West Highland Way, Long-distance hiking trail in East Dunbartonshire and Argyll and Bute, Scotland.
The West Highland Way is a long-distance footpath stretching 96 miles from Milngavie to Fort William through moors, lochs, and wooded glens. The route follows old roads and cattle droving paths, climbs through upland terrain, and runs alongside the shores of Loch Lomond.
The route opened in 1980 as Scotland's first official long-distance walking trail and incorporates military roads built after the Jacobite rising of 1745. Other sections follow old connecting paths between clans and trading villages in the Highlands.
The name refers to the mountainous areas west of the Scottish Lowlands through which the path leads. Walkers often meet shepherds with their dogs and see stone walls that have separated grazing lands for centuries.
The trail can be walked in either direction, though most hikers start in Milngavie and head north to have the prevailing winds at their backs. Accommodations in villages along the route range from basic campsites to guesthouses and should be booked ahead during summer months.
The path crosses Rannoch Moor, a vast moorland with peat bogs and rare plants that ranks among the most sparsely populated areas in Europe. On clear days, views extend across the flat terrain to distant mountain peaks in every direction.
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