Last chance availability on popular trips: Browse here

 

West Highland Escape

5 Days & 4 Nights 4.7 Read 71 reviews
  • Inn-to-inn walking on a section of Scotland's most famous long distance trail
  • Walk past the magnificent Orchy Munro's to the remote Rannoch Moor
  • Stay at the Kingshouse Hotel with views onto Buachaille Etive Mor
  • Enjoy camaraderie on the trail as you meet fellow walkers from around the world
  • Finish in Fort William at the base of Ben Nevis - the UK's highest mountain

Three days of excellent walking along the world famous West Highland Way. Best described as Scotland’s finest long distance walk, the West Highland Way takes you through some of the country's finest scenery. With this short break, we have focused on arguably the most scenic part of the walk, from Bridge of Orchy to Fort William. This short break allows you to drink in the peaceful wilderness of the Rannoch Moor and Glen Nevis leaving you refreshed and invigorated.

Starting at Bridge of Orchy, you are immediately immersed in the refreshing highland air, the peace of the area flooding through you. Starting off at Bridge of Orchy means that you are already walking in the Highlands and your first day is spent crossing the remote Rannoch Moor on your way to the Kingshouse Hotel. From here your trip takes you to Kinlochleven via the ’Devils Staircase’ surrounded by the stunning mountain scenery before your final day's walk into the vibrant town of Fort William.

Macs Adventure has been operating self guided walking holidays on the West Highland Way since 2003. Based locally, just a few miles from the start of the West Highland Way, we literally know every step of the way. As the largest operator on the West Highland Way, we can secure you the best value and quality accommodation, baggage transfer and services, regardless of whether you are walking solo or as a group of 20. So give us a shout today to start planning your adventure.

Read All
Getting up to the Scottish Highlands for a couple of days is the perfect way to get away from it all and feel like you have been away for longer. Your days are filled with dramatic scenery and wide open spaces, while your evenings can be filled with enjoying the revelry of true highland hospitality.

Tour Type:

Classic Routes | If you’re the active, outdoorsy type, who’s interested in taking on the great routes of the world or looking for a challenge, then our Classic Routes are for you. We’re talking the West Highland Way, Tour Du Mont Blanc and the Passau to Vienna Danube Cycle Path, to name but a few!

Activity:

Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&B’s, inns, and guesthouses.

This trip is suitable for:

Solo Travellers

As a guide, we would suggest that the minimum age of traveler this tour would be suitable for is: 12 Years

Ideal if you have an interest in:

  • Long-Distance Trails
  • Short Break
  • Accessible by Rail

Activity Level & Terrain

This holiday is graded moderate and includes daily walks of between 9 - 16 miles. Perfect for regular walkers, some days will be more challenging than others and the terrain will be varied with some rough and rugged footpaths. The way is on well maintained footpaths, bridleways, across fields, but in general follows General Wades Roads which were built to open up the highlands back in the 18th Century.  Ascents and descents are involved so a good level of fitness will be required.

Navigation

The West Highland Escape is clearly defined on the ground and the route is waymarked for easy walking. Though map reading and use of a compass is not totally necessary, it is always advantageous. We supply a detailed map and guidebook so you shouldn’t have any problem finding your way.

Experience & Fitness

This route is suitable for most regular walkers of average fitness. You should train by walking some daily walks of similar daily distances to your planned itinerary.

Accommodations

Our West Highland Way tours include overnight accommodation in a mixture of country inns, small hotels, guest houses and B&B’s. We have worked with many of our accommodation partners for over 10 years and have great relationships with them ensuring you receive the best attention from the moment you check in.

We carefully select your accommodation to ensure that you enjoy every minute of your stay and all offer a warm welcome to walkers, traditional hospitality and delicious local food.

We book en suite rooms as standard. If there are no en suite rooms available in an overnight location, we may book a room with shared facilities, but we will always inform you in advance if this was the case.

Accommodation Location

We will always try and accommodate you at the locations detailed in your itinerary. Occasionally, due to limited availability, there may be an option to be accommodated at an alternative location. In the unlikely event that we have to accommodate you elsewhere, we will advise you of this before confirming your booking. In this case you can change your trip dates or we can arrange taxi transfers to and from an alternative overnight accommodation (supplement payable)

The Kingshouse Hotel

During busy booking times a supplement may have to be paid when staying at the Kingshouse Hotel. Unfortunately, this cannot be avoided due to this hotel increasing their costs on certain dates of the year. If you do not want to stay at the Kingshouse, there would be no supplement to stay in Glencoe or Ballaculish which is our usual alternative.

Single Rooms & Solo Walkers

This holiday is available to solo walkers, although a supplement is payable. If you require single rooms within your party we would be happy to accommodate your request, although it is not generally possible to secure more than three single rooms in a party. A single room supplement is payable.

Meals

Breakfast is included each morning while lunch and dinner are not included so you are free to choose from the available options. Your accommodation may be able to provide a packed lunch on request and this can be booked on arrival. Alternatively, your guidebook includes details of local shops and convenient lunch stops on the way. Dinner is available either at your accommodation or nearby pubs and restaurants (your info pack has recommendations).

Additional Nights

You may wish to take some extra nights along the route, either to rest or for those with plenty of energy to explore some of the other walking opportunities nearby. We recommend extra nights at:

  • Glasgow - at the beginning of the trip to sample the city's foodie scene or simply to overnight and recover from travelling before starting the hike.
  • Rowardennan - for climbing Ben Lomond, a Munro with commanding views over Loch Lomond.
  • Crianlarich - a halfway stop with options for visiting the seaside town of Oban, complete with whisky distillery, via the local train service (1hr 15 mins each way).
  • Fort William - for climbing Ben Nevis (the UK's highest mountain).
Included
  • 4 Nights in hand-picked B&B’s, small hotels & guesthouses
  • 4 Breakfasts
  • Baggage transfer
  • We include an overnight in Fort William at the end of your trip as standard
  • Transfers to your accommodation (if included as part of your itinerary)
  • Information pack and access to maps & GPX tracks with the Macs Adventure smartphone navigation app
  • 24/7 Emergency telephone support from our UK office
Excluded
  • Travel to Bridge of Orchy / from Fort William
  • Taxi transfers or public transport should you need to skip a stage
  • Lunches, dinners, snacks & drinks
  • Personal equipment
  • Travel insurance (required)
Extras
  • Additional nights along the route
  • Pre-tour accommodation in Glasgow / Milngavie

When To Go

This trip is available to book from the end of March to mid-October. At certain times of the year it does get very busy, but we will always try our best to get you confirmed on the date you wish to travel, although you may have to be flexible. 

Busy times in Kinlochleven are end of April, beginning of May. This is because the Pre-65 Scottish Motorbike Trials are held here during that time. There is also a busy time in Fort William at the end of April for a week until May 6th because of the Scottish 6-Days Trial Event. We have blocked start dates accordingly due to these events if availability it not possible during these times and on any particular dates. Please try to avoid booking around this time to avoid disappointment.

Also during busy booking times a supplement may have to be paid when staying at the Kingshouse Hotel. Unfortunately, this cannot be avoided due to this hotel increasing their costs on certain dates of the year. If you do not want to stay at the Kingshouse, there would be no supplement to stay in Glencoe or Ballaculish which is our usual alternative.

Weather and Climate

Scotland's climate is notoriously changeable! Expect some amounts of both sunshine and rain regardless of the time of year, so always pack both waterproofs and sunscreen. July and August are usually warmest with average temperatures around 14 degrees centigrate, and highs of up to mid-twenties. Some snow may remain or even fall on the higher parts of the route in March & April, and even beyond. May has the least rainfall on average, but you would still expect some wetter days, and each year can vary greatly.

Getting to the Start

There are four trains a day departing from Glasgow that stop at Bridge of Orchy. You can find details at Scotrail.co.uk

There are also 4 buses that stop at Bridge of Orchy and you can find details of them on Citylink.co.uk Both journeys take around 2 hours and pass through amazing scenery on the way. .

Getting from the End

Return transfers from Fort William to Glasgow are NOT included in the price of your holiday.

If you are returning to Glasgow we suggest the Citylink Bus (up to 8 departures daily, approx. 3 hours) or Scotrail train (one of the UK's most spectacular journeys, 2-3 departures daily, approx. 4 hours, also available for continued journey to Edinburgh).

Trains and buses also operate north to Inverness and Skye; a great website for public transport planning within Scotland is Traveline Scotland, or give us a shout to discuss extending your stay further. 

Transfers

We are able to offer transfer arrangements at attractive prices, for your convenience. Just give us a call to talk through your plans.

Luggage Transfer

Your bags will be collected from your accommodation each day and moved onto your overnight accommodation. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg/44lbs per person. Please ensure that you do not bring more than one bag of 20kg as if this occurs, the luggage transfer company will ask you to pay an additional fee. Our luggage transfer company can store the extra bag for you whilst you are on the tour and will deliver it to your final accommodation for an additional cost. Extra luggage and bag storage costs can be made locally. 

At Macs Adventure, we work in partnership with many luggage transfer providers who set a limit on how many bags/suitcases they will transfer per person, and also the weight of the bag/suitcase.  Your booking includes transfer of 1 bag per person.  It is very important that you read the luggage information specific to your tour before departure. If you do not adhere to these limits, there is a great possibility that you will be charged locally both for extra bags or if they are too heavy. This limitation can be a challenge, especially as airlines generally have limits that are higher. However, our luggage providers have reasons for these limits (usually due to the Health and Safety of their employees), which we must respect.

General Information

The distances and ascent/descents are approximations of the recommended routes. Please be prepared by packing all necessary items, for example, proper rain gear (jacket and pants), sun hat, sunscreen. Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots or shoes, warm and waterproof clothes for the cooler months and lightweight clothing for summer, and a day pack.

Travel Insurance

It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable travel insurance which covers you for the activity and emergency evacuation and hospital care. 

How fit do I need to be?
How far in advance do I need to book?
What personal equipment do I need?
When is the best time of year?
What is the best way to get to/from the walk?
Am I able to take my dog?
What happens if I can’t walk a stage?

Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive Bridge of Orchy Day 2 Bridge of Orchy to Kingshouse 12.5 miles / 19.5 km Day 3 Kingshouse to Kinlochleven 9 miles / 14 km Day 4 Kinlochleven to Fort William 15 miles / 24 km Day 5 Onward travel from Fort William

Blog Articles

The Macs Way

  • Tried & Tested Adventures Tried & Tested Adventures
  • Freedom Freedom
  • Book with Confidence Book with Confidence
  • Expertise Expertise
  • Positive Impact Positive Impact
Built with our expert knowledge, to suit you.
  • Knowledgeable and helpful specialist trip planners
  • Wide variety of tours to suit all interests and experience levels
  • Start on any date that suits you
  • Choose your ideal trip length and difficulty
  • Range of accommodation comfort levels
  • Choice of trip styles
Authentic adventure travel experiences on your own terms
  • Choose your own travel companions
  • Walk, cycle and explore at your own pace
  • Make your own decisions
  • Choose your own path
  • Indulge your passions
Feel secure in making the right choice for your precious adventure time
  • 18,000+ unbiased trip & service reviews
  • Feefo Platinum Award 2023
  • 25,000+ travelers trust us each year
  • As featured in the Guardian, Times, Nat Geo Traveler
  • Founder owned & operated since 2003
  • 100+ passionate team members across the US, UK & Europe
You can be confident that every detail of your journey has been expertly planned
  • Carefully planned adventures
  • Quality, hand-picked accommodations
  • Seamless and reliable arrangements
  • Comprehensive trip information & insider tips
  • Detailed maps, route notes and mobile GPS app
  • Helpful 24/7 support should you need it
Travel the right way and make a positive impact
  • Travel responsibly
  • Explore off the beaten track
  • Support locally owned businesses
  • Engage with local communities
  • Minimize your impact
  • Maximize the benefit of your travel
  • Challenge yourself & grow
Currency:
$ - USD - US Dollar
Country/Region name:
USAUSA