A route famous in walking circles and popular with clubs and Duke of Edinburgh’s award schemes, the West Highland Way is a ‘safe’ walk and a good option for entry-level long distance hikers. You can get lost in conversation without getting too lost on the route.
If you try to be quiet on your walk, you may avoid scaring some of the Scottish wildlife away. Although it is rare to spot wild cat, pole cat, otters, foxes and badgers, you would quite likely come across surprise encounters with red deer around Rannoch Mor or the small Sitka deer in the forests. There is a population of cute feral goats at Inversnaid, which were left over from the sad times of the Clearances. You may hear the hammering of spotted woodpecker and the drumming of capercaillie. There are certain times where you may see golden eagles, ospreys and falcons. In forests watch out for long-tailed tits, crested tits, siskins and crossbills.
In late spring and early summer, cotton grass and beautiful buttercups speckle the otherwise green and brown landscape. A few orchids can also be found. Heading over the pass in Kinlochleven and in the Mamores the landscape may house tiny carnivorous plants called butterworts and sundews, which prey on midges.
The attraction of walking the West Highland Way lies in walking out of a big city, through an undulating ploughed and cow grazed landscape, before reaching the Trossachs National Park. Pass the Highland Boundary Fault, then up the side of Loch Lomond and walk into a very different rugged landscape of big hills, farming hamlets and more lakes. These mark the start of the Scottish Highlands.