Prior to setting out on the West Highland Way I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect – Some label it the UK’s finest long distance hiking trail. Others would say It’s too busy and not remote enough.

Having spent time up as far as Torridon the week before where the landscape is more rugged I was apprehensive that I might find ‘The Way’ a little underwhelming, but was sure I would enjoy it regardless and considered that if nothing else it was a great opportunity to further test my legs and equipment before an attempt at the Cape Wrath trail in September.

Parking up in Milngavie and setting off on day one I was filled with the usual bubbling sense of adventure that accompanies this sort of thing, however, It was difficult to escape the fact that the majority of this day followed a main road down a fairly unexciting footpath. No bother, it was nice to ease into the trip with some easy distance covered.

I crossed paths with a few other friendly hikers and had some pleasant small talk. I’m not the best at small talk, but it’s much easier when pursuing a common activity. I often wonder how people manage who don’t have those communities and common pursuits to bring them together, but as Gabe reminded me last week we can’t assume everybody else’s experience of the world is the same as our own, or that their needs be fulfilled in the same way.

My 5-day split and camping locations for this trail meant that I managed to stagger myself against the majority who were completing the trail in 7 days. This allowed me to find some solitude and reflective time during the walk. The pleasant side effect of this was that I met others with a similar plan, and who were happy to chat for an hour or so and then go about our business. For those considering it, I’d say 7 days is a very comfortable time frame, if you’re walking with others and want lots of chill social time this would be perfect.

The first day saw me cover around 35km to the Cashel campsite. There is a camping restriction bylaw in place along Loch Lomond which means wild camping wasn’t an option during this section, and I was glad of a shower and some pleasant conversation with a guy who was walking The Way as part of a longer journey up to Thurso. I found that a lot of the solo hikers I bumped into throughout the journey were a fair bit younger than myself, but in similar ‘limbo states’ in life, most between university and work. I may have even uttered the phrase ‘When I was your age’ a few times, which makes me feel like someone’s bloody grandad.

I slept well on the first night, until about 5:30am when some nearby campers decided to rise early and spend plenty of time talking loudly about it. I figured I’d may as well follow suit and beat the heat as it was forecast to be 28 degrees that day so got packed up and began the long section of trail alongside Loch Lomond. I find early starts no bother when summer camping, the sun is up and the birds are singing, so it feels like a natural time to wake and be active.

This was much more interesting than day one, and I walked alone most of the day content to take in the scenery and let my mind wander. A lot of these lochside sections got me thinking they’d make some great technical MTB challenges, and I would be tempted to ride The Way on the bike in future.

What I definitely wouldn’t suggest is attempting to follow this section on a fully loaded road touring bike as I saw one absolute lunatic trying. He was aiming to avoid the A road on the other side of the loch, which he had certainly achieved, but I’m going to bet it will have taken him two days to drag a loaded tourer along there. It was hard going on foot with a rucksack, and on a lightly loaded and capable mountain bike it would still be very challenging and involve hiking sections. In my mind he is still dragging the touring bike along the loch in an eternal struggle.

I got into a really nice rhythm on this day and felt content to just keep on plodding along for as long as my legs felt good, with a few breaks to lounge on the lochside beaches. One of the best things about walking solo was being able to take the time to just stop for a couple of hours, take my shoes and socks off and have a good nap. I like to think I’ve got a fairly youthful face but nothing says ‘nearly 30’ like developing an enthusiasm for napping.

Following the snooze and final slog along the shores of Loch Lomond I stopped at Beinglas Farm for a DIY Mega shandy (a pint of lager, a pint of lemonade) and a read of PJ’s ‘End To End’ book which kept me company along this hike. The book may primarily be about the end-to-end record, but it touches on so much more than just the cycling itself. Paul writes very openly about his own life and challenges, some of which I find relatable. I’m glad we live in a world in which people and men in particular are getting increasingly better at talking about how we feel about things. We are all the better for it.

A cool shower and a flat easy pitch for the night were tempting, but I fancied exploring and decided to crack on up the valley in search of a camp spot, which I settled on near the Falls of Falloch. This allowed for a wash in the waterfalls like a proper wild man before diving into the tent to escape the midges.

Despite wild camping being permitted in Scotland, I found that along the Way was a much less ‘wild’ experience than anywhere else I had camped, and very hard to find spots which weren’t already marked with flattened areas of short grass and scorched earth from numerous fires. This was to be expected, given the volume of people walking The Way and looking for places to camp, but if you’re looking for a truly wild and remote experience this is not where you will find it. On the flipside this makes it a great place to get to grips with camping in a safe and easy environment, and its nice to know you won’t be woken by a ‘get off my land’ type.

I slept in later on day 3 and walked for an hour before stopping for my rocket fuel breakfast: porridge with powdered coconut milk, cashews, pumpkin seeds and brown sugar. This works well for me and is easy to portion into freezer bags before starting out. Day 3 was more varied and made for much easier progress than Loch Lomond as it mostly followed old military roads, winding through the forest near Crianlarich and towards Tyndrum.

The legs were feeling great at this point and after a short break for a dip in the river Orchy and another nap (naturally) I made my way up to Rannoch moor and found an ideal camp spot beside a little loch. This day I ended up covering 40 kilometres which I think is the longest walk I’ve ever done. I wrote in my diary that I was very pleased with myself, murdered the 50 or so midgies that followed me into the tent and settled down to bed.

Throughout the third day I had been musing on the idea that I might be able to get to Fort William on day 4. Now there are plenty of people out there who will wax on about the importance of taking things slow, and to some extent I agree, but I also love a chance to push my body, to test my endurance, and to get carried away, so the idea of ticking off a 50 kilometer day was pretty appealling to this part of my brain.

I rose early and set off towards Kingshouse with this fairly ambitious goal hovering in the back of my mind. In reality this wasn’t so smart, and having already spent three days plodding along in the 28 degree heat my body really wasn’t keen to show up to the party I was trying to invite it to.

By the time I’d headed up and over the Devil’s Staircase and caught the first glimpses of Ben Nevis on the horizon I was starting to feel nauseous, dizzy, and a bit shit. I stopped and sat beneath a tree for several hours, waiting for the sun to lower before continuing, but on trying to get moving again I found my pack felt heavier than ever, and was struggling to put one foot in front of the other. I had earnt myself a nice dose of heat exhaustion and felt like a total idiot for thinking I could walk all day with no shade in such heat with no consequence.

For a few moments, I felt close to tears as I slumped against the tree, trying to decide what to do but feeling sick and not quite ‘with it’. I messaged a few friends to check in, wrote some self-pitying nonsense in my diary and pitched the tent at the nearest possible location. What followed was 4 or 5 hours of lying in the tent in my pants breathing heavily, sweating, gently sipping water, and trying to cool my body down. At this point, I felt there was no way I could complete the final 25km to Fort William, and was berating myself for getting so carried away trying to walk big miles. I resolved to try and catch what sleep I could, and that I would rise as early as I felt able to try and complete the final climb of the route before the sun came up.

With the help of a cooling breeze, my wet towel, and frequent breaks in every bit of available shade I did manage to make it through that last section, and after a few hours my body began to respond more positively, I could appreciate the beauty of my surroundings and really soak up this last stint of the journey. Kilometres 130-145 of this route are really a treat. Ben Nevis arriving into view was spectacular, and on arrival at Glen Nevis campsite, I was greeted by a pair of RAF Typhoons absolutely hauling down the valley. I’ve got mixed feelings about the armed forces and military expenditure in general but can’t imagine not being excited by low-flying fighter jets.

So that was that, the majority of my journey covered with just a small stroll into Fort William to the bus station the next morning. This was my first walk of this length and I thoroughly enjoyed it, heatstroke and all. I had a great time on the West Highland Way and would recommend it to others looking for a long-distance trail, but it is important to be realistic about what you can expect from a relatively busy trail, which spends large amounts of its time within a couple of miles of the A82. Whilst this takes away feelings of remoteness, it does allow you to feel safe and provides great opportunities to meet like-minded people along the way.

A few small realisations I made on the journey:

Footwear: With a combo of trail running shoes and some fancy Darn Tough hiking socks I didn’t get a single blister in 100 miles.

Foot Care: Every single time I stopped for more than 10 minutes I took my shoes and socks off and let them air out to prevent sweat from building up. sweat = wet = blisters.

Ticks: There are lots of ticks about. I found 5 on me, some in pretty unpleasant places. In future, I will treat my clothing with permethrin. I was also drying my spare pants and socks by hanging them on my pack, and not thinking before putting it down in the grass, potentially allowing ticks to jump on and then end up where they shouldnt.

Sun protection: I wasn’t prepared for a heatwave, but draping my wet towel over my neck made a seemingly huge difference to how tolerable it was. Before my hiking trip to the south of France in July I may invest in a HUGE hat.

Music: I didn’t want to play music from my phone to save battery and generally thought I’d be ok without it, but one of my luxury items for the CWT is going to be a small old-school USB Stick MP3 player loaded up with a few of my favourite tracks and perhaps an audiobook. I thought about taking reading material, but I think after a long tough day I’d rather listen to ‘Planet Caravan’ before bed than try and read a book.

Now I’m back home in Bristol for a week before heading down to Cornwall for a stretch of the south-west coat path. Since arriving back home I’ve ridden bikes every day and my body feels great for the first time in ages. I feel fitter, stronger and less injured than at any point in the last two years and can’t even describe how good this makes me feel. ✌️✌️✌️