The West Highlands

The West Highlands is generally thought of as running from about 30 kilometres north-west of Glasgow to Fort William or thereabouts. Much of its southern portion lies within the magnificent Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. The northern portion is dominated by the expansive Rannoch Moor, Glen Coe and the highest mountain in Britain, Ben Nevis.

This is a land of epic landscapes comprised of steep mountains, open moorlands, lochs, rivers, valley floors, ancient woodlands, waterfalls and countryside parks. The Trossachs (after which the National Park is named) is a reference to the area of wooded glens and sparkling lochs lying to the east of Ben Lomond.

There are many opportunities for the bagging of munros (mountains above 3000 feet) and invariably the effort is rewarded with breathtaking views. Ben Lomond, Ben More, Stob Binnein and, of course, Ben Nevis are just a few of the many in the West Highlands. But, in fact, you don’t need to climb to 3000 feet for sensational views - one of the best views in the region is that of Loch Lomond from the top of 1181 foot Conic Hill!

James Bond fans will recognise Scotland’s most photographed mountain, Buachaille Etive Mor, that featured in the film “Skyfall”. It sits at the entrance of Glen Etive in the midst of this region. If that inspires adventure, you might wish to visit the National Ice Climbing Centre (known as “The Ice Factor”) in Kinlochleven. It’s home to the world’s largest indoor ice climbing wall. 

The West Highlands offers many day and multi-day walks and there are a number of tour operators offering a variety of walking trips.

The most well-known multi-day walk in the West Highlands is the West Highland Way. In fact, this walk is one of the most popular in Britain.

However, there are many other multi-day walks in the West Highlands region, including some considerably shorter than the West Highland Way. And the many walking tour operators operating in the region have developed walking itineraries suited for all. We can help you choose a walk and an operator that best suits your needs.

The West Highland Way is just one of many West Highlands walks we can tell you about, and help you to plan and complete.