From Balmaha, the path follows the quiet and peaceful eastern shore of the lake all the way to Inverarnan. The trail then leads into the Glen Falloch valley and up to the village of Crianlarich and then on to Tyndrum, at the foot of Glen Orchy - a wild and rugged mountain valley. The trail goes up Glen Orchy and then crosses the desolate and atmospheric Rannoch Mor before dropping down into the valley of Glencoe.

Before reaching Glencoe village it climbs the famous "Devil's Staircase" path, which crosses the notorious Aonach Eagach ridge before dropping down to the town of Kinlochleven. From here, the path is large and leads without any major difficulties into Fort William - the capital of the Highlands and the end of this wonderful journey. The logistics of whether to stay in hotels or a tent, and managing how and when to resupply yourself en route can be quite complicated for the West Highland Way but the planning is all part of the fun!

Jane McGeary works in the West Highland Way Management Group and is one of the speakers at ‘Tales from the Trails’ at Fort William Mountain Festival 2023. Jane will be talking about the WHW and about preserving and maintaining the trail, to hear more about it make sure to come to her talk: https://mountainfestival.co.uk/ticket/events/ocuk-tales-from-the-trails/

Sources: https://www.walkingthewesthighlandway.co.uk/west-highland-way-interactive-map/