Stage start
A81 by Killearn
Trailhead
The Way crosses the A81 here, below Killearn; no beds on the Way. Drymen is about 5.5 km on.
The A81 by Killearn to Balmaha
West Highland Way · Stage 2
17kmStage distance
428mMapped ascent
2Stage number
By Gartness and Drymen (the village is 0.8 km off the Way; Drymen Camping is on it), through Garadhban Forest and over Conic Hill, 358 m, to Balmaha. From 1 April to 31 May dogs are kept out of the lambing fields on the approach to Conic Hill, by a signed route that adds no distance. From Drymen the National Park's camping byelaws apply from 1 March to 30 September: camp only at campsites or in permit areas.
Best season: Spring and autumn; walkable all year. The official site says the Way can be walked at any time of year and recommends spring and autumn; May is the busiest month, so avoid Saturday starts then. Midges are worst from June to August. From November to March it is for fit walkers with winter navigation skills: snow can hide the path in the north, and an ice axe and crampons may be needed. Before you go
Loading topographic map…
Flat (<5%) Gentle (5–10%) Moderate (10–15%) Steep (15–25%)
Green: The A81 by Killearn to Balmaha. Grey: full trail. Elevation follows this mapped track.
The A81 by Killearn to Balmaha
2 / 8
Where this stage starts and ends
Facts read from the guide's sources and OpenStreetMap on 24 September 2026. A page can change after we read it, so confirm with your accommodation before you rely on a date or a bed.
Stage end · overnight
Balmaha
Town
A small lochside village: one large inn and a small bunkhouse. Bus 309 to Drymen and Balloch.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 4 places to stay within about 600 m (read 24 September 2026). TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
Walking time for this leg
No walking time is published for this leg. Our estimate for the stage is 4 h 26, computed from the mapped line and its climbing.
Make it your trip
Choose your nights
Book every night ahead at any time of year: the official site says some areas have few beds. Inversnaid, Inveroran and Kingshouse each have one hotel (and at Inversnaid a bunkhouse) and fill first. Campsites are on the Way at Drymen, Milarrochy, Cashel, Beinglas, Tyndrum, the ski centre, Kinlochleven and Glen Nevis.
Milngavie to Fort William
The whole Way in seven days on the official plan by Kingshouse: Drymen, Rowardennan, Inverarnan, Tyndrum, Kingshouse and Kinlochleven.
Plan this journeyBalmaha to Inverarnan
Two days along the east shore of Loch Lomond, with a night at Rowardennan.
Plan this journeyTyndrum to Kinlochleven
Three days over Rannoch Moor and the Devil's Staircase, with nights at Inveroran and Kingshouse.
Plan this journeyWeather this week
Loading the forecast for low point (6 m) and high point (550 m)…
Weather by month
Typical weather on this trail: at the lowest point (6 m) and the highest point (550 m). Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.
| Month | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed |
| High point, day / night | 4°/0° | 4°/0° | 6°/0° | 9°/2° | 12°/4° | 14°/7° | 15°/9° | 15°/8° | 13°/7° | 9°/4° | 6°/2° | 3°/-1° |
| Low point, day / night | 8°/3° | 8°/3° | 10°/3° | 12°/5° | 15°/7° | 17°/10° | 19°/12° | 18°/11° | 17°/10° | 13°/7° | 10°/5° | 8°/2° |
| Rain, mm | 302 | 217 | 204 | 130 | 129 | 128 | 135 | 175 | 185 | 248 | 243 | 275 |
| Snow at high point | Possible | Possible | Possible | Frost | – | – | – | – | – | – | Frost | Possible |
| Daylight | 7 h 25 | 9 h 29 | 11 h 42 | 14 h 11 | 16 h 23 | 17 h 46 | 17 h 15 | 15 h 17 | 12 h 53 | 10 h 31 | 8 h 12 | 6 h 50 |
Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. These values describe the whole trail's lowest and highest points. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.
Before you go
Prepare for the West Highland Way
Arrange your stays, food and travel first, then check conditions again near departure.
Book the beds early
The official site says to book accommodation at any time of year, because some areas have limited beds, and to avoid Saturday starts in busy periods; May is the busiest month. Inversnaid (a coach-tour hotel that releases unsold rooms about four weeks ahead, and a bunkhouse 800 m off the Way), Inveroran (nine rooms) and Kingshouse fill first.
West Highland Way: questions and answersCamping by Loch Lomond
From 1 March to 30 September the National Park's camping byelaws apply in its management zones: camp only at campsites or in permit areas, with a permit per tent per night (the Park's pages give £4.50 and £4.30), bookable up to four weeks ahead, at most three nights in one area; fines reach £500. On the Park's map the East Loch Lomond zone runs from Drymen to a little north of Rowardennan, with a band in lower Glen Falloch; the official Way site says Drymen to Crianlarich. Elsewhere the Scottish Outdoor Access Code allows lightweight camping for two or three nights in one place.
National Park: camping permitsWorks, a closed bridge and the lambing fields
Forest road works in Ewich Forest north of Crianlarich bring temporary closures until early October 2026. Ardleish Bridge north of Inversnaid has been out of service since March 2026; walkers cross on stepping stones, which can be hard in spate. From 1 April to 31 May dogs are kept out of the lambing fields before Conic Hill, by a signed route round them.
West Highland Way: noticesWeather, midges and ticks
Rannoch Moor has no shelter until the ski centre, and the Devil's Staircase, at 550 m the Way's high point, is exposed in bad weather. Midges are worst from June to August, at dawn and dusk and on calm days; carry repellent and a head net, and check for ticks each evening.
West Highland Way: Inveroran to KingshouseWater and fire
Treat stream water, filtering and boiling it or using tablets, especially near livestock such as on Conic Hill, or fill up at Scottish Water fountains and taps. Light no open fires or barbecues in dry spells; use a stove.
West Highland Way: drinking waterGetting there
Connect your journey
Travel around The A81 by Killearn to Balmaha.
Google Maps journey searches, not confirmed services. A mountain endpoint may need a booked transfer or an additional walk.
The start: Milngavie
ScotRail trains run regularly from Glasgow Queen Street to Milngavie; the obelisk where the Way starts is five or six minutes' walk from the station.
West Highland Way: getting to and from the routeAlong the Way
The West Highland Line stops at Ardlui (across the loch from the Way), Crianlarich, Upper Tyndrum and Bridge of Orchy. Scottish Citylink coaches between Glasgow and Fort William stop at Inverarnan, Crianlarich, Tyndrum, Bridge of Orchy, the Glencoe Mountain road end for Kingshouse, and Glencoe. McColl's bus 309 serves Drymen and Balmaha from Balloch; Shiel Buses run from Kinlochleven to Fort William.
National Park: by bus or trainFerries on Loch Lomond
The Tarbet to Inversnaid waterbus runs from 27 March to 1 November 2026, and the Rowardennan to Tarbet waterbus from 2 May to 27 September 2026 on a few days a week. The Ardlui Hotel runs an on-demand ferry to Ardleish on the Way.
Cruise Loch Lomond: Tarbet to InversnaidThe finish: Fort William
Trains on the West Highland Line and Citylink coaches run from Fort William to Glasgow, and an electric coach runs to Edinburgh.
West Highland Way: getting to and from the routeTake your trip with you
Offline maps
Prepare each section while you have a connection, and test it offline before you set out; there is no signal on much of Loch Lomond's east shore and Rannoch Moor.
Keep your route and maps on your phone for places without a signal. For multi-day trips, prepare them in the installed TrailSplits app.
- Open this trail in the app. Install TrailSplits, then open this trail there. On iPhone, downloads in a browser may not be available in the installed app.
- Choose your route or stages. Choose Prepare offline above. Wait for the route and maps to finish downloading.
- Try it before leaving coverage. Switch offline, close and reopen the app, then use My Hikes to start navigation. Repeat for every part you will need.
Saving a bookmark is not a map download. Storage can be cleared by your device; keep a backup map for remote trips.
Route & sources
About this map
The official route is 96 miles (154 km) from the obelisk on Douglas Street in Milngavie to Gordon Square in Fort William, normally walked south to north. The line here follows the route on OpenStreetMap, 152 km, and reaches Gordon Square. Its eight sections are cut by distance and transport, not at the official section ends, so the plans below end each day at the villages of the official itineraries: Drymen is 0.8 km off the Way and Crianlarich 1 km down a signed path, and a night there counts that walk.
Official guidance and mapped-source comparison checked 24 September 2026. Map data is a route reference, not confirmation of today's path, weather or accommodation availability.
West Highland Way: the official siteMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Source relation