Trail Planner: The West Highland Way

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1 Trail Planner: The West Highland Way Thank you for your interest in the Sherpa Van Service, this trail planner is designed to help you plan your walk, and to give you full details of the services we offer on the West Highland Way. If you are interested in any other long distance trails please contact us, and we will be pleased to send you the relevant planner, alternatively you can find full details of all our services for walkers and cyclists on our website Daily Baggage Transfers The Sherpa Van will transfer your bags for you every day between 19 th March and 15 th October 2016, South to North from Milngavie to Fort William between the accommodations on the West Highland Way for 8.50 per bag per walking stage. (minimum 1 bag). If you wish to use only the baggage service, you can use this planner to help you plan your route, then simply fill in the booking form once you have booked your accommodation with the details of where you will be staying. Accommodation Booking Service As well as carrying your baggage we can also take the pressure off by booking your accommodation for you. We have put together packages of hotel accommodation in four categories to suit varying budget requirements. You simply choose the category of accommodation you want and the number of days to spend on the trail, and we book the hotels for you. We provide you with a list of the hotels booked on your behalf with their bed and breakfast rates, and directions on how to find them. You pay the hotels directly as you follow the trail, and we move on your baggage each day. How to use this Trail Planner Use the trail planning overview to decide how many days you want to spend on the trail, or how strenuous you want the walk to be. The trail description pages show the mileposts along the trail, the nature of the terrain, and information about the towns and villages, they will help you decide how far you want to walk each day and where you want to stop Choose the category of accommodation you require. There are four categories to suit all budgets. (Please note that not all categories are available in all locations). Select any books or maps from our booklist. Complete your reservation form after reading the booking conditions. The Sherpa Van Project is organised and run by The Sherpa Van Ltd, Sherpa Van Ltd. Registered Office: 3 Bedford Road, London W4. Registered No: VAT No: Director: F McCready

2 Baggage Transfers on the West Highland Way Baggage transfers on the West Highland Way are between the various accommodations along the route. Some of the remoter campsites or camping barns may not be accessible. Each morning the Travelite baggage van is parked by the start of the trail from to hours. If you are not staying overnight in Milngavie you must arrive before in order to have your baggage carried. Bags should weigh no more than 20kgs or 44Ibs. Certain times of year are very congested on this trail, particularly the month of May and bank holidays, and school half terms. We recommend booking as early as possible for these times. Starting on a weekday rather than a weekend also gives you a greater chance of securing the accommodation you want. Trail Overview: The West Highland Way Milngavie to Fort William 95 miles Extra nights / Rest Days This depends on your taste. An extra night gives you a chance to catch up with laundry, writing postcards, and of course just relaxing and giving those tired muscles a rest. It is a good idea to have a rest day either before or after a long day. Rowardennan is a good place for some extra walks. The path to the summit of Ben Lomond starts beside the Rowardennan Hotel and leads up to a breathtaking view as far, on a clear day, as Northern Ireland. The walk takes around six hours and makes for a great day out in the hills for those of you taking an extra night here. Because of its accessibility and the big hills around it, Crianlarich has long been a Mecca for hill walkers. Anyone with time in hand can profitably spend two or three days here, since a dozen or more fine hills can be reached from Crianlarich in a summer day s walking. An extra night in Fort William will give you a chance to climb Britain s highest mountain Ben Nevis but only in good weather. Allow seven hours. It is possible to do Ben Nevis and take a train to Glasgow the same day. Arriving by car: If you have to bring a car with you car parking can be arranged at Milngavie at a cost of approx 2.00 per day. You can then return by train from Fort William to Glasgow, and take a bus out to Milngavie to retrieve your car at the end of your walk Travelling by train: If you are travelling from London to Scotland, there is a regular direct train service from London Kings Cross (K), and London Euston (E) to Glasgow Central. The journey takes between 5hrs and 7 hrs (depending on which departure), Below is a pattern of departure times but these of course should be checked before booking and at any rate you will save a lot of money by prebooking your tickets at least a couple of weeks before you go. :

3 Example timetables: Weekdays Saturdays Sundays 06:20E 12:35E 06:10E 10:00K 08:00K 13:30K 07:00K 12:00K 08:40E 14:35E 08:30E 13:20E 10:00K 15:00K 09:00K 13:40E 10:35E 15:35E 10:30E 14:00E 11:00K 17:25E 11:00K 15:40E 18:00K 12:30E 16:40E For up to the minute information regarding departure times, journey times, overnight trains, other (indirect) departures, or departures from other point within the UK, and details of prices, contact National Rail Enquiries on , or If you are arriving by train at Glasgow, it is a short walk from the station to the bus station for buses to Milngavie Most convenient major city and international airport: On arrival at Glasgow Airport ( or perhaps Prestwick), take an airport bus to the city terminal at Anderston (45 mins) from where it is a short taxi ride to Buchanan Street bus station. (If there are four of you, the journey will be cheaper by taxi than by train or bus) Inward journey to Glasgow at end of tour: Short walk to Fort William Station. Train to Glasgow approx 3 hours 40 mins, then 45 mins from Glasgow to airport. There is also a night train to London departing every day except Saturday and which takes 11 hours. * Accommodation is limited in Invoraran

4 Stage 1: Milngavie to Drymen 12 miles From this commuter suburb of Glasgow the West Highland way begins at an Obelisk near the shopping centre and the rail station. This is the most popular long distance footpath in the British Isles! This first stage is a rather inauspicious start to this great walk. From the shopping malls and the tower blocks the 'Way' passes out across rolling hills and Plains of the lowlands of Scotland to the threshold of Loch Lomond itself. There are no major climbs and you will be following footpaths, lanes, tracks and former railways. Stage 2: Drymen to Rowardennan 14 miles Today marks the sudden transition of the lowland route into Highland territory, The 'Highland Fault' which runs near to the alignment of Conic Hill and the Loch Lomond Islands that you should see stretching out in front of you. The climax perhaps being the walk up Conic Hill (358m) which in good weather, provides terrific views over Loch Lomond, its islands and on towards the Luss Hills. The Isle of Arran can even be viewed on a clear day. The walking is very mixed, from field to forest to Fell and then from Balmaha it is surprisingly up and down along the loch shore until the end of the stage at Rowardennan. Although Conic Hill certainly requires a little effort, some people find that the loch shore undulations later on during the day are much more draining. Still rest assured that today is one of real natural beauty. Stage 3: Rowardennan to Inverarnan (14 miles) Milepost 12 Drymen: A Pleasant Green village, could almost be Sussex! Serviced by buses from Glasgow. Good hotels and B and Bs. Spar shop for groceries and a nice tea shop. Ceilidhs are held in the hotels at weekends and a local pipe band often plays in the square on Sunday afternoons. The land was owned by The Marquis s of Montrose, one of whom lent Rob Roy 1000 for cattle droving. The small Clachan Inn is one of the oldest licensed pubs in the country. Milepost 18 Balmaha: Quaint anchorage point and marina area on the loch beneath the steeply wooded slopes of Conic Hill. There is a good tourist information centre including a video about Loch Lomond; a pub and cafe area that is frequented by walkers. There used to be quite a lot of activity here as the drovers used to pass down the loch in boats carrying a cargo of cattle. Balmaha lies just to the South of The Great Highland Fault which geologically marks the transition between the Lowlands and the highlands; hence all the islands stretched out in a line going out into the Loch. Milepost 26 Rowardennan: Is the attractive end point on the East Loch Lomondshire road, and the West Highland Way continues along the Lochside. There are small beaches and secluded rocky peninsulas. You will find a lot of day trippers basking up here on a sunny day. There is another reason for alighting here from the West Highland Way: Ben Lomond (974m, 3195 feet), the most southerly of Scotland s Munros (peaks over 3000ft). The ascent in reasonable conditions is a half day walk and fairly easy for normal mountain walkers. In season there are some ferries leaving from the pier which go up to Tarbet and Inverbeg on the west side of the Loch. Milepost 40 Inverarnan: Below the hotel here, the Inverarnan Canal was built around 1850, to bring the increasing Victorian Loch traffic up for drinks. Drovers are meant to have even gone all the way down to Norwich on occasion! The cattle were driven over the hills from Glen Fyne and then into the Balquhiddar or Glengyle valleys This is the roughest and arguably the hardest section of the whole route. Although you will be walking north along the Loch Shore,and not climbing much more than 80m at any one time, there are a tremendous number of undulations and convolutions especially North of Inversnaid. The route is badly eroded in sections and will offer little respite from rocks, mud and tree roots until you arrive at Inverrarnan; save for the stunning lochside scenery! After Rowardennan there are a couple of places to take refreshment before getting to the famous drover's inn at Inverarnan which is so full of old character. You could raise the ball and summon the Ardleish/Ardlui ferry to take you over to the other side of the Loch for a while or Milepost 46 Crianlarich: (Arriving here from Glen Falloch, you are approximately half way along the whole walk, and have just crossed over from the Loch Lomond drainage system draining into the Atlantic, into the Tay system draining into The North Sea. Crianlarich is just off of the way proper; it offers a Youth Hostel, some B&Bs, a supermarket, post office and pub there is also a well appointed hotel whose accommodation is in the form of luxury chalets: The Mamore Lodge. It has a full menu and a bar restaurant, there is good access from here to Ben More (or Big Ben) 1174m, the fifteenth highest mountain in Britain, with terrific views from the summit, when the mountain is in the right mood! The town is a main communication centre, containing

5 to stay at the hotel there, or you could continue on into Glen Falloch. Stage 4: Inverarnan to Crianlarich (6.5 miles) If the march yesterday was a bit of a strain, the suggested day stage today is alot shorter. It will take you away from Loch Lomond and north easterly, crossing the Glasgow - Fort William railway line in Glen Falloch and then ascending through Forestry Commission plantations from where you can drop down to Crianlarich situated under the giant buttresses of Ben More. The village is good for a resupply, or even a days rest because now you are approximately halfway on the tour amidst mountain splendour. There is plenty to see along the way, although much of the day you will be aware of being accompanied by the road and rail arteries. There are babbling brooks and small torrents, forest glades and if you are good with your map and have a good eye, you might even see the na Briton a rather large Boulder high above Glen Falloch which was supposed to be the marker that divided the ancient kingdoms of the Britons, The Scots and the Picts. You should also see a few remnant pines of the Caledonian forest that used to cover much of lowland Scotland. The remaining pines now look fairly sad and incongruous on the grazed hillsides. Stage 5: Crianlarich to Bridge Of Orchy (13 miles) This is a beautiful day of Glen and low pass walking on good trails and the old military road, with some moderate gradients, but nothing too demanding. There is a choice of two routes to take you from Crian larich back up into the forests above Strath Fillan. Then it is down and along to the historic ruins of St.Fillans for a pause before you carry on to Tyndrum, an old mineral mining village where you will find cafes and restaurants as well as enough shops for resupply to keep you happy. There follows a gradual climb up out of the village, parallel with the road and rail communications. This then passes into a classic glacier carved'u' shaped valley of Glen Auch/Glen Orchy. The most spectacular section is that of walking under the titan bulk of Beinn Dorain (1076m) before reaching refreshment or accommodation at Bridge of Orchy. Stage 6: Bridge of Orchy to Kingshouse (12 miles) This is the most exposed stage as you will be crossing Rannoch Moor. It starts with a muddy woodland and moorland climb over Mam Carraigh, but then fromvictoria Bridge near to the Inverorran Hotel, you will be back on the old military road with a reasonable surface rising to 350m on the Moor. The first part of the Moor is called the Black Mount the name which it probably gets from the colour of the Peat and the Lochans. In Ba Corrie in 1624 an albino stag was discovered and it became King Jame's ambition to catch it, all his expeditions to do so, however, failed.this is a wonderful, remote and rugged place to be, but exceptionally hostile in bad weather. There is no shelter upon Rannoch, before White Corries or Kingshouse, and accommodation is generally limited to the latter two original railway lines: the Caledonian line s: Callander - Oban route which opened in 1873 and the North British West Highland Line from Glen Falloch to cross the Strath Fillan opened in The Callander line station was closed in 1965, the upper station however remains open. There are still rail and bus/ postbus communications with Glasgow, Oban, FortWilliam, Callander and Sterling. Milepost 53 Tyndrum: The village: The House on The Ridge grew from the discovery of lead in 1741 and over about 120 years 7000 tons of ore were mined. You will be able to detect some slag remains on the disturbed ground as you cross the Crom Allt burn as you come into Clifton; the terrace row street which was where the miners used to live. There is a campsite by the river, with a good cafe / tourist shop, which makes a good retreat in bad weather. It does some very binding puddings and you could try, a bottle of Heather Ale, an interesting beer brewed to a traditional Pictish recipe. Further up The Way you will pass the lower Tyndrum railway station which is on the Oban line. The upper station in the village is on the FortWilliam line. The village is also on the bus route. Milepost 60 Bridge of Orchy: the famous bridge over the Orchy was built in conjunction with the military road in the 1750s. This was not one of the original droving stops because until the bridge was built the river was too ferocious to ford with cattle. There are Trains and buses to Glasgow and Fort William. There is a good pub hotel which serves walkers, The bar has a tiling so the rain water can run off your clothes and on to the floor! Milepost 62 Inveroran: An area that in former years was famous for deer stalking, you will probably see deer springing around as you descend the hillside to Victoria Bridge. Before you is the beauty of Loch Tulla. A truly beautiful location in the right light and a melancholic one in the wrong...but it will become more raw on Rannoch Moor! Milepost Rannoch Moor: A most desolate stretch along the way! But not without its charms, the spatial panoramas, the clouds streaming across the moor, your nose streaming in the wind and the cold! The trail is pretty good though; there is no chance of you getting off route. Ba Bridge is good for a break and there are interesting waterfalls leading back to deeply cut corries. In the blackened Peat you should see the incongruous bleached roots of the old Caledonian forest that was cut down over the centuries. Eventually you climb around and out of the Black Mount area and see traces of civilisation around by the White Corries ski area and down to the patch of white and green that marks The Kings house Hotel. Towering over this, at the entrance of Glencoe is the majesty of Buaqchaille Etive Mor.

6 Stage 7: Kingshouse to Kinlochleven (9 miles) The Way enters some very beautiful; scenery at the top of Glencoe and then climbs out over the switch backed Devils Staircase, an amazingly well engineered and graded section of the military road, opening up great views back towards Rannoch Moor and over to the sublime peak of Buachaille Etive Mor- The Shepherd of Glencoe. The Way reaches its highest point at 500m and then descends fairly steeply down to Kinlochleven on the sea loch of Loch Leven, under the 'Pap of Glencoe' where there is plenty of accommodation and refuelling points. If you have more time this also is a very nice place to stay and go climbing in the Mamores, or for going scrambling along the Aeonach Eagach Ridge...if you are very fit! The beauty of the place is surely in the views of the great sea Loch Leven and presiding over it, The Pap of Glencoe. (You might also recognise the views of the Pap as being similar to those from the start of the recent Rob Roy movie.) There are good amenities in the town, there is even a hairdressers in case you want to prim up for the final push into Fort William Tomorrow! Stage 8: Kinlochleven to Fort William (14 miles) This final stage of the Way takes you to a resolute climax over looking the hulk of Ben Nevis before you drop down to the end of the walk at Nevis Bridge. It is quite a long day and inspite of a good mixture of forests and abandoned farmsteads, can once again be pretty exposed to the elements. From Kinlochleven you will ascend quite steeply, although on good tracks to 330m from sea level. The Way then descends from the Lairigmor pass and reascends through forest. and then down to Glen Nevis and Nevis Bridge where the tour officially ends. There is a full range of accommodation here and at Fort William with good services connecting the rest of Britain. Milepost 81 Kinlochleven: After the not so devilish climb over the Devils staircase built in 1750 by 450 of major Caulfeild's men as part of the military road, the 'Way' continues with magnificent views of the Mamores, before dropping steeply down to Kinlochleven. From being a n area of cottages and hunting lodges Kinlochleven as grown during this century with the construction of an aluminium works and associated spin Fort William s bustling town centre has transport facilities, shops and accommodation of. There are all the normal Highland Kitsch shops selling furry haggis and Loch Ness Monsters; but you will also find three excellent outdoor shops (two near the railway and one in the high street). The Nevis Sports shop has a very good book section as well as a busy cafe. The town has a markedly diverse character; it is a regional service centre, industrial town, and tourist resort. If you have time to spare, a visit to the West Highland Museum off the High Street can be recommended, both for its intrinsic interest, and as further background to your walk on the West Highland Way

7 The West Highland Way Sherpa Van Accommodation Booking Service Simply choose the category of accommodation you require, we book the hotels for you, we charge a booking fee, and you pay the hotels directly as you follow the trail. We have arranged with the hotels that you will not need to pay a deposit to secure the accommodation, but you must give us a valid credit card number and expiry date later than you last night s accommodation, so that in the event of you not showing without advising the hotel, they can be paid cancellation charges. The prices below give you an idea of what the various options are likely to cost for a walk of 7 nights/8 days. If you take more or less days you must adjust your budget accordingly. It may not be possible to get the same standard at every stop along the trail, whichever category you select it is almost inevitable that on some nights that category will not be available in that particular location. Prices are per person based on two people sharing and are for bed and Breakfast only. Single rooms are in very short supply and are not available in all towns, they also often carry supplements. Evening meals and packed lunches are not included. Cat Type of Accommodation Facilities Average Cost per Person per Night A Hotels, quality guest houses & B&Bs. Mostly hotels. Mostly En suite 35+ B Hotels, quality guest houses & B&Bs. Mostly Guest houses & B&Bs Mostly En suite C Guest houses & B&Bs. Mostly B&Bs Shared D Youth Hostels, Bunkhouses Shared * En suite means with private integral bathroom. Our fees for booking your accommodation are per person as shown here: No in Party 7 nights or less 8 to 13 nights Over 13 nights Over Please note we will not undertake hotel bookings on your behalf unless you are using the Sherpa van service for your baggage movements you can however avail yourself of our bag moving service whether you book your hotels yourself or via our booking service. You can find full details of all of the Sherpa Van services on our web site together with an online booking service through a secure server.

8 The Sherpa Van Company Store Books, Maps & Guides: The West Highland Way Books & Guides To assist you in the planning of your walk and to accompany you along the way, we offer a selection of guidebooks that you can comfortably carry in a rucksack pocket or walking jacket West Highland Way by Bob Aitken and Roger Smith If the objective of a guide book is to impart essential information, then this new guide to the West Highland Way achieves that and famously... an evocation of all that is best about Scotland and its countryside.' Bruce Sandison, The Herald Opened in 1980, the West Highland Way was Scotland's first Long Distance Route and remains the most popular, with more than 15,000 walkers tackling it each year. It runs from Milngavie, on the outskirts of Glasgow, to Fort William. The 152km route passes along the east of Loch Lomond, the largest expanse of fresh water in Britain, and across Rannoch Moor, Scotland's grandest wilderness, through some of the finest scenery of mountain and stream, woodland and moorland, that Scotland has to show. This SEVENTH EDITION of the Official Guide has been revised and updated to include recent modifications to the route, is accompanied by a full-colour map and packaged in a practical plastic wallet. Roger Smith is an experienced walker and writer. He was the editor of the walkers' magazine The Great Outdoors for nine years and has written more than a dozen books on outdoor pursuits. Bob Aitken compiled and wrote the first edition of the 'West Highland Way' in The West Highland Way Trailblazer guide: by Charlie Loram Clearly written with sketch maps at a readable scale. Detailed information on the route, places to stay, re-stock or simply look at the view. Can't be bettered as a guide to the Way. Buy this with a waterproof Harvey's map and you're all set The West Highland Way Cicerone guide: by Terry Marsh Yet another guide from the famous walking series! This one has a PVC cover.expecting rain? 10:00 Maps Harveys Maps: West Highland Way Scale 1:40,000 - WALKER S SERIES High Performance Maps For Adventurous Leisure: Waterproof -Compact - Detailed At 1:40,000 the Walker s Map gives you a large area on a small sheet but with the detail you need for sure navigation. Cliffs, rocky ground, walls and fences on the open hill; telephone boxes and mountain rescue posts; National Grid for accurate reference. Rights of way, parking, access, density of woods, land use. Visitors Guide with helpful information.

9 Enjoy the countryside without a heavy pack... Daily Door to Door Baggage Transfers Accommodation Booking & Trail Planning Visit for full details and online booking.... Let the Sherpa Van do the hard work for you on these long distance trails!

10 Sherpa Van Reservations Trail to be followed: Baggage Transfers Only: Duration of Walk (days): Accommodation Booking & Baggage transfers: Your Details Rooms Required: Double Twin Single Name: Address: Special Requirements/Dietary/Vegetarian etc. Please choose a category of accommodation: Postcode: Tel: Cat Average cost per person per night in double or twin. Tick A 35+ B Your Party Details: C Title Initial Surname Nationality D Cost of accommodation booking (per person): No in Party 7 nights or Less 8-13 nights Over 13 nights Your night stops (Night 1 = day of arrival at first hotel.) If you are booking your own accommodation, please supply full details, otherwise just enter the town and date. Night Date Town Hotel/B&B Name Address Postcode Tel. No Payment Books & Maps Cost of baggage transfers at 8.50 each: Ref Title Edition (maps) Quantity Price Cost of Accommodation booking service: Books & Maps Total Please Debit the card below Credit/Debit Card Details: NB. Expiry date must be later than last hotel reservation Total Card Type: (please indicate appropriate) Visa/MasterCard/Visa Debit/Maestro Exp. Date: Maestro Issue No or Valid from Date: Card No: Security No: Card Holder's Name (in block capitals): Signature:

11 Terms of Business Our services are operated by The Sherpa Expeditions Ltd. trading as The Sherpa Van Project. Whether the services are arranged directly with the company or one of its appointed sales agents your contract is with the company. BOOKING & PAYMENT Full payment must be received with your order you may pay by credit card, a sterling cheque or bank draft. Payments are not accepted in foreign currency. Clients using our hotel booking service must provide credit card details with a date of expiry later than the date of the last hotel booking. Our charges for baggage moving services are 8.50 per bag per day stage. (Whether you book your hotels yourself or via our booking service does not matter). Bags should weigh no more than 20 kilos. Our insurance does not permit us to leave baggage unattended. In the event that there is no-one to receive your baggage it will be left at a convenient dropping point and must be collected at the end of your days walk. We undertake to collect and deliver your baggage to the next hotel by 4.30 p.m. Baggage must be clearly labeled using the labels provided, and securely packed without loose items attached. We prefer that your baggage is also locked. If you are booking your own accommodation and using only our baggage moving services you need enter in the booking section of the form the locations of your hotels and dates and tick the baggage transfer column. Then you must supply on a separate sheet the full address including post code telephone and fax numbers of all the properties you wish us to deliver or collect from. All properties must be within one mile of the designated trail and accessible by vehicle. You must also ensure that the properties that you are staying at have appropriate arrangements for us to collect and deliver your baggage. ACCOMMODATION BOOKING SERVICES When we book accommodation on your behalf we act only as your agent. Our responsibility ends when we have confirmed the rooms as requested. We are not involved in the day to day running of any of the properties and therefore not liable for the quality of service received. Any complaints must be addressed to the hotel proprietors. We have made reasonable efforts to establish that the properties we list provide a suitable service, however, the inclusion of a property in our services does not constitute a recommendation. We are pleased to hear about any hotel that fails to meet appropriate standards of service. The prices of rooms and other details are the latest supplied by the hotelier or their agent, and represents an average room cost. Room prices may vary slightly from room to room within a hotel by virtue of their position, facilities and view. Prices are per person based on two people sharing and are for bed and Breakfast only, evening meals and packed lunches are not included unless stated. Whilst we reserve the hotels on your behalf, you pay the hoteliers directly as you follow the trail. Whichever category of accommodation you select it is inevitable that on some nights that category will not be available in a particular location. In such cases we will provide the best alternative available. ALTERATION OF BOOKINGS If you wish to change your hotel arrangements subsequent to us having booked there will be an amendment fee of 20 per room. CANCELLATION Hoteliers extend the facility and convenience to our clients to book without deposits and all the administration that involves, they must however be protected against no shows, and last minute cancellations. You are advised to take out suitable travel insurance at the time of booking. Should you subsequently cancel your arrangements or fail to show without notice cancellation charges will be levied on behalf of the hotels already booked and confirmed on the following sliding scale. More than 56 days before departure 10% of the hotel costs days before departure - 30% of the hotel costs days before departure - 50% of the hotel costs. Less than 14 days before departure - 100% of the hotel costs. A credit card with an expiry date later than the last nights accommodation booked must be provided at the time of booking. GROUP BOOKINGS It may not always be possible to book large groups into the same hotel. If it becomes necessary to split groups, every effort will be made to book them into properties that are close together. If you are able to start your walk midweek do so. Most people start at weekends and this creates bottlenecks at points on trails where there is limited accommodation.

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