West Highland Way shortcuts – guide to the train, bus & ferries

If you haven’t got 7 days to hike the whole West Highland Way route then you may want to either walk the last half or cut some of the sections. So let’s talk about what public transport options there are and how to take them.

It was really tricky for me as a first time West Highland Way trekker to work out where the public transport options were! It’s not easy on the West Highland Way because there are some stages which are completely inaccessible – namely the stages that skirt the east shore of Loch Lomond (from Balmaha to Inverarnan) which offer no bus or train services – only accessible by ferry or road.

West Highland Way Train

Is there a West Highland Way train? Well yes there is a train that runs frequently from Glasgow via Fort William and on up to Oban or Mallaig (which has seen unprecedented fame since the Harry Potter films as this stretch of track crosses the Glenfinnan Viaduct on route to Hogwarts!)

It’s not actually called the West Highland Way train but the line is call the West Highland Line. The train starts from Glasgow Queen Street and takes the route along the West shore of Loch Lomond (the opposite shore you’ll be hiking along) up to Fort William and then continues up to Mallaig.

You cannot use this train to start the West Highland Way as it does not stop in Milngavie – the West Highland Way start point. There is a local train that runs frequently from Glasgow Queen Street to Milngavie two to three times an hour. The journey takes 23 minutes and costs around £4.00.

The Glasgow – Fort William train heads up to Helensburgh Upper and then skirts the west coast of Gare Loch and Loch Long stopping at Garelochhead , Arrochar, Tarbet, Ardlui and Crianlarich. At Crianlarich the train divides so make sure you are seated in the correct half! One half goes up to Oban (via Tydnum Lower) and the other half up to Mallaig (via Upper Tydnum) stopping at Bridge of Orchy, Rannoch, Roy Bridge and Fort William.

You can use the Glasgow – Fort William train to access just before the half way section of the West Highland Way. To reach:-

1/ Inverarnan – the train doesn’t actually stop at Inveraran but it stops at Ardlui where you can either catch the 914, 915, 916, 975 or 977 bus to Inverarnan or you can choose to take the tiny ferry boat from Ardlui over to Ardleish to be deposited right on the West Highland Way trail (from here you immediately start the short ascent to a lovely view point over the north end of Loch Lomond before cutting through and over to Inverarnan via Beinglas Campsite – around 30 minutes walk)

2/ Crianlarich – the train stops at Crianlarich which is just below the half way point of the West Highland Way route. Tydnum, the next stop on the train is actually the half way point. So if you are wanting to walk the highlights of the West Highland Way which takes in the most spectacular views (which are the second half of the trail) then its a good option to catch the train to either Crianlarich or Tydnum to start your trek. Remember the train splits in Crianlarich so if you are aiming to get off in Tydnum make sure

3/ Tydnum – a short stop after Crianlarich is Tydnum. Depending on which half of the train you are now on you will pass through either Tydnum Upper or Lower Tydnum. Tydnum is the half way point of the West Highland Way.

4/ Bridge of Orchy – this train stops at Bridge of Orchy but the Caledonian Sleeper also stops here as well as Fort William. The Caledonian Sleeper is a wonderful way to travel up to the West Highland Way quickly from London. It’s an overnight sleeper train and perfect if you want to trek the latter stages of the West Highland Way starting in Bridge of Orchy. In my opinion this stretch of the West Highland Way trail from Bridge of Orchy to Fort William is the most spectacular. Note: the Caledonian Sleeper from London is expensive however they do accept railcards for 16-25, disabled persons, senior, HM forces and veterans.

5/ Glencoe – the last stop before Fort William is Glencoe. Glencoe is not on the West Highland Way route but it’s fairly near to Kinlochleven. The N44 bus picks up from Glencoe and drops at Kinlochleven.

6/ Fort William – the train stops in Fort William before heading to Mallaig.

Ferry

The West Highland Way route runs alongside the east shore of Loch Lomond – the largest inland stretch of water in Great Britain. There are numerous ferries that ply the loch and it’s possible to use these to access some of the stages. Check the timetables on Cruise Loch Lomond‘s website for daily departure times.

Ferries run frequently across the loch. The main routes are from Balmaha to Luss, Luss to Rowardennan, Rowardennan to Tarbet and Tarbet to Invernsnaid. There is also the non advertised ferry from Inversnaid to Invergulas/Sloy power station (see below).

Ferry from Inversnaid to Invergulas (Sloy Power Station)

There is a regular non advertised ferry from/to Inversnaid to Invergulas/Sloy power station. This is useful if you want to skip the first few sections and join (or leave) the trail at Inversnaid. It can also be a lifesaver if you have left booking accommodation very late and you cannot secure Inversnaid accommodation. The ferry company operates the ferry to pick up and drop off the Inversnaid Hotel guests so bear in mind you need to be prompt as once all of their guests are onboard, it will leave! I know – this happened to me!

It’s not scheduled so you won’t find it online as it’s for the private guests of the Inversnaid Hotel but they do take extras for £13.00. It only takes 10 minutes to cross the water. The ferry accepts cards and cash and you’ll pay onboard.

The ferry left Inversnaid pier at 9.15, 9.45 and 10.15 or 4.15, 4,45 and 5.15 during summer 2023 however the times do change and can change according to the day so its best to call Cruise Loch Lomond the day before you want to catch the ferry to double check the times (0) 1301 702 356 – they are exceptionally helpful. One way for an adults costs £13.00

On my Tuesday times were 9.30, 10.00, 10.30 ten minutes to get over to power station. Take cash or card on ferry. But call Inversnaid Hotel to ask the times for a particular day as they sometimes vary. The receptionist was very happy to help. 01877 386223

Ferry from Ardlui to Ardleish

A tiny ferry, the Coral Anne, runs from Ardlui to Ardleish crossing the very top of Loch Lomond.

This ferry can help you access the trail if you’ve caught the train from Glasgow (stops at Ardlui) and you want to get straight onto the trail. You can either take this tiny ferry over to Ardleish to pick up the trail or you can catch the 914, 915, 916 975 or 977 bus from Ardlui to Inverarnan. I like the ferry.

It’s also a good option to catch the ferry from Ardleish to Ardlui if you are stuck for accommodation in Inverarnan. There are only three places to stay in Inverarnan – the infamous Drovers Inn (and Lodge), Rose Cottage and the Beinglas campsite. If these are all full the Ardlui Hotel is a good option. It also has a campsite and 3 bothy pods (you’ll need your own sleeping bag but you can rent these for £7.50 each).

The ferry costs £5 per person and leaves every hour from April to September 9am – 7pm. If you’re coming from Ardleish – you need to raise the ball on the mast at the shore edge and the ferry will come to pick you up on the next scheduled crossing.

West Highland Way bus

There are numerous buses that weave their way around Loch Lomond heading north. On the west shore of Loch Lomond the bus services continue all the way up to Fort William passing through Ardlui, Inveraran, Crianlarich, Tyndum, Bridge of Orchy, drops on a remote bus stop a ten minute walk from Kingshouse, and Glencoe (connect here for Kinlochlevan), before arriving in Fort William. These are the 914, 915, 916, 977 operated by Scottish City Link as well as the 975 operated by West Coast Motors.

If you want to trek only the last two days of the trail over a weekend then you can be dropped off very close to Kingshouse. The bus stop is called ‘Glencoe Ski Centre Road End’ which drops where the road goes up to Glencoe Ski Centre. This is in fact right on the West Highland Way just after the famous Black Rock Cottage where trekkers cross the road to get to Kingshouse. Where the bus drops you off you’ll see a trail to the left – it’s around 15-20 minutes walk to Kingshouse. There are only two accommodation options at Kingshouse. Read about them here.

309 bus to skip stage 1 to Drymen or Balmaha

Getting to the traditional first night’s stop at Drymen doesn’t present a problem if you want to cut the first stage out. You would simply get the train from Glasgow Queen Street to Alexandria and then the 309 bus from Alexandria to Balmaha which stops in Drymen & then Balmaha.

You can therefore also take the 309 if you simply want to cut out the first section of stage 2 (Drymen to Balmaha) – good to know if you want to avoid Conic Hill.

The 309 costs £4.30 (2025 price for adult single). The online bus timetable is from Balmaha to Alexandria – to reverse it to see the times to Drymen and Balmaha just click either Alexandria or Balmaha and click the UPDATE button. You can see the 2025 timetable below or click here to see the full pdf. Note on the below timetable the stop in Alexandria is called St Marys School on the timetable. This is the school just outside Alexandria train station. Public toilets is Drymen and Car Park is Balmaha! I don’t think they expect tourists to take this local bus! It is actually easier to read the timetable on the pdf link above rather than the bus website screenshot below, as it has the proper names of the stops!

So if you wanted to miss the first 20km of the West Highland Way and start from Balmaha, the tiny village nestled into the shores of Loch Lomond, then its very easy to catch public transport to this point. After this it gets more difficult – actually impossible really until you get up to Inverarnan which is reached via the other side of the loch along bus or train routes that follow the west shore of Loch Lomond (see above)