Stage 1 of 7 · West Highland Way

Start → Balmaha, Car Park

Distance

11.2 km

Ascent

+344 m

Descent

-394 m

Est. Time

3h 08m

Altitude

16.6–327.4 m

Type

point-to-point

🏔️ Mountainous🌲 Lowland

🚌

Getting Here

Ardmore gardens (bus stop)

593m from trailhead · ~7 min walk

🚌

Getting Out

Balmaha, Car Park (bus stop)

91m from trail end · ~1 min walk

📥 Download GPX 🗺️ Open in Planner 🏔️ 3D Flyover 11.2 km · 344m gain

Elevation Profile

Easy (5–10%) Flat (<5%)

Route Map

🗺️ Open in Planner → | 🏔️ View 3D Flyover →

Segment Breakdown

Auto-analyzed from the elevation profile. Each segment shows the dominant character for planning your effort.

Segment	Dist	↑ / ↓	Time	Character
Start → km 4.0 (153m) 67–176m	4 km	+163m / -79m	1h 07m	📈 Climbing
km 4.0 (153m) → km 8.3 (246m) 133–246m	4.3 km	+192m / -99m	1h 13m	📈 Climbing
km 8.3 (246m) → Balmaha, Car Park 17–327m	2.9 km	+125m / -353m	58 min	📉 Descending
Total	11.2 km	+344m / -394m	3h 18m

Pace & Fuel Calculator

Adjust your flat 10K pace to see personalized finish time, calorie burn, and hydration needs.

Your flat 10K pace 7:00 /km

4:00 /km (elite) 12:00 /km (leisure)

Fast Hiker / Jogger

Est. Finish Time

1h 53m

Calories

926 kcal

Water Needed

1.3 L

Effort Distance

16.6 km

flat-equivalent

🍫 Recommended: ~45g carbs/hr (85g total) 🧂 Electrolytes: ~948mg sodium/hr

Terrain Analysis

Runnability

Steep / Technical

% of route below 15% gradient

Climb Ratio

31 m/km

Moderate profile

↑ 344m ↓ 394m

Surface & Technicality

Terrain Difficulty Breakdown

Runnable Flat (26%) Easy Grade (74%)

Surface Type

Unknown (66%) Asphalt (13%) Fine gravel (5%) Ground (4%) Dirt (3%) Gravel (2%) Compacted (2%) Wood (2%) Sett (1%) Pebblestone (1%) Concrete (1%)

🏃 Mostly runnable with gentle terrain. Great for fast trail running.

Surface Breakdown

Unknown (66%)

Paved (13%)

Fine Gravel (5%)

Natural Ground (4%)

Dirt (3%)

Gravel (2%)

Compacted (2%)

Wood (2%)

Sett (1%)

Pebblestone (1%)

Paved (1%)

Current Conditions

Loading live weather...

Conditions for June

ℹ️ Shoulder season

Snow Risk

Unlikely

Mud Risk

15%

Low

Ice Risk

Unlikely

✅ Snow unlikely at this elevation in June. Trail conditions expected to be clear.

Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep

Suggested Gear List

Auto-generated based on 11.2 km, 344m ascent, max altitude 327.4m, ~3h duration.

Essential 4 items

👟
Trail running shoes / hiking boots

Required for any trail
📱
Phone (charged) + offline map

Navigation & emergency contact
💧
2L hydration pack

Estimated 1.6L needed
🍫
Energy bars & gels

Est. 1101 kcal burn

Recommended 3 items

🧴
Sunscreen

Basic sun protection
🩹
Mini first aid kit

Blister plasters, tape, antiseptic
🧊
Microspikes / light crampons

Snow risk in Nov, Dec, Jan

Nice to have 1 items

🦵
Gaiters

Keep snow out of boots

Logistics

This route runs from Start to Balmaha, Car Park (11.2 km by trail). You'll need to arrange transport back to your starting point.

Start — Getting There

Start

🚌 Ardmore gardens (561m)

🚌 Drymen, The Square (832m)

🚌 Drymen, Balmaha Rd (885m)

Finish — Getting Back

Balmaha, Car Park

🚌 Balmaha, Car Park (11m)

🗺️ Transit directions (Google)

Nearby Points of Interest

🚌 Transit Stops

Ardmore gardens 561m off trail
Drymen, Balmaha Rd 885m off trail
Drymen, The Square 832m off trail
Blane Smithy Roundabout km 0.5 · 4.2 km off trail
Napier Road km 0.5 · 4.3 km off trail
Drumtian Road km 0.5 · 4.6 km off trail
Killearn, Parish Church km 0.5 · 4.7 km off trail
Killearn, Station Rd km 0.5 · 4.6 km off trail

💧 Water Sources

Top Up Tap 818m off trail
Drinking water km 0.4 · 1.7 km off trail
Top Up Tap km 9.9 · 566m off trail
Top Up Tap km 11.2 · 1.4 km off trail

Next Stage

West Highland Way Stage 2: Balmaha, Car Park → Loch Sloy Power Station

→

← Back to all 7 stages of West Highland Way

Take this route with you

Download the GPX file for your GPS watch or phone. Works with Garmin, Suunto, COROS, Apple Watch, and all GPX-compatible apps.

📥 Download GPX 🗺️ Planner