1. The minor road towards the youth hostel passes between the Visitor Centre and the start of the main path up Ben Lomond, but it is worth instead walking around the lochside path via the Ben Lomond National Memorial Park sculpture. Shaped like a rifle sight, this commemorates the gift of the area as a memorial to those who have died in the armed forces. The way continues along the road, soon passing the youth hostel entrance. The track forks almost at once; bear left to follow the Way through oak woodlands.

2. After a short lochside stretch, the Way crosses a small headland near Ptarmigan Lodge. There is then a choice of routes, with either the rough and slow but pretty lower path or a 5km stretch of forest road slightly higher up, with loch views limited by the trees (the lower route passes an open shelter at Rowchoish, maintained by volunteers of the Mountain Bothy Association. If you visit it, please help to keep it tidy and carry out any rubbish you find, and then report its condition at the Rowchoish page on the MBA website. On the forest track route, 3km after the Lodge, there's a memorial seat on a headland, with a fine view across the loch to The Cobbler, a landmark rugged mountain. After the road gives way to path, the going becomes slower, meandering through woodland with some hilly sections and streams to cross. After Cailness Burn and Cottage, you pass an information board about the protection of Craigrostan Woods. This is an ancient oakwood area, threatened by non-native species, and an important habitat for pine marten, pied flycatcher and wood ants.

Photo © Iain Thompson; CCSA licence

3. After three further kilometres of undulating path from Cailness, two footbridges cross the Snaid Burn just above its impressive falls, signalling arrival at Inversnaid. The hotel has a separate walkers entrance, with space for leaving rucksack and boots, and makes a good picnic or lunch stop. It also operates a ferry to Inveruglas across the loch - a link with the northern end of the Cowal Way. Inversnaid was popular with the 19th century tourists and has many literary associations, for example with Coleridge and the Wordsworths. Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote about the Snaid Burn in his poem that ends 'Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.' The Way crosses in front of the hotel, soon passing its boathouse. An information board shows the RSPB Nature Trail, a detour which rejoins the Way slightly further north and gives superb views.

4. Shortly after the RSPB trail rejoins the Way, the path becomes rough and craggy, with tree-roots and other obstacles. Expect progress to be slower, and enjoy being closer to nature, away from vehicle noise and civilisation at last. After descending some stone steps, you'll see a sign pointing left for Rob Roy's Cave, where the famous outlaw allegedly held his kidnap victims; it's an unimpressive cleft in the rocks marked by a huge and unsightly white painted Cave sign, and is not really worth the detour.

5. For three kilometres after the cave, the path twists, weaves and undulates amongst the old hard Highland rock. You emerge at a small beach, where the loch is barely 400m wide. The fine view includes a lone island, 'Island I Vow'. After a small footbridge, the way bears right inland across a welcome grassy open section for a little over a kilometre. It descends to a few buildings at Doune (another open Mountain Bothy Association shelter is in the byre on the right; again please help keep it tidy and carry out any rubbish you find here and report its condition here). Half a mile after Doune, another footbridge and stile signals that Ardleish is near. A notice explains how to summon the ferry to Ardlui.

Photo © Patrick Mackie; CCSA licence

6. Follow the Way as it climbs the shallow glen, with good views of the hills to the north. Cross the broad saddle east of Cnap Mor, descending past the ruins of Blarstainge and across the burn at Beinglas Farm, which has accommodation, food and drink and a small shop. There is more accommodation in Inverarnan just off route; for this, turn left toward the river, turn right to cross the bridge, and then left afterwards (less than a kilometre in total).

Route description is quoted by permission from The West Highland Way © Rucksack Readers 2008.

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