The West Highland Way Day 1: Milngavie to Drymen
One of my favorite things to do in the world is hike in nature AND long-distance through hiking is the best way to get to know a country. This year I chose the West Highland Way (WHW). Scotland has long been on my “to see & experience” list and it felt like the perfect choice when Kristztina reached out and suggested we do a long-distance hike together. Given the heat wave crossing the planet this year, Scotland’s extremely moderate summer weather was a big selling point.
It’s said to be one of the most popular and most accessible routes in which to discover the Highlands (and so much more), officially covering 96 miles/155 km, this is Scotland’s first long distance route. It starts on the outskirts of Glasgow, and it’s usually walked south to north, the direction we have chosen as well. We are starting at the official beginning in Milngavie. Here’s my challenge for you…how would you pronounce the name? Seriously…give it a try!!! We did. We didn’t come close to getting it right.
I took a train from Edinburgh to meet Krisz in Glasgow and then we trained together to Milngavie. (okay here it is…pronounced “mull-guy OR mill-guy depending on who you ask…I mean…what?!?). We overnighted in this small town, laughed at the fact that we ate almost 2 meals at a place called “Beefeaters,” almost meaning neither of us were able to eat much of the breakfast, it was that bad. We started our morning shopping at M&S for food to carry in our backpacks. Krisz was able to get her favorite freshly baked olive sourdough bread that she was super excited about. Holland & Barrett was our next stop for all-natural essential oil midge** repellent. Shout out to Krisz’s friend for buying us nets to cover our heads for extra protection from the midges. Apparently they can be VERY bad this time of year, it all depends on the conditions.
**NOTE: The midges in Scotland may be tiny, but they are said to pack quite a punch! The Highland biting midge is a small flying insect that appears in the spring and summer months. All areas of Scotland are affected, but the worst areas are in the west highlands due to perfect breeding grounds in the wet conditions. Everyone warns us about them!! We hope we are prepared; we shall see.
The town of Milngavie was sweet and had quite the dedication to the official beginning of the West Highland Way. Certainly this is one of this towns claims to fame, and the draw for many people who would never be here otherwise.
Here we are with our requisite first picture as we are about to step onto the path!
The West Highland Way is incredibly well waymarked. You’ll find signposts along the entire route, bearing the iconic little logo of a thistle with arrows on either side. All you have to do is follow this sign and just keep walking!
Our first day of hiking was beautiful. It was an easy and peaceful start. Mostly flat hiking with just some easy hills. A warmup day for much more challenging hikes to come. Today we clocked almost 14 miles/22.5 kilometers in total. We walked through woods, pastureland, rolling hills, alongside streams, with meeting very few people along the way. It can get crowded, so we were thrilled with the lack of people. The only real tragedy of the trip is when we sat on a bench in the woods for our first break, Krisz brought out the favored sourdough bread…and suddenly 2 yellow labs appeared running down the path, then running circles around us, and then suddenly one was running off with the entire loaf of bread in her mouth. AND there went lunch!!!
Other than the loss of a loaf, we had a perfect 1st day of hiking. Can you imagine… no rain, in Scotland…we had zero rain today. The weather was cool, overcast, and perfect. At the 4 mile mark, we looked ahead and saw what looked like the most charming couple of houses. There is this sign above the fence that invites you to stop and take a picture. AND then, as we were taking a closer look…things were not as they seemed on first glance.
We arrived to spend the evening and night in the tiny village of Drymen. We had the loveliest little guest house to stay in, with lovely gardens and 2 lounge chairs we sat in and took in the sun. Heaven. We then enjoyed a wonderful dinner at the local pub across the street, and are now getting ready to sleep and start day 2 bright and early. It’s said to be a much more challenging day!
Official stats of Day 1 (our actual stats include the hike to and from the official trail):
Mon 24 Jul 2023
Hiking from Milngavie to Drymen
Estimated hiking time: 5h30m
Official Mileage: 19.4 km/12 miles (our actual: 22.5 kilometers/14 miles
Ascent: 130 m | 426.5 ft
Descent: 120 m | 393.7 ft
Accommodation: Braeside GuestHouse
Address: 5 Main Street, Drymen, G63 0BP, United Kingdom
Tel: 07748831015
Email: braesidelochlomond@gmail.com
Web: www.braeside-drymen.co.uk
