The West Highland Way starts from an obelisk in the centre of Milngavie, a small town off on the outskirts of Glasgow. This is the traditional start point although if you do not have time to trek the whole trail, there are plenty of other points you can start the trail (read our post here).
Let’s quickly discuss Milngavie. It can be underwhelming if I’m honest. Often epic multi-day treks start in staggeringly beautiful locations. Milngavie this is not. A suburb of Glasgow is never really going to beat say Lago de Braies – the starting point of the Alta Via 1 in the Italian Dolomites, Chamonix – the starting point of the Tour du Mont Blanc or the incredible Landmannalaugar on the Laugavegur Trail in South Iceland. However remember that the West Highland Way is a journey from the lowlands to the highlands of Scotlands – the views get significantly better as you progress along the route which is why this is the start point as oppose to trekking it in the opposite direction (which can be done but has less advantages – read our post here on trekking the West Highland Way from North to South instead of the traditional way).
The upside is that Milngavie is very easy to get to whether you are arriving internationally or travelling to this start point from within the UK. Below I discuss the best way to get to Milngavie, the start of the trek and whether or not you should stay in Milngavie the night before you set off on your West Highland Way adventure.
How to get to the start of the West Highland Way – Milngavie
Milngavie is only 8 miles from Glasgow. The easiest way to get from Glasgow to Milngavie is by train.
Trains are frequent to Milngavie from either Glasgow Central station or Glasgow Queen Street departing every 15-20 minutes. Click here to check dates and departure times. A single ticket for an adult costs around £4.00. The journey takes around 23-26 minutes from Glasgow Central to Milngavie and around 23-30 minutes from Glasgow Queen Street again costing around £4.00 for a single adult fare.
If you are flying into Glasgow International Airport there are frequent shuttle buses to Glasgow Central Station and Glasgow Queen St Station. The Glasgow Airport Express service 500 service operates 24 hours a day and leaves every 12 minutes Mon-Fri and every 15 minutes in the evening. It takes only 15 minutes to get into the city centre. From the airport, catch Glasgow Airport Express service 500 from stance 1. The bus drops off at St Vincent Street (near Central Station), George Square (near Queen Street Station). Tickets cost £10 for a single adult. You can buy your ticket on the bus and pay with cash, card or contactless. Click here to see the timetable.
If you would prefer to be in situ in Milngavie to set off trekking early doors then you can look at Milngavie accommodation options here.
