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
🚌

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

-0m25m50m75m100m125m150m0 km5 km10 km15 km20 km25 km151m-1m
Flat (<5%) Easy (5–10%)

Route Map

Segment Breakdown

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

SegmentDist↑ / ↓TimeCharacter
Balmaha, Car Park → km 7.0 (51m)
0–56m
7 km+310m / -278m2h 02m🏃 Highly Runnable
km 7.0 (51m) → km 13.4 (14m)
-0–98m
6.4 km+248m / -284m1h 50m🏃 Highly Runnable
km 13.4 (14m) → Loch Sloy Power Station
-1–151m
10.4 km+506m / -499m3h 10m🏃 Highly Runnable
Total23.8 km+522m / -501m7h 03m

Pace & Fuel Calculator

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

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
0%
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%)
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
0%
Unlikely
Mud Risk
15%
Low
Ice Risk
0%
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 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)

Nearby Points of Interest

🚌 Transit Stops

  • Bus Shelter 4.5 km off trail
  • Creityhall Road 2.6 km off trail
  • Balmaha, Car Park On trail
  • Bypass km 8.9 · 3.5 km off trail
  • Hotel km 12.1 · 1.5 km off trail
  • Braeside Stores km 18.5 · 4.0 km off trail
  • Arrochar & Tarbet km 18.6 · 2.6 km off trail
  • Tarbet Hotel km 18.6 · 1.9 km off trail

💧 Water Sources

  • Top Up Tap 1.4 km off trail
  • Top Up Tap km 1.2 · 946m off trail
  • Drinking Water km 7.9 · On trail
  • Top Up Tap km 12.2 · On trail
  • Drinking Water km 12.4 · 93m off trail

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.

Route data from OpenStreetMap © contributors, licensed under ODbL. Updated 2026-03-31.