2024 West Highlands Ways: travel, and what to see after the hike

[BlueberryPie]

We loved our Tour du Mont Bland last year, and are planning to do the West Highland Ways hike next June(?). 100 miles and 12,000ft over 8(?) days.

If anyone has done the hike, I'd love to get tips, we're planning on only doing day packs and using a luggage service, and are NOT going to camp.

Are there any "hacks" to travel to Scotland? the hike starts in Glasgow so my initial instinct is to fly there, but it might be cheaper to fly in somewhere else? it's a 5h ride from London so you lose almost a day each way (not retired yet, so will have limited time to stay)

Is there a better time to try and book reward flights in United (meaning do they vary in price over time? I don't have enough miles for 2 tickets yet)

We'll likely take 2 weeks off of work, the hike is about 8 days, so it will leave a couple of days after the hike to visit Scotland. Any recommendation? I'm a big Islay Scotch fan, so I think visiting Lagavulin is a must-do for me, maybe just a tour of multiple Islay locations.

 

[MuirWannabe]

Sent you a PM on the WHW. I would love to hear about your experience on the TMB. We were scheduled to hike it in 2021 but Covid ruined that. DW has since become concerned the TMB would exceed her abilities due to the significant elevation gains and losses. Was that a concern for you?

 

[BlueberryPie]

The TMB is definitely hard, the 30,000ft total elevation gain can definitely be felt. Not technical at all, 90% of it is dirt paths, although a few times you are in gravel or rocks. We trained for a year beforehand so that we could do 2-300ft and 10 miles in a day and not die the next, so I'd recommend trying that. Our party ranged from 48 to 65 years old, and everyone made it but in part because the 65 yo lady was too stubborn to quit on the last 2 days even though she had an option to take public transportation.

Definitely get luggage service if you are concerned about physical abilities, having at 12-pound pack vs a 45 pound pack will make a big difference. there is wide range of accommodations, but a few nights will likely have to be a hut/refuge with very basic accommodations, so be aware and OK with that (our last night was bunk beds with 4 skinny mattresses side-by-side, so separation with your neighbor)

My #1 piece of advice is DO NOT stay at the Refuge du Col du Bonhomme, it is gross. Think latrines outside the windows and hundred of flies making round trips between the latrines and the food on the table. Avoid at all cost!

That being said it was an absolutely magical experience, once you get to your destinations, most of them have a place for you to relax with a beer or wine or whatever (Aperol Spritz seemed to be the choice of many). I loved seeing 3 countries in 10-days, and the rest day in Courmayeur was delightful.


There are quite a few opportunities for shortcuts, for example, the descent into Courmayeur Italy is brutal, all on paved road and uninteresting. Instead, we paid something like $15 euros to take ski lifts and gondolas down to town.

 

[Souschef]

I visited Islay, and my favorite is Bowmore. Here is a link describing all the Islay distilleries.
https://www.liquor.com/slideshows/islay-distilleries/

 

[Cricky]

When we walked the West Highland Way in 2002 (we used a luggage service, and let them book our B&Bs—accommodation along/near the Way was a small challenge then but I doubt it is now) we spent a couple days in Fort William when we finished. One to climb Ben Nevis, since it’s right there, and the other taking a day trip on the train to Mallaig. Then we walked the Great Glen Way from Fort William to Inverness.

Islay sounds like a fine add-on to the trip. I agree on Lagavulin; my wife prefers Caol Ila. Know that it’s not especially convenient to Fort William; I think you’ll have to go back through Glasgow to get there on public transportation and the trip may take longer than London-to-Glasgow (btw, the trick is to take the overnight train from London, right? Romance of the rails and all, and in theory you don’t lose a day that way).

Enjoy your walk. We’d like to do it again.

 

[OldConch]

DW (67) and I walked the WHW last May and loved it. Accommodations along the trail are limited so it's important to book early (NOW). We used, and recommend, Mac's Adventures to arrange luggage and lodging and even though we booked 9 months out we ended up with a couple of 20+ mile days because rooms simply weren't available. Gotta admit the 20 mile day along the shore of Loch Lomond was tough. We flew in early and spent 4 nights in Glasgow and then joined a small-group tour of the Highlands before the WHW. Please, if you've never been, include Edinburgh on your trip. BTW, the WHW starts not in Glasgow but in Milngavie which, the ticket taker on the train says is properly pronounced Mul-guy.

We flew into/out of Glasgow and I'd recommend either that or Edinburgh. Unless you really want to spend a few days in London, who wants to spend all that time on a train. We booked a BA award flight 330 days out and although the taxes/fees were obnoxious we did get to sit in the front of the plane which is always nice.

At home we're on a limited carb diet - works for us. When we travel we try to eat like locals. In Glasgow we saw a huge lunchtime line at Paesano Pizza. OMG, we ended up eating there four times. Yummy.

Hope you have a great trip.

 

[Phroig]

You can fly to Glasgow with one stopover from most major U.S. cities. Glasgow-Islay is a 45 minute flight.