All walkers are individuals. Some like to cover large distances as quickly as possible, others are happy to stroll along stopping whenever the whim takes them. You may want to walk the West Highland Way all in one go, tackle it over a series of weekends or use the trail for linear day walks; the choice is yours.
To accommodate these differences this guidebook has not been divided up into rigid daily stages which often leads to a fixed mindset of how you should walk. Instead, it’s been designed to make it easy for you to plan your own perfect itinerary.
The planning map and table of village/town facilities (see p25) summarize the essential information and make it straightforward to make a plan of your own. Alternatively, to make it even easier, have a look at the suggested itineraries (see pp26-7) and simply choose your preferred type of accommodation and speed of walking. There are also suggestions on p23 for those who want to experience the best of the trail over a day or a weekend. The public transport map on pp38-41 may also be useful at this stage.
Having made a rough plan, turn to Part 5, where you will find summaries of the route; full descriptions of accommodation, places to eat and other services in each village and town; and detailed trail maps.
WHICH DIRECTION?
Most walkers find the lure of the Highlands, and Ben Nevis in particular, more appealing than the suburbs of Glasgow so walk the Way south to north. This traditional direction of travel has been followed in the layout of this book. There are other practical reasons for heading north rather than south; the prevailing wind and rain (south-westerly) is behind you, as is the sun, and the gentler walking is at the start giving you time to warm up before tackling the steeper climbs of the last few days.
That said, there is no reason why you shouldn’t walk in the other direction, especially if just tackling a part of the Way. The maps in Part 5 give timings for both directions and, as route-finding instructions are on the maps rather than in blocks of text, it is straightforward using this guide back to front.
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