If you would like to add more variety and a few more miles to the West Highland Way, there are three very good options. All would make a nice two-week long holiday. I’ve walked all these possible additions to the West Highland Way on my Lejog and 3-Peaks walk and then the East Highland Way, Glen Feshie and Lairig Ghru in 2025.
Option 1
The first could be, add the Clyde Walkway and the Kelvin Walkway to the start of the West Highland Way. This route would mean you get to see Glasgow. Starting at the lovely Falls of Clyde, following the river all the way to join the Kelvin Walkway in Glasgow city centre and on to the start of the West Highland Way in Milngavie. This would add 51 miles and makes the whole walk 145 miles (233km) long.
The Clyde Walkway is a 40 mile (65 km) long, foot and cycle path between Partick in Glasgow and the UNESCO World Heritage site of New Lanark in South Lanarkshire. The path runs close to the River Clyde for most of its length. Unlike other long distance paths it is close to urban centres with easy access to public transport, and is mostly on good surfaced paths.
The Kelvin Walkway is 10.5 miles (17km) between Glasgow to Milngavie. Linking the Clyde Walkway to the West Highland Way. The route follows, the three rivers of the Allander, Kelvin and Clyde. From the centre of Glasgow.
Option 2
The second choice could be, walk the West Highland Way to its finish in Fort William, then follow the Great Glen Way to Inverness. This would be quieter and add about 80 miles (128km), which makes the whole walk 174 miles (280km) long.
The Great Glen Way is about 80 miles (128km) long and runs along the complete lengths of Loch Lochy, Loch Oich and Loch Ness. It also follows the towpath of the Caledonian Canal which links these lochs and creates a through-route from Fort William to Inverness and the Moray Firth.
The original route kept to lower levels, but since 2014 there has also been a higher level option between Fort Augustus and Drumnadrochit which offers more dramatic views over Loch Ness.
I did all the above paths in one continuous walk in April 2019, on my Lands End to John O’Groats and 3 Peaks challenge. They all linked together well and I enjoyed walking them all. I was also able to wild camp every night.
Option 3
The third choice could be, walk the West Highland Way to its finish in Fort William, then follow the East Highland Way to Aviemore.
You could also add Glen Feshie and Lairig Ghru. This would make a great 2 week walk through some very remote big mountain Cairngorms scenery.
This would take around a week to walk and is a lot quieter than the West Highland Way. We wild camp every night in some amazing places and resupplied without issue, only carrying a maximum of 3 days at anyone time. We really enjoyed the East Highland Way and Glen Feshie and Lairig Ghru walk.
Further reading
Official West Highland Way website.
My favourite piece of gear for convenience and safety
How I plan a successful long distance walk
My Inov8 Roclite Mid boots review
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