Loch after hiking 3 miles or so. A couple of hikers were resting and meditating by the loch. Carbeth Loch, the second loch, was smaller, and we didn’t see many other hikers there. When we were approaching Dumgoyach, we saw a lot of black-faced sheep; many were cute baby sheep!
Glengoyne Distillery was near Mile 6.5. Rei said he wasn’t interested in whisky, so we didn’t plan to visit the distillery. However, we could already see the distillery, and it was only shortly after 10am, so Rei changed his mind. He said that it’s still very early, so we should stop by to take a look. I saw a pheasant walking on the field on our way to the distillery!
It turned out that we were just in time for the 10:45am tour. The 75-minute tour including 2 tastings cost £22 per person. The lady guide told us the Glengoyne history and showed us how single malt whisky was made in their distillery. It was an interesting tour, and we learned a lot. At the end of the tour, we tasted 12-year and 15-year whisky. There’s a gift shop onsite (of course!) where we purchased some sample-sized whisky as souvenirs.
There was a quiet picnic place by a small waterfall. We had a quick lunch of coffee and energy bars before resuming the walk shortly before 1pm.
There were more walkers on the trail now. We passed the Beech Tree Inn without stopping. Originally, we planned to have the lunch break there, but the place didn’t look inviting. Rei and I agreed that our lunch spot at the distillery was more pleasant. Those “late” walkers were slower, and we got to pass many of them. We saw many more sheep and cows on the way. The bucolic countryside view was very enjoyable. There were a few places with bugs, but mostly we were bug-free and didn’t need to use the protective nets. It was surely a great time to walk the WHW.
The last section of the walk was on a paved road, and we had to watch out for cars and bicycles. We arrived in Drymen shortly before 3pm. We first stopped by the Chachan Inn to make a dinner reservation before checking into the Winnock Hotel.
Dinner was at 5:30pm. Rei had pork, and I had a mushroom and fennel pie. We enjoyed the food, and the French fries were really good.
Day 4: Drymen to Rowardennan (14.3mi/23km)
The hotel didn’t serve breakfast until 7:30am, so we walked around the neighborhood first, but there wasn’t much to see. After breakfast, we checked out to start the walk around 8:30am. We had to first retrace the paved road back to the WHW. The traffic was much heavier than yesterday afternoon.
There were many hikers on the way. Rei liked asking other people where they were from. We met hikers from London, Canada, Germany, Austria, Finland and different places from the United States. There was an over representation of Californians.
The first section of today’s hike was on a narrow dirt and gravel trail lined with yellow flowered gorses. The hike was pretty easy. We had great weather today too. It was cloudier than yesterday, but we still got plenty of sunshine. The temperature was cool, but we still got too warm after a short walk. People were all stopping to take off their jackets.
After a while, the trail split, and several hikers went on the Rob Roy Way (named after a famous and very popular outlaw), but most stayed on the WHW. The trail branched again, with one going through Conic Hill, and the other going straight to Balmaha. Everyone we saw chose the former. Very soon, we started to climb and we got the first glimpse of the famous Loch Lomond. Conic Hill wasn’t directly on the WHW, but almost all hikers decided to attempt it. The path up was a very steep stony trail. When we reached the top, we were rewarded with a panoramic view of Loch Lomond.
The trail leading to Balmaha was the same stony road. It was a long climb down walking on big rocks. It wasn’t easy. Fortunately, the weather was great today. Hiking in the rain on slippery stones would have been terrible. There were day hikers climbing up from the other direction from Balmaha. That was a longer and more difficult climb than ours.
We reached Balmaha around noon and went to the Oak Tree Hotel to have lunch. Some fellow hikers also decided to have lunch there. We ordered a Caprese sandwich and Fish & Chip to share. Both were very delicious. There was a nearby cafe, where we got ice cream after lunch.
Several hikers we met were staying in Balmaha today to further explore the area, which was a very smart decision too. However, we would continue to Rowardennan, which was another 7.3 miles further north. We resumed the walk shortly past 1pm. First, we stopped by Tom Weir Park to take some pictures before continuing. The trail between Blamaha and Rowardennan was supposed to be along the Loch without a lot of elevation changes. However, there were still a lot of ups and downs.
It was a quiet walk at first, but soon we met more HWH hikers. There were also local hikers walking from opposite directions. Some sections of the trail were on a forest dirt trail, while others opened up to offer the serene loch views. The trail was surprisingly long, and we didn’t reach the Rowardennan Hotel until after 4:30pm. We were in a very isolated area, so we booked dinner at the hotel at 6:30pm, and went to our room to take a shower.
Rei had a beer and pork belly. He said the food was good. My Caesar salad was a non-vegetarian version with big anchovy, smoked salmon and ham!
Day 5: Rowardennan to Inverarnan 14mi/22.5km)
Breakfast started at 7am. When we arrived at the restaurant, many other hikes were coming too. Everyone wanted an early start. We started today’s hike before 8am. Two other groups were also leaving around the same time. The weather was partially cloudy and cool, perfect for hiking.
After a short walk, the way split. Rei decided that we should take the lower route along the loch for a better lake view. The lower trail hugged the shore of Loch Lomond, and it was a single narrow trail strewn with tree roots and rocks. There were also a lot of ups and downs, making it more challenging than the broader upper trail. The trail was also wet and muddy in several places.
The view of Loch Lomond was certainly spectacular, which made the extra effort worthwhile. We passed some ruins and a Bothy before merging with the upper trail.
The upper trail was broader and easier. However, after a while, the trail narrowed down and was closer to the loch. Very soon, it became like the lower trail we just hiked!
After walking closer to 3 more miles, we reached the Inversnaid Falls, which consisted of two levels: The upper level was broader with several streams flowing down, and the lower fall was narrower but higher. We reached the Inversnaid Hotel around noon and stopped by to use the bathrooms and to have lunch. Rei and I shared a raisin scone and a chicken burger. The raisin scone was the best we had on this trip!
We resumed the walk around 12:30pm. My tour guidebook described the next section as more like an obstacle course than a hiking trail, which was very true! The path was strewn with tree roots, rocks and large boulders. Even with the help of our hiking poles, the trail was still very difficult to navigate. Though the view was impressive, people were all too preoccupied to enjoy the scenery. It took us two hours just to finish this 2.5-mile stretch, and we were among the fast hikers!
We finally reached a flatter terrain around 2:30pm and were able to increase our speed. Even though there involving some climbing, it wasn’t as difficult. We didn’t see many WHW hikers on the way, but there were groups walking the opposite direction. I asked a lady where the group was going, and she replied that they were hiking the WHW from north to south.
We passed another Bothy (locked!) and the Ardleish ferry pier before finally arriving in Inverarnan. It was already 4:45pm when we checked into Drovers’ Inn. We originally estimated that we would be able to end today’s hike at 4pm!
Drovers’ Inn was a historical hotel established in early 1700’s. Our room was in a newer cabin section across from the busy A82 route. It was unnerving to cross the highway to reach the main lodge for meals! This was another remote area, and dinner at the hotel was our only option. We had Fish & Chip and Chicken & Mushroom pie. I liked the Fish & Chip better.
Day 6: Inverarnan to Bridge of Orchy (18.8mi/30.3km)
Today would be a long day. We planned to walk from Inverarnan all the way to Bridge of Orchy, which was close to 19 miles. However, we did have a backup plan to catch a bus or train ride from Tyndrum to Bridge of Orchy to skip the last 6.8 miles.
Breakfast at the hotel started at 7am. Therefore, we couldn’t start the walk until 8am. The trail was a steady uphill dirt and stony road. It wasn’t as difficult as yesterday’s. The trail was close by the A82 and railroad. We saw some trains passing by. The River Falloch was also along the trail, and there were some small waterfalls. This section of the walk was a bit tricky because we had to walk through a railroad underpass and crossed the busy A82!
We reached Kirkton Farm around lunchtime. There weren’t any picnic tables. There was only a bench across from a graveyard. Rei decided that we should have lunch there because it’s at least shady. The St. Fillan’s Chapel ruin was right by the spot.
After lunch, we walked past Auchtertyre to find out that the facilities there were closed. It turned out that the graveyard lunch spot was the best place on the way!
There were several interesting sites in the Tyndrum Community Woodland. The first was Dal Righ (“King’s Field”), where Robert the Bruce was defeated by the English military force. Then there was Lochan of the Lost Sword, the place where Robert the Bruce supposedly lost his sword. There was a long stone on the ground with a sword carving on it!
We reached Tyndrum around 2pm and stopped by the Green Welly Stop to use the bathrooms. Rei found a WHW baseball cap in the store for £15, and we had some ice cream there too.
Since we still felt strong and thought we could continue walking to Bridge of Orchy. WHW passed the Green Willy Stop on the left and continued to a cemetery. There were many birds in the area.
Most hikers decided to stop at Tyndrum. Therefore, we didn’t meet many other hikers on the way to Bridge of Orchy. Two mountains, Meall Buidhe and Beinn Odhar, stood tall on the right side of the trail. The Scottish rural view with rolling hills and yellow gorse brooming was surely splendid! However, the stony trail with sharp rocks was very hard on the feet, and the weather was too warm. Very soon I felt tired, and my feet hurt.
We didn’t reach the Bridge of Orchy Hotel until almost 6pm. The lady at the reception desk asked us where we were from. When we told her that we walked all the way from Inverarnan, she replied that we were crazy! Our bags were the last ones remaining in the storage room.
We took a shower before dinner at 7:45pm. I discovered that I had blisters on my right foot, which was the first for me. Apparently, it was very common for WHW walkers to have blisters, because the hotel had a display case with bandages and blister treatments!
Even though we had a late dinner at 7:45pm, the restaurant was still very busy. We shared a plate of bread, sea bass and lasagna. The food was very delicious, especially the sea bass.
We were both exhausted and went straight to bed after dinner.
Day 7: Bridge of Orchy to Kingshouse (12.2mi/19.6km)
The breakfast at the Bridge of Orchy Hotel was excellent. The pastries were very delicious. Rei ordered scrambled eggs and smoked salmon, and I had egg benedict with smoked salmon. We both enjoyed our food very much.
We started a bit later today at 8:30am because we decided to take it easy after yesterday’s long walk. Bridge Orchy was right by the hotel, and we took several pictures there. The first section of the trail was the similar stony path we walked yesterday, which was hard on the feet. My feet still hurt, so we walked slowly, and many hikers passed us. It was an uphill hike until we reached a viewpoint, where we could have a clear view of Loch Tulla. Everyone stopped there to take photos.
Then we continued on the stony trail downhill until we reached the Inveroran Hotel. From there we walked on the tarmac, which provided welcome relief to the sore feet. Then the WHW became “parliamentary road” (or improved stony road). It was easier to walk on though some sections weren’t quite “improved” as the others. There were several short stone bridges crossing some small mountain streams. We even saw a few small waterfalls.
Rei met a hiker wearing a Peru T-shirt and started to chat with the person. They walked fast, and I was left behind while they were walking at least a quarter mile ahead of me. Finally, Rei decided to end the conversation and to wait for me to catch up. We walked about one more mile before finding a shady spot to eat our packed lunch. Today’s trail was on an open field with little shade. Fortunately, we had a partially sunny day again today. It would have been horrible if we had to hike in the rain on an open path.
After lunch, we continued the walk and crossed the Ba Bridge later. My guidebook said we would pass the Ba Cottage ruin, but we didn’t see it. We did see a cairn high up on the hill.
After we passed the Glencoe Mountain Resort, Kingshouse Hotel was only a bit more than one mile away. We arrived around 2:50pm. Our room wasn’t ready yet, so we had to wait in the lobby for a while.
This was the most expensive lodging on the WHW. Moreover, it required early booking. We met some hikers who couldn’t secure a booking at the Kingshouse Hotel, and had to be transported to a faraway lodging. Our room (cost £345!) had a nice view of the hill. It was very sunny now. Our dinner reservation was at 7:15pm, so we took a shower and did some laundry first.
We saw several hikers we met previously on the WHW in the evening. They overnighted in Tyndrum last night and had a long walk today to reach Kingshouse.
There was also a big tour group staying in this hotel. We saw them doing whisky tasting at the bar. That must be a high-end tour.
Day 8: Kingshouse to Kinlochleven (8.9mi/14.3km)
Happy Mother’s Day!
Kingshouse Hotel had a very impressive spread of breakfast buffets that were included in our booking. We spent a long time enjoying breakfast. The dining room had large windows offering great views of the area. We didn’t check out until around 8:30am.
It was still sunny this morning but with a lot of clouds. The weather forecast predicted rain this afternoon, so we packed our ponchos just in case.
The trail was a mixture of dirt and gravel surface and the stony road that I now hated. Buachaille Etive Mor, with its distinct profile, dominated the horizon. The WHW went in parallel with the busy A82, and we could see many cars traveling along the way.
After about 3 miles of walking, we reached the starting point of the Devil’s Staircase. There were many cars parked near the trailhead. We saw many hikers, including two young men who tried to bike through! The Devil’s Staircase, despite the name, wasn’t very difficult. It was only a short ascend. We easily reached the top around 10:30am with just a couple water breaks. At around 1,800 ft, this was the highest point of the WHW.
We saw more hikers we met previously. It seemed that they all stayed in Tymdrum and then had a longer hike yesterday to reach Kingshouse. I told Rei that we should have done the same, then I wouldn’t have blisters. He replied coolly that I would just have blisters one day later!
The rest of today’s hike was pretty easy compared with the previous hikes. We saw a small lake on the way. Later, we reached the dam at the Blackwater Reservoir around noon. There were some gray clouds overhead, and we walked faster hoping to beat the possible upcoming rain.
We reached Kinlochlevel before 1pm. It was definitely too early to check into the hotel, so we decided to visit the nearby Gray Mare’s Waterfall first. It was only a short walk away. However, the waterfall was partially hidden by trees. To reach the base of the waterfall would require walking on some balance-beam like planks, and there was even a section of via ferrata! We had our share of fun walking the via ferrata, but we decided not to go all the way to the base of the waterfall. We found a midpoint with a nice waterfall view to have lunch. The Gray Mare’s Waterfall was a beautiful, tall waterfall. There was plenty of water flowing.
Then we walked back to Kinlochlevel to find our hotel. Today was Sunday, and many places were closed. We couldn’t find a place to buy ice cream. When we reached tonight’s hotel, Tigh Na Cheo, it was possible to check in despite the early hour.
After taking a shower and doing more laundry, Rei decided that we should have an early dinner because it might rain later. The hotel didn’t have a restaurant, so we had to go out to eat. It was sprinkling when we left the hotel. We had a quick meal of soup and Fish & Chip. It was no longer sprinkling on our way back to the hotel.
Day 9: Kinlochlevel to Fort William (15.4mi/24.8km)
For those of us who stayed in Kinlochlevel last night, today would be the last day of the WHW. We could feel the excitement and relief among fellow hikers.
The first two miles of the hike were uphill, but it wasn’t too difficult. After that, the trail leveled off. We walked another two miles to reach the Tigh-na-sleubhaich ruin. The ruin was still partially standing, and it was a perfect place for a snack break. Many hikers were taking a break there.
Today was another sunny day, and the weather was pretty warm. This section of the trail was almost completely exposed. All the hikers tried to find a place with some shade to have their snack or lunch break.
We passed an information board about the pursuit of the Campbells after the Battle of Inverlochy, then another information board Lundavra. After that, it’s another stretch of uphill climb before going downhill to Fort William.
We passed a sign to Dun Deardail, but we were too exhausted to walk extra distance to explore that ruin. Apparently other hikers thought the same, and we didn’t see anyone taking the detour.
Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in Scotland and the UK, loomed large. Walkers all stopped to take photos of the high mountain.
After Mile 92, there was a sign to the Ben Nevis Visitor Center with a shop (ice cream!) and toilets. Many hikers, including us, detoured there to take a restroom, ice cream and/or soda break. It provided a very welcome relief.
The original end of the WHW was 1.5 miles before the current official end. We also stopped by the train station to pick up our reserved tickets to Glenfinnan tomorrow morning. When we reached the official end statue “Sore Feet” it was already 4:40pm! After taking a few photos to celebrate the end of WHW, we went to the Guisachan Hotel to check in.
We didn’t have dinner reservation tonight. Many places were super busy, so we ended up eating at the Pizzeria.
Day 10: Fort William and Glenfinnan
The breakfast at the hotel was surprisingly good with a lot of selections. Unfortunately, we only had 20 minutes to eat because we were catching the 8:15am ScotRail train to Glenfinnan to see the viaduct.
The train ride turned out to be very scenic. There were only a few people riding the same train. We managed to take some photos of the famous viaduct from the train. Many passengers got off at Glenfinnan station.
There’s a Viaduct Trail from the train station up to the viaduct viewpoint. The climb wasn’t difficult, and it offered spectacular views along the way, especially at the few viewpoints. The beautiful Loch Shiel and even the Glenfinnan Monument were visible from the trail. When we reached the viewpoint, many people were already there taking photos. This was supposed to be where the Hogwarts Express passing the viaduct on the way to Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies. We estimated that there were more than 30 people waiting there to see the 10:45am train passing. Most people were mature-aged, not the young fans you would expect.
The train came, but to my great disappointment it was pulled by a diesel engine rather than the famous steam engine! The train stopped at the middle of the viaduct, supposedly to give train passengers photo opportunities, before continuing the journey.
After the train passed, everybody got up to leave, and we realized that there were more than 100 people in the area! Most people were on the side we couldn’t see in our previous position. We walked down the hill with the big crowd and took more photos on the way. Then we reached the visitors’ center (with bathrooms!) and continued to see the Glenfinnan Monument.
The monument marked the place where Bonnie Prince Charlie first raised the flag to reclaim his ancestors’ throne. There was a tall tower that people could pay to climb (we didn’t).
Afterwards, we had a quick bite at the cafe (because we had a 5pm dinner reservation) and did some souvenir shopping. The gift shop had many Harry Potter merchandises. I bought Gryffindor (strawberry) and Ravenclaw (blueberry) jellybean tins at £6.50 each. Because they were expensive, I decided to forgo Hufflepuff (lemon) and Slytherin (green apple).
Then we took the bus ride back to Fort William. There was a Morrisons store near the bus station where we picked up some snacks. There was also a Wash Me station by the sidewalk, providing convenient self-service laundry for travelers. (Later we did see people using it.)
Rei decided that we should return to the hotel to rest a while before more exploration, so we walked back to our hotel room to have a tea break. We didn’t venture out until after 2:30pm. Fort William was also the starting point of Great Glen Way. We walked to the old fort ruins and walked a couple of miles along the Great Glen Way. I was hoping that we could go see Neptune’s Staircase, but we didn’t have enough time due to our 5:00pm dinner reservation. So, we had to return halfway. We happened to see the Western Coastal Train returning to Fort William during our hike. This part of the Great Glen Way was very easy.
The seafood dinner at Garrison West was great.
Day 11: Loch Ness
We were to take CityLink bus 919 from Fort William to Loch Ness. When I checked several months ago, the website simply said to buy tickets from the bus driver. However, when we checked into Guisachan Hotel two days ago, the lady informed us that CityLink started to offer online booking about a month ago, the route was very popular, and we should definitely made a reservation to avoid disappointment. This made us very nervous. Luckily, we managed to get the 9:35am bus tickets for two.
We had plenty of time to enjoy breakfast this morning before walking to the nearby bus station. The 919 bus turned out to be more than half an hour late, so it was around noon when we arrived in Drumnadrochi. On our way to the hotel, we saw some Highland Cows grazing just by the road side!
It was too early to check into the hotel, so we left our luggage at the Loch Ness Inn and walked about 1.5 miles to reach Urquhart Castle at the shore of Loch Ness. The weather was again sunny today, and the walk was easy and pleasant with great Loch Ness views.
After purchasing the entrance tickets into the compound, we first stopped by the cafeteria to have a quick lunch. Then we spent a couple hours exploring the ground. Urquhart Castle was a ruin, but its location along the Loch Ness shore provided excellent views of the area. We took many photos and watched an information film there before returning to the hotel.
Day 12: Isle of Skye
We booked a one-day Wow Scotland tour to Isle of Skye. The pick-up point was at the Drumnadochit Hub and Travel center, which was about one mile from the hotel. The travel center had an adjacent restroom, and many buses used it as a rest stop. Very soon the Wow Scotland bus arrived. There were close to 30 tourists in this group. Our guide Andrew was a giant Scotsman.
Andrew “educated” us with Scotland history and culture on the way. We had a quick photo stop at the Eilean Donan Castle, one of the most famous castles in Scotland, then the bus went to the Isle of Skye. We had lunch at a park in Portree, and there was a short free time for us to explore the area and visit the stores. There was not enough time for in-depth explore and serious shopping though.
Then, we visited the Old Man of Storr for another photo stop before going to the Kilt Rock. When we arrived there, there was a young man standing near the cliff, wearing a kilt and playing a bagpipe. It was surreal! We all took photos and made donations, even though Andrew didn’t think the young musician was very skilled. The nearby Mealt Falls plunged into the ocean below from the cliff side. There was also a sign informing tourists that dinosaurs were roaming the area in ancient times.
After that, Andrew drove us to the Fairy Pools. We had a longer stay there. It required a not-too-short hike from the car park to reach the Fairy Pools, so some tourists decided to forgo the attraction. Due to the recent unusual sunny and dry weather, there wasn’t a lot of water, and the views weren’t as gorgeous as we’ve seen on some websites. However, Rei still considered the Fairy Pools the highlight of the day.
On our return trip, Andrew shared more Scotland history with us. He gave us a four-part history lesson of Jacobite. Andrew was a great storyteller. His stories were not only informative but also very entertaining. Since all the tourists in our group were all very punctual, we were allowed to walk to the Eilean Donan castle to take closer photos. There was also a photo stop at the Urquhart Castle, which Rei and I chose to skip, because we had already spent several hours there yesterday.
It was already 8:30pm when we finally arrived in Inverness. We walked to the AC Hotel to check in and to have dinner at the bar. The food there was surprisingly good.
Day 13: Inverness to Edinburgh
After breakfast at the AC Hotel, we checked out and walked to the Inverness train station to catch the 7:55am LNER train to Edinburgh. The train ride was very comfortable. The view along the way was the usual Scotland rural view we have seen the past several days. I saw lots of sheep (many baby lamb!), domestic cows and two hares!
There was a bit of delay and when we arrived at the Edinburgh Waverley train station, it was already around noon. It was too early to check into our apartment, but we could store the luggage there. Edinburgh was very hilly, and we had to climb many stairs (with heavy luggage!) to reach the apartment on North Bridge Street.
This afternoon’s plan was to visit Edinburgh Castle and to walk the Royal Mile. I didn’t think we had to pre-book the tickets because we planned a mid-afternoon visit, and it wouldn’t be as busy as in the morning or in the late afternoon. Big mistake! The earliest tickets we could get was at 2:30pm. So, we went to a coffee shop to have some pastries and coffee, visited the St. Giles Cathedral, and did some window shopping before getting into the castle.
There were many tourists inside the castle (no surprise!). The Edinburgh city view from the castle was magnificent! We weren’t interested in war history, so we didn’t spend too much time in the various museums. We’ve visited all the numbered sites on the map. There was a Disneyland type of line to view the royal jewelry (no photos allowed).
The Royal Mile was like a giant outdoor shopping mall. Stores all had similar or identical merchandise but with different prices. It required keen eyes to spot unique souvenirs, and one should not make any purchases before comparing the prices.
We had a 7:00pm dinner reservation at Howie Waterloo. We had an excellent dinner there. The bread with olive oil was very tasty. I had salmon, and Rei ordered catch of the day. We both enjoyed the food very much.
Day 14: Edinburgh
Rei and I were both avid hikers, so we had to climb Arthur’s Seat, the highest point in Edinburgh. We left the apartment early and planned to have breakfast on the way. However, we couldn’t find any cafes that were open. We walked past St. Andrew’s House, an old cemetery, Holyrood Palace and the Parliament to reach a trailhead.
It was still early, and we didn’t see too many hikers there at the trailhead. It was not a difficult ascend. However, hikers here were not as fit as those walking the WHW, and we saw many stopping on their way up. The view from the top was gorgeous! There were a lot of yellow gorse blooms along the trail. When we walked down, there were a lot more hikers coming up. Today was Saturday, so many of those were probably weekend hikers. After we descended, there was an event going on with many runners. This was a very busy day.
Afterwards, we visited Calton Hill to see Dugald Stewart Monument and the National Monument of Scotland. The Nelson Monument was closed for renovation.
We booked the 12:45pm afternoon tea at The Dome. It’s the same sandwich, scone and cake type of afternoon tea. Rei liked this one better than the teahouse in Glasgow. The tea was really excellent, and they let us try different types of tea as well. We noticed that even though people dressed nicely, almost all of them were wearing athletic or hiking shoes, probably due to the hilly Edinburgh terrain. We found out that it’s possible to pack the cakes we couldn’t finish to-go, which was great.
Then we went to the National Museum of Scotland. It was a huge museum with many exhibitions and was free to enter. I liked the Grand Gallery area with many animal displays the most, while Rei was having fun trying out various musical instruments. Even though we didn’t spend a long time there, we both enjoyed the museum.
Greyfriars Cemetery was nearby. There was a famous Tom Riddle’s tomb that many Harry Potter fans flocked to. The tomb was situated in an inner courtyard and wasn’t obvious to find. When we were about to leave, we saw a large, guided tour visiting the place.
Afterwards, it was time to do some souvenir shopping. We mainly purchased shortbread cookies and Scottish tablets to bring back home as gifts to relatives and friends.
Since we were going home tomorrow morning, we didn’t want a big dinner. So, we just had fried butter chicken burgers at a shopping mall and then returned to the apartment to pack. This was the end of our Scotland adventure.
Afterthoughts…
Even though there were no pristine snowy mountains and mesmerizing alpenglow, the West Highland Way still provided a stimulating hiking experience. Most people hiked the West Highland Way in 7 days. We found out that more people stayed in Tyndrum instead of Bridge of Orchy. Tyndrum had more lodging options (and probably cheaper too). The Green Welly Stop offered 24-hour laundry, which could be convenient for hikers.
There were also hikers spending extra days on the WHW. The 8-day option with an extra night in Balmaha not only offered additional time to explore the Loch Lomond area and islands but also avoided a close-to-20-mile walk day as in the 7-day hike.
May was a great time to walk the WHW. The weather was nice in general, and midges haven’t swamped the trails yet. However, there’s an annual motorcycle event, the Scottish Six Days Trial, taking place in early May in Fort William. There would be crowds in Fort William and on parts of the WHW as well. We arrived in Fort William a few days after the event and weren’t affected.
Glasgow was an underrated city. Many tourists skipped the place. However, it’s really a very interesting destination deserving a day or two in your itinerary.
We were very satisfied with our itinerary. However, I did wish that we had more time in Inverness and had time to visit the Culloden Battle site and the Stirling Castle. Well, maybe next time 🙂
Amy 'n Rei 