Synopses & Reviews
Fully revised 4th edition of the first of Trailblazers 11-title series of British Walking Guides. The West Highland Way is the most popular long-distance path in the country, passing through some of the most spectacular scenery in all of Britain. From the outskirts of Glasgow it winds for 95 miles along the wooded banks of Loch Lomond, across the wilderness of Rannoch Moor, over the mountains above Glencoe to a dramatic finish at the foot of Ben Nevis Britains highest mountain.
- 5 town plans and 48 large-scale walking maps at just under 1:20,000 showing route times, places to stay, places to eat, points of interest and much more. These are not general-purpose maps but fully-edited maps drawn by walkers for walkers.
- Itineraries for all walkers whether walking the route in its entirety over a week to 10 days or sampling the highlights on day walks and short breaks
- Practical information for all budgets camping, bunkhouses, hostels, B&Bs, pubs and hotels; Glasgow through to Fort William where to stay, where to eat, what to see, plus detailed street plans
- Comprehensive public transport information for all access points on the West Highland Way
- Climb Ben Nevis route descriptions to the top of Britains highest mountain and other peaks
- Flora and fauna four page full color flower guide, plus an illustrated section on local wildlife
- Green hiking understanding the local environment and minimizing our impact on it
- Includes GPS waypoints. These are also downloadable from the Trailblazer website
Review
If I wrote travel guides Id like to think that they would turn out like this one. It fits in a coat pocket, weighs 8oz, and although it had some rough use there was no sign of it falling apart”.
John Clarke (UK) - a reader reviewing the book on amazon.com
The Trailblazer series stands head, shoulders, waist and ankles above the rest.
They are particularly strong on mapping... The Sunday Times (UK)
Synopsis
The West Highland Way is the most popular long-distance path in Britain. It passes through some of the most spectacular scenery in all of Britain. From the outskirts of Glasgow it winds for 95 miles along the wooded banks of Loch Lomond, across the wilderness of Rannoch Moor, over the mountains above Glencoe to a dramatic finish at the foot of Ben Nevis Britains highest mountain.
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION (1) PART 1: PLANNING YOUR WALK About the West Highland Way (History, How difficult is the West Highland Way, How long do you need?), Practical information for the visitor (Accommodation, Food and drink, Money, Other services, Information for foreign visitors, Walking companies), Budgeting (Accommodation, Extras), When to go (Seasons, Temperature and rainfall, Daylight hours, Annual events), Itineraries (Which direction? Highlights, Village and town facilities, Suggested itineraries, Hillwalking side trips, Mountain biking, Walking with dogs), What to take (Keep it light, How to carry it, Footwear, Clothes, Toiletries, First-aid kit, General items, Sleeping bag, Camping gear, Money, Maps, Recommended reading), Getting to and from the West Highland Way (National transport, Getting to Britain, Local transport, Local transport map and details) Sources of further information (2) PART 2: MINIMUM IMPACT TREKKING Economic impact, Environmental impact, Access (3) PART 3: THE ENVIRONMENT AND NATURE Conserving Scotlands nature (Scottish Natural Heritage, Campaigning & conservation organizations), Fauna and flora (Mammals, Reptiles, Birds, Trees, Flowers (4) PART 4: GLASGOW City guide (Orientation, Arrival and departure, Getting around & to Milngavie, Services, Where to stay, Where to eat and drink, What to see) Walking from Glasgow to Milngavie (Getting to the start, Services, Route overview, Maps A-D) (5) PART 5: ROUTE GUIDE & MAPS Using this guide, Milngavie (Services, Where to stay, Where to eat), Milngavie to Drymen Maps 1-8 (Route overview, Services, Drymen), Drymen to Balmaha Maps 8-11 (Route overview, Services, Balmaha), Balmaha to Rowardennan Maps 11-15 (Route overview, Services, Rowardennan, Ascent of Ben Lomond), Rowardennan to Inversnaid Maps 15-19 (Route overview, Inversnaid), Inversnaid to Inverarnan Maps 19-22 (Route overview, Services, Inverarnan), Inverarnan to Crianlarich Maps 22-26 (Route overview, Crianlarich) Crianlarich to Tyndrum Maps 26-29 (Route overview, Services, Tyndrum), Tyndrum to Bridge of Orchy Maps 29-32 (Route overview, Bridge of Orchy) Bridge of Orchy to Kingshouse Maps 32-38 (Route overview, Services, Kingshouse, Glen Coe, Day walks around Glen Coe), Kingshouse to Kinlochleven Maps 38-42 (Route overview, Kinlochleven), Kinlochleven to Fort William Maps 42-49 (Route overview, Glen Nevis), Fort William (Services, Where to stay, Where to eat, What to see), Ben Nevis (Climbing Ben Nevis, Tourist Route, Carn Mor Dearg Arête Route) (6) APPENDICES A: Health and outdoor safety, B: Gaelic (7) MAP KEYS (8) INDEX