Spotlight on…Transport

The West Highland Way is primarily a walking (running or wheeling) route but thought can still be given to using sustainable transport to get to the starting point, for your return journey afterwards or perhaps some extra sightseeing en route.

Train

There are several options for arriving at your West Highland Way starting point by public transport. Milngavie is well served by regular train services from Glasgow and it’s simple enough to take the train from Fort William to Glasgow. There are stations along the way at Ardlui, Crianlarich, Tyndrum and Bridge of Orchy if you plan to complete sections rather than the full route in one journey.

Bus & Coach

There are regular bus services from Glasgow to Milngavie and Fort William. The CityLink coach from Glasgow to Fort William also stops along the route at Inverarnan, Crianlarich, Tyndrum, Bridge of Orchy, Glencoe and Ballachulish, giving more options to break up your journey into smaller sections plus onwards connections further north or back to Glasgow or Edinburgh. A new option for 2025 is the electric bus service Ember that has just started up two routes that link Fort William with both Glasgow and Edinburgh airports.

To help plan your arrival by public transport, we recommend using the journey planner from Traveline Scotland. It helps to link up bus and train travel along with showing local bus journeys e.g. between Glencoe and Kinlochleven if you are staying slightly off the route and need additional transport.

If you are in a group and are looking for a bit more flexibility there is the option of private transfers who can take you directly to where you need to go, often alongside baggage transfer if you are using this service during your walk.

Waterbus

As the WHW skirts the shores of Loch Lomond there are options to take Waterbus services to other areas of the loch, for wider accommodation options on the West side of Loch Lomond, to break up your journey or simply to explore Scotland’s largest loch.  There is also a small ferry that runs at the north end of Loch Lomond linking Ardleish to Ardlui, allowing for further accommodation and other public transport options – please note, you need to raise the ball to summon the ferry for the next scheduled sailing.  Most of these services only operate during the main season and may be subject to weather conditions, so please check before you travel.