Hello from Austria :)

[Peanutbutterfly]

Hello!

I'm a new member from Austria. I love hiking, but only made day hikes and now I'm looking forward to my first multi-day hike with my boyfriend.
I thought the West Highland Way is perfect for beginners. It's our second trip to Scotland, but we only knew Edinburgh, which is a beautiful and lovely city.
Normally when we are walking on a city trip or on a day-hike we cover a distance of 15 to 20 miles in a few hours. Sometimes we walk home from our office in about 1.5 hours and cover a distance of 7 miles.
I think we have a good condition.

So this is my actually route:

Flight from Austria to Glasgow, then one night in Glasgow
1 day Mikngavie to Drymen (B&B)
2 day Drymen to Rowardennan (Tent)
3 day Rowardennan to Ardleish then ferry to Ardlui (B&B)
4 day back to Ardleish and then to Tyndrum (B&B)
5 day Tyndrum to Inveroran (Tent)
6 day Inveroran to Kingshouse (Tent)
7 day Kingshouse to Kinglochleven (Tent)
8 day Kinlochleven to Fort William
3 nights in Fort William (I wanna drive with the Jacobite, make a trip to Eilean Donan Castle and maybe climb on Ben Nevis)
2 days Onich (maybe make a trip to Glencoe and enjoy the location in Onich)
Now we will change to buses and trains and drive from Onich/Fort William to Iverness and stay there for 2 nights (make a trip to Loch Mess and explore the city of Inverness)
Then we will drive to Aberdeen and take a bus to Dunnotter Castle and then back to Aberdeen and then towards Edinburgh and stay there for 2 nights before go back home

I would ask you for a little help to create the optimal route and give me some feedback. I'm open to everything new

Have a nice day,
Katy

[Peanutbutterfly]

Hello again

After I've read some blogs and other sites I must change the route a little bit. We Wanne stay 5 nights in Isle of Skye, so I would cancel Onich and after Fort William rent a car in Inverness to drive to Isle of Skye.

[Caberfeidh]

G'Day, chuck another shrimp on the barbie! I would cancel Aberdeen too, the city is very industrial and the castle doesn't really warrant the amount of time you would need. Braemar or Aviemore are good stops, there is a road from Aviemore which goes high up into the Cairngorms, to the ski centre, which would get you up into wild land good for camping. If the weather is lousy there are hostels at Cairngorm Lodge, Aviemore, and Glen More Lodge. The train from Fort William to Mallaig is very nice with views of hills, glens and island on the sea, Mallaig is the end of the line and from there you catch a ferry across to Skye, which only takes about twenty minutes. The train from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh has nice views too, ask the train staff which side will get the views over the sea so you are not stuck watching a cliff face while the people across from you are looking out at lovely sea views. On Skye you can catch a bus or hitch hike around. What time of year are you going?

Blackrock Cottage on rannoch Moor, near Glen Coe

Rannoch Moor, crossed by the West Highland Way

Camping near Kingshouse, Rannoch Moor, near Glen Coe.

Ben Nevis from Loch Eil

Loch Eil, near fort William

Hills of Glen Coe

Canoeing on Loch Morlich near Aviemore, Cairngorms

Eilean Donan, Loch Duich, near Skye

Black Cuillin from Elgol, Skye

Seals, Dunvegan, Skye

[jmarkb]

G'Day, chuck another shrimp on the barbie!

Austria. Australia. Spot the difference!

[Caberfeidh]

G'Day, chuck another shrimp on the barbie!

Austria. Australia. Spot the difference!

A sense of humour. Develop one...

Chuck another shrimp on the barbie...

[jmarkb]

Sorry, too subtle for me obviously...

Back on topic - I agree that going to Skye is a better option than trying to include Inverness and Aberdeen in the trip. You should be able to hire a car in fort William if you that helps.

[Peanutbutterfly]

Thank you both for your Tipps

@Caberfeidh Your photos are absolutely awesome.

So then we will start with the WHW and rent a car in Fort William to explore Isle of Skye. We will stay there for 6 nights.
Our plan is to get to Scotland end of April or in early May, but we are flexible about the traveling time.

[Caberfeidh]

April is usually still cold and wintery with maybe some snow on the hills and very cold nights, May usually has better weather with more sunshine and longer daylight but still usually no midgies. But this is Scotland so you take your chance; it could be a heatwave or a new Ice Age, or gales and driving rain. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst!

Ben Tianavaig, Skye with a dusting of snow

Black Cuillin with caps of snow

Isle of Raasay from Ashaig, Skye

Storr , Skye, April.

Glamaig, Sligachan, Skye

Skye ponies and Cuillin Ridge, May.

[Peanutbutterfly]

@Caberfeidh
You think early May is a good time to start with the WHW, maybe around 6-8th May?
Are my stages on the WHW to short? I have read that many people make it in 6 days and are 6 nights on Skye enough or should we stay longer?

Btw. I love your photos, they are so beautiful. I get wanderlust

[Peanutbutterfly]

Yesterday I would book the B&Bs because my boyfriend won't to sleep in a tent, but in Rowardennan there is no available room. On the other side of the Loch are many rooms. Is there a possibility to get there?

[Caberfeidh]

@Caberfeidh
You think early May is a good time to start with the WHW, maybe around 6-8th May?
Are my stages on the WHW to short? I have read that many people make it in 6 days and are 6 nights on Skye enough or should we stay longer?

Yes May would be good, the weather is often nice then, and flowers start to blossom, trees are in leaf and all is well with the world. Your stages are fine, it is possible to do it faster but then you don't enjoy it. Take your time, look out for wildlife; deer, eagles, otters, seals, etc. and relax.
Rowardennan Lodge Youth Hostel will even do you a nice double bed room for a mere fifty-something pounds, just join the international Youth Hostelling Association and you're in there. https://www.hostellingscotland.org.uk/hostels/rowardennan-lodge/ And tell your boyfriend to man up or he'll lose you to a big strapping Scotsman who is not afraid to sleep in a tent!
You could spend a year on Skye and still find interesting little places you did not notice before, six days will be good to see the main parts like moubtains, waterfalls, lochs and rivers, ruined castles, pubs, etc.

Seal colony, Skye

The Isle of Rum from Dun Sgaith, Skye

Stag, West Highlands

Duntulm Castle, North Skye

Dun Sgaithe, South Skye

Dun Ringill (Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull did a song about this place)

Red Cuillin from Loch Ainort

Sunset, Sound of Raasay from Strath

Trotternish Ridge, which starred as The Wall in Game of Thrones

Loch Garry, Glen Garry, North West Highlands

[Peanutbutterfly]

Now we are 3 people, me my boyfriend and his best friend and omg they are not sure if the would wandering because of the weather and the rain

They wanna go with a car. Can you enjoy the same beautiful landscape of the WHW with a car?

[jmarkb]

They wanna go with a car. Can you enjoy the same beautiful landscape of the WHW with a car?

Yes, no problem, it we be quite a different experience, but not necessarily worse! Apart from the east side of Loch Lomond, the WHW is never very far from a road. A car gives you more flexibility to choose pick and choose day walks, and adapt to the weather.

[Caberfeidh]

I give up....

[Peanutbutterfly]

Thanks a lot

The car is only for the "boys". I've sad that I will go alone on the WHW and we meet us in Fort William.

And thanks for the link to the hostel. On booking the don't have free rooms.
Instead of Rowardennan I will sleep in Drymen - Balmaha - Iversnaid.

So and now I will book the necessary B&Bs