West Highland Way

by Charlie Loram

Fully revised 5th edition of the first of Trailblazer’s 13-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.                  

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Scotland, Reference

Paperback

First published September 1, 2006

Reviews

[Monica St. Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love travel guides with a good sense of humor, so this was a delight to read AND incredibly helpful.

[Ine Heyerick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazingly accurate maps with nice details such as where to stop for lunch, where to look for animals, benches with a view, etc. Used this book every day. The only reason this is not a 5/5, is because of the unrealistic "estimated walking" times. We always needed more time for our walks than the author indicated, which was really frustrating and depressing.

[Inès · Rating 3 out of 5]

Très pratique pour préparer la rando. De bon conseil. Malheureusement parfois un peu trop critique mais c'est aussi l'intérêt d'aller chercher un avis sur les hébergements etc. Très bien à compléter avec une carte.

[Diogenes Grief · Rating 5 out of 5]

Used this as our single guide along the West Highland Way, and it worked well enough to earn 5 stars. However, one glaring flaw is Loram's dour assessment of Kinlochleven (i.e., as "an ugly, modern village"), which we felt was possibly the most beautiful little town on Earth (thus far explored), defended by gorgeous mountains on all sides carpeted by pines and blooming heather, filled with kind locals, great pubs, and the best B&B we stayed at within the UK--Allt-na-Leven. The trek to Kinlochleven is worth a much longer stay.

[Fabio Busignani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would say a "must-have" to well organize your West Highland Way. Well detailed and in a good format, easy to carry.
Of course, almost all the useful information can be found online, but having everything in one single book is for sure the most comfortable choice.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good information. It would be important to read this several times since there are a lot of details especially if one is planning to do the West Highland Way walk.

[AJW · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very informative and helpful book.

I will be walking the West Highland Way (WHW) this year and I want to know all the practical details such as shops, cash machines, campsites & accommodation along the WHW so I can plan where to stop.

I haven’t decided yet whether to camp or stay in hostels/B&Bs, so I want information on both options. This book gave me all the information I needed. Even though it may be a little out of date (I’m reading the 2016 edition), website addresses are given so I can double check and get the latest info.

I liked the hand drawn maps, though I looked at the OS maps at the same time to compare.

The section on Glasgow was a surprise extra and has inspired me to spend some time there as part of my trip to the WHW.

A fantastic resource, and unless I find something even better, I plan to take this little book with me on the actual walk to constantly refer to.

****2022 Edit****
I wasn’t able to walk the WHW in 2019 and Covid scuppered my plans for 2020 and 2021.

I’ve now knocked a star off to 4 stars. This is because I believe I’ve found a better guide book by Knife Edge Outdoor Trekking the West Highland Way. This will be the book I carry with me on the WHW.
******************

[MaryJeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I pored over this book before my trip to Scotland and thought it looked pretty great. Now that my trek is 6 months in the past, it's high time to update my review and give it a well-deserved 5 stars! The detail on the maps is top notch -- even the orchids and feral goats were right where the book said they would be. The information about the trail, places of interest, food, and lodging were very helpful. My single complaint is that Loram understated the difficulty of the trail along Loch Lomond. Scrambling up and over boulders and across countless muddy streams was VERY slow going. Beautiful, but challenging.

From a practical standpoint the design of the book is excellent: it fits, open, inside a resealable plastic bag, and closed (still inside that God-given plastic bag), inside a raincoat pocket.

We met other hikers with different maps and guidebooks, and none of those came close to as good as Charlie Loram's guide.

[Barbora Kraml · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had a chance to check other WHW guidebooks - as everyone in our group had a different one - and can confidently declare this one is the best. The maps are very detailed and accurate, and so is the description of the road. Includes some fun facts, as well as a short history of the places one passes. Would definitely recommend as the one guidebook to take on the hike.

[James McKenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent book, never needed a map during the whole walk. Probably need a 4th edition by now.

[Rhonda Sleighter · Rating 3 out of 5]

It served its purpose; a guide to hiking the WHW.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous travel book for those hiking the West Highland Way. Provides details of every step of the way.