West Highland Way, June 2026
A seven-day walk along the northern West Highland Way from Balmaha to Fort William, with Sarah, in early June.
Seven days on the West Highland Way with Sarah, from Balmaha to Fort William, carrying our own kit.
Day 1: Drymen to Balmaha
May 30: Oak Tree Inn, Balmaha
Route: Strava · 12.6 km · 442 m gain · 6:25
Trains up from London were smooth. We took a taxi from Balloch to Drymen to start, and the driver was very chatty, telling us about a band called Wet Wet Wet, which I first heard as “wait wait wait.”
Conic Hill was the first dramatic scenery and the first real excitement of the trip. The day was a short one, eleven kilometres, which was a good way to get used to the weight of the packs and our first taste of the midges. We reached the Oak Tree Inn well before dinner and picked up midge nets from Balmaha Village Shop. The pod we stayed in was modern and clean but basic and tight. The pub food was excellent. We both had pies and cask ales; there were plenty of walkers around.
Day 2: Balmaha to Loch Arklet House
May 31: Loch Arklet House
Route: Strava · 25.8 km · 686 m gain · 6:25
Buffet breakfast at the pub, haggis included. We picked up a Biscoff blondie from the coffee shop in Balmaha on the way out.
A sunny morning along the loch. The path climbs and drops the whole way and is genuinely beautiful. The last stretch, off the Way and inland to Loch Arklet House, felt long after a full day.
Loch Arklet House was spacious, homely, and Phyllis was lovely. We had dinner at a nearby hotel, venison stew and non-alcoholic beers. There was a cat called Messy who hung around the bins. It was a phone-free dinner so there are no photos. We took a short walk around the dam and had an early night with some card games back at the house.
Day 3: Loch Arklet House to Crianlarich
Jun 1: Best Western The Crianlarich Hotel
Route: Strava · 23.6 km · 612 m gain · 6:20
Breakfast at the house was a simple, delicious spread of full Scottish items, haggis, and cereal.
The path along the loch is rugged here and progress was slow. Drizzle came and went without ever really settling into rain. We stopped at Beinglas campsite for chips and a picnic lunch outside, then moved indoors for coffee and chocolate cake when the rain picked up. There was a good vibe there, and it looked like a great place to stay.
Coming out of the loch and up the valley was the best part of the whole walk for me. The first stretch has dramatic mountains on every side and was my first real “wow” moment of the trip. The last bit into Crianlarich felt long, but the day as a whole was one of the highlights.
The Best Western was a decent room above a large bar and restaurant. We walked to the Rod and Reel for dinner and it was excellent. I had fish and chips, Sarah had steak pie and potatoes, and the portions were huge. We both finished. Cask ales and games filled the time, and we were phone-free again, so no photos.
Day 4: Crianlarich to Auch
Jun 2: Auch Estate
Route: Strava · 16.7 km · 423 m gain · 4:05
We stocked up at the Londis and had breakfast in the room, yogurt, fruit, and oats. There was a little rain in the morning, and the scenery shifts here as you leave the loch behind and start moving through valleys.
We stopped in Tyndrum at the Real Food Cafe for carrot cake and coffee and sat with our books for a while. I had chips and salad for lunch, Sarah had a hot smoked salmon salad, and both were very good. We took a cinnamon bun away for later. We also made a quick stop at the Green Welly, the Buc-ee’s of Scotland, to buy a magnet, and it did not disappoint.
At seventeen kilometres this was a short day and we reached Auch Estate by three, in time to check in early. The place is excellent, with a stocked kitchen, a huge lounge, books and games, and good soaps and shampoos, which are more useful than they sound after a day on the trail. There are four rooms and only one other was in use. We walked a loop around the estate that the hosts suggested, then cooked the chicken stir fry dinners we had ordered with rice. The room had twin beds and proper blackout curtains, so we slept well. It feels properly secluded.
Day 5: Auch to Glencoe Mountain Resort
Jun 3: Glencoe Mountain Resort
Route: Strava · 23.0 km · 540 m gain · 5:10
It was busier than the previous days, but still not packed. We stopped at Bridge of Orchy for coffee, then again at Buth Bheag, the wee shop next to the Inveroran Hotel, for another coffee and a chocolate rice crispy square. The guy serving was not impressed that we were only walking as far as Glencoe.
It rained, but we were ready with pack covers and full waterproofs. We stopped for lunch in a patch of trees and the midges found us immediately, so we cut it short. The rest of the day across Rannoch Moor is mostly good track and the walking goes faster than the distance suggests.
We got to Glencoe Mountain Resort before the room was ready and sat in the lodge with a beer. Dinner was chips, salad, and a baked potato at the lodge, plus a ginger slice that was not actually very gingery. The pod we stayed in was a cylinder with sleeping mats, and they gave us sleeping bags, liners, and makeshift pillows. Showers were £1 for five minutes, so we skipped them. The lodge had good vibes, and we killed time with card games. We slept surprisingly well.
Day 6: Glencoe Mountain Resort to Kinlochleven
Jun 4: Edencoille Guest House
Route: Strava · 16.7 km · 427 m gain · 4:05
Bonus route: Strava · 8.3 km · 468 m gain · 2:30
Sunny start and we got going early. Breakfast in the little lodge room. Not many people on this stretch. The first part follows the road before turning off up the Devil’s Staircase. That climb and the valley behind it were superb and felt remote. A bit of rain came through. The road down into Kinlochleven felt long.
We bought a picnic lunch at the Coop and ate it in glorious sun after a coffee. After dropping the bags at the guesthouse we added a bonus walk up to Loch Eilde, around ten kilometres and 450 metres of elevation gain, which turned out to be Sarah’s favourite of the trip. It was windy but mostly sunny and dry. The path was steep at first, then flat to the edge of the loch, which felt secluded and pristine. The view back over Kinlochleven was spectacular and felt remote. We had cappuccino cake at the Highland Getaway before a shower.
The Edencoille room was small but homely and clean, with two twin beds pushed together, which is ideal. About ten minutes on foot from the Coop and the pub.
We had drinks at the Highland Getaway Inn, where we shared a local IPA, Sarah had a Glenmorangie, and I had a Bunnahabhain, peaty and very good. Dinner was at the Bothy Bar, which does Indian-Scottish fusion. I had a good burger with haggis. Sarah’s jalfrezi was decent but had no detectable spice, and the naan was terrible. It rained through dinner while we sat by the window, then stayed dry for the walk back.
Day 7: Kinlochleven to Fort William
Jun 5: Fassfern Guesthouse, Fort William
Route: Strava · 23.8 km · 670 m gain · 5:40
An excellent breakfast spread to finish on. I had a full Scottish, with very good blood pudding, and plenty of filter coffee. We were on the trail by eight.
We mostly got lucky with the weather, apart from the lunch stop, where the rain started just after we sat down. There was some sun through the day and really good valley views. The final stretch along the road into Fort William felt long and turned a bit rainy. We stopped for coffee, then again for another coffee and a sweet treat at Farine Bakery, an apple and blackberry crumble and a cheese scone that was delicious. We spent the last of the walk reflecting on the trip.
Dinner was at the Ben Nevis Bar in Fort William. It was pretty packed, full of walkers, and had good vibes. We had beers and played games before we ate. I had venison and mash, and Sarah returned to her trusty steak pie. It was a beautiful evening with no rain.
The Journey Back
Jun 6: Paddy and Charlotte’s, Edinburgh
We travelled back through Edinburgh together and broke the journey there for a night. Lunch with my friend Paddy at La Querencia on Leith Walk, where the steak was delicious, then a whisky for me and a beer for Sarah at Barony Bar. We stopped for a cocktail at Remroc, then dinner at a Vietnamese place called Nem, which was excellent. Paddy and Charlotte’s place was beautiful, with really high ceilings, and it was just off Calton Road. We spent the evening wandering around, walking up Calton Hill, which was lovely.
This morning Sarah and I went for a run around Arthur’s Seat before taking the train back, which was all smooth. On the way we grabbed a coffee from Santu and a cardamom bun from Söderberg. It was good to be reunited with our cat, Cally.
Sarah’s sweet treats
A trip-long survey was conducted, and Sarah has issued an official ranking. Eight entries, scored according to mood and whim. We split the treats, and I taught Sarah “I split, you pick,” which I did with my siblings growing up. Sarah is an only child and is normally much too generous. I learned to be precise with my splitting and ruthless with my picking.
- Biscoff blondie, Balmaha coffee shop (Day 2), declared life-changing
- Carrot cake, Real Food Cafe, Tyndrum (Day 4)
- Chocolate rice crispy, Buth Bheag, Inveroran (Day 5)
- Apple and blackberry crumble, Farine Bakery, Fort William (Day 7)
- Cinnamon bun, Real Food Cafe, Tyndrum (Day 4)
- Chocolate cake, Beinglas campsite (Day 3)
- Cappuccino cake, Highland Getaway, Kinlochleven (Day 6)
- Ginger slice, Glencoe Mountain Resort lodge (Day 5), docked heavily for not being gingery
Honourable mention to the Farine cheese scone, excellent but disqualified on the grounds of being savoury. The cardamom bun from Söderberg was also excellent, but it was not on the trail so it stayed out of the ranking.
How we ended up here
This started as a much bigger idea. I had wanted to do the Cape Wrath Trail, the northern half from Strathcarron to Cape Wrath, which is about the most remote long-distance walk in Britain. Sarah was keen to join but rightly pushed back on the level of isolation for a first trip together at that scale. No shops for days, bothy nights, and no quick way out if the weather turned or one of us got hurt. We talked it through and landed somewhere more sensible.
The Skye Trail was the next candidate, then we dropped it too. It is unmarked, rough underfoot, and has a genuinely exposed cliff path on the Camasunary to Elgol day. What we actually wanted was epic scenery without the navigation and the risk, so we settled on the West Highland Way. Waymarked the whole way, B&Bs and inns every night, towns for resupply, and the second half through Rannoch Moor and Glencoe is as good as Highland scenery gets.
We skipped the official first stage from Milngavie to Drymen, which is the dull suburban-to-farmland section, and compressed the rest into seven walking days. The honest trade-off is solitude. Early June is one of the two busiest windows on the Way, alongside September, and we were never going to have it to ourselves.
The booking was its own project. Early June fills up months ahead, and the prices reflect it. We struck out on Rowardennan (the hotel wanted £380, the hostel was full), Inveroran, Kingshouse, the Drovers Inn at Inverarnan (£275), and a string of others before piecing together a route that worked. The accommodation list ended up shaping the itinerary as much as the trail did, which is worth knowing if you are planning this in peak season. Book early or take what is left.
We also decided to carry everything rather than use a baggage transfer service. 44 litres for me, 33 for Sarah.
Practical notes
Route We walked the northern part of the Way over seven days, skipping the Milngavie to Drymen first stage. Drymen to Balmaha, Balmaha to Loch Arklet House, on to Crianlarich, then Auch, Glencoe Mountain Resort, Kinlochleven, and Fort William. Around 145 kilometres in total with the off-trail detours to accommodation.
Booking Early June is peak season and accommodation goes months in advance. We could not get Rowardennan, Inveroran, Kingshouse, or the Drovers Inn, and the route was shaped as much by what was available as by where we wanted to stop. If you are walking in late May or June, book as far ahead as you can.
Carrying our own kit 44 litres for me, 33 for Sarah. It is very doable on this trail given the towns and resupply, and worth it to avoid arranging transfers, but a baggage service is the easy alternative if you would rather walk with a daypack.
The hard days Day 2 along the loch is the roughest underfoot. Day 5 across Rannoch Moor is the longest but goes quickly on good track. Day 7 has a real climb out of Kinlochleven before the long descent into Fort William.