PLANNING

accommodation along the West Highland Way trail gets booked very quickly

Planning the West Highland Way trail can be tricky I’m not going to lie! The first thing you need to decide is ‘how’ you are are going to trek it.

There are several different ways to hike the West Highland Way. Guided, self guided or independently. Once you’ve decided to hike this epic trail, this is the first decision you will need to make.

Independently

The West Highland Way trail is very well marked. It’s almost impossible to get lost apart from in bad weather. If you have an adventurous spirit, can read a map, use a compass, GPS device (or app) and take suggested safety precautions then there’s no reason why you can’t trek the West Highland Way independently – the biggest issue can be booking the accommodation (especially if you book late!) which is why many trekkers choose a self-guided tour so they trek by themselves but have the added advantage of eliminating the stress of stringing together accommodation reservations.

Guided

If you would prefer a guided tour, perhaps you’re trekking solo and want the company of a group, or the invaluable knowledge of the area that a local guide can bring, and have the budget, then there are plenty of excellent tour companies offering the guided WHW experience.

Self Guided

The third option of self guided tours is relatively new. These packages take the stress out of planning your self guided tour but do still come with a slightly higher price. As well as being able to plan & discuss your itinerary, the company books all your accommodation and plans your trip but you will still walk solo on the trek but have the reassurance of having 24hr contact during the trek, detailed hiking notes & GPX files & being able to booking hiking poles, airport & baggage transfers can make this a much easier option. My 2026 self guided itineraries are now available to book with Adventure Base, a fantastic company who I work with exclusively for my readers that want to take the ease out of planning and booking the West Highland Way trail.

If you require assistance with planning for 2026 either as an independent trekker or to learn more about the trail before booking a self guided, I offer private consultations of 60 or 90 minutes via zoom. You can learn more about these sessions here.

Planning your self guided West Highland Way

Planning the West Highland Way is no easy feat. Factoring in so many unknown aspects makes it extremely difficult for first timers to plan a self guided route. It was for me.

To get a better understanding of the route I did what I’ve done ever since I started multi day trekking on that first Tour du Mont Blanc trek – I drew the entire West Highland Way trail out on a huge roll of IKEA paper, added all the stages, worked out the distances, elevation and passes and added comments and advice garnered from a million different blog posts. I was trekking with with my 70 year old Mum who had recently had a knee injury, so I definitely didn’t want to bite off more than we could chew and overdo it unnecessarily. We were happy to add more days if we needed to, and in fact on this first foray onto this fabulous trek we did just that, we added a day after hearing the horror stories of Conic Hill, but in fact in reality it was the east shore of Loch Lomond that would test our endurance and our humour. In the end that day is one I’ll never forget but in a good way – we dragged ourselves into Insvernaid Bunkhouse, ordered a bottle of wine and wolfed down I kid you not the tenderest and most delicious venison stew I have ever tasted, washed down with a second bottle of vino. The guys who run that place are legends and even drove us up the road in the lashing rain back to our B&B. The moral of the story is – don’t underestimate the east shore of Loch Lomond!

Questions I pained over, such as how long each stage would take? How much would a full backpack slow me down, hamper the experience and should I get a luggage transfer? How much water would I need to carry each day? What were the best views – were there any rubbish sections I could skip?

Hopefully the below West Highland Way blog posts will help you plan your self guided West Highland Way adventure a lot easier than it was for me and many other hikers in the past. Of course, there are plenty of guided tours if you don’t feel confident to tread out on the trail solo or there are also lots of self guided tours you can book that organise your itinerary and book your accommodation for you which is another great option. Having said that both obviously add to the cost of trekking the West Highland Way. If you have an ounce of adventure in your bones and know how to read a map, it’s easy to trek the well marked West Highland Way yourself. The hardest part of the West Highland Way quite often is getting the reservations! May books out extremely quickly, sometimes a year beforehand so early planning is key. Of course, if you’re camping the trail this offers a lot more freedom and no booking ahead!

When to do the West Highland Way?

After choosing how to do the West Highland Way, the next question is when. This is a vital question to the success of your walk. Many assume that you should head to the Highlands during the main summer months – wrong! April, May, September and October are the best months to walk the West Highland Way. I’ve written a post here dedicated to which are the best months to walk the West Highland Way in more detail. It’s best to avoid the summer months due to the dreaded Scottish midge which plagues this beautiful land from June to August inflicting horror on all who experience it. You can read my post on Scottish midges here.

Because the West Highland Way is often best hiked on the shoulder seasons, those of you out there keen to hike two multi-day treks in one summer could consider an Easter early season West Highland Way and either a Tour du Mont Blanc or Alta Via 1 in the Dolomites hut to hut trek between mid June and mid September.