Stage 2 of 7 · West Highland Way

Balmaha, Car Park → Loch Sloy Power Station

Distance

23.8 km

Ascent

+522 m

Descent

-501 m

Est. Time

6h 02m

Altitude

-1.2–150.5 m

Type

point-to-point

⛰️ Rolling Hills🌲 Lowland

Trail route lab

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23.8 km Distance522 m Climb6h 02m Est. time151 m High pointHARD Difficulty

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🚌

Getting Here

Balmaha, Car Park (bus stop)

91m from trailhead · ~1 min walk

🚌

Getting Out

Loch Sloy Power Station (bus stop)

2058m from trail end · ~20 min walk

Elevation Profile

Flat (<5%) Gentle (5–10%) Moderate (10–15%)

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
Balmaha, Car Park → km 7.0 (51m) 0–56m	7 km	+310m / -278m	2h 02m	🏃 Highly Runnable
km 7.0 (51m) → km 13.4 (14m) -0–98m	6.4 km	+248m / -284m	1h 50m	🏃 Highly Runnable
km 13.4 (14m) → Loch Sloy Power Station -1–151m	10.4 km	+506m / -499m	3h 10m	🏃 Highly Runnable
Total	23.8 km	+522m / -501m	7h 03m

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

3h 37m

Calories

1,779 kcal

Water Needed

2.5 L

Effort Distance

31.5 km

flat-equivalent

🍫 Recommended: ~45g carbs/hr (163g total) 🧂 Electrolytes: ~1816mg sodium/hr 🩹 Consider anti-chafe and blister prevention

Terrain Analysis

Runnability

Steep / Technical

% of route below 15% gradient

Climb Ratio

22 m/km

Moderate profile

↑ 522m ↓ 501m

Surface & Technicality

Terrain Difficulty Breakdown

Runnable Flat (88%) Easy Grade (12%)

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

Surface

≈41% paved · ≈59% unpaved

Mixed paved & unpaved

Estimated for the full route from the 34% with mapped surface data in OpenStreetMap.

Current Conditions

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Conditions for July

ℹ️ Shoulder season

Snow Risk

Unlikely

Mud Risk

10%

Low

Ice Risk

Unlikely

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

Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep

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Get one email the moment this route melts out and is snow-free. We use your verified account email — never typed into a form.

Suggested Gear List

Auto-generated based on 23.8 km, 522m ascent, max altitude 150.5m, ~6h duration.

Essential 5 items

👟
Trail running shoes / hiking boots

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

Navigation & emergency contact
💧
3L hydration vest

Estimated 3.0L needed
🍫
Trail mix, bars & sandwich

Est. 2117 kcal burn
🆘
Emergency space blanket

Critical for preventing hypothermia if you stop moving

Recommended 5 items

🧴
Sunscreen

Basic sun protection
🧥
Light rain jacket

Weather changes fast in the mountains
🔦
Headlamp

6h route — plan for delays
🩹
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 Balmaha, Car Park to Loch Sloy Power Station (23.8 km by trail). You'll need to arrange transport back to your starting point.

Start — Getting There

Balmaha, Car Park

🚌 Balmaha, Car Park (43m)

🚌 Creityhall Road (2.6km)

🚌 Bus Shelter (4.5km)

Finish — Getting Back

Loch Sloy Power Station

🚌 Loch Sloy Power Station (1.9km)

🗺️ Transit directions (Google)