West Highland Way
After a few years of spending my summers working across Europe, I never thought I’d be summer holiday’ing on the West Coast of Scotland, but this is exactly what I did in June as I hiked the West Highland Way.
The West Highland Way is a 154km (96 miles) route running from Milngavie, just north of Glasgow, to Fort William in the Scottish Highlands.
I met the hiking squad at the start-line in Milngavie late on Sunday evening for Day 1. We had a quick pint in a local pub, where locals were shaking our hands and wishing us well. An ominous sign for what was to come.
We walked about 11km, then as light began to fade and realising we were nowhere near civilisation, we decided to wild camp.
This is where my lack of preparedness really shone through (I’d never previously owned a tent, let alone camping in the wild).
While I struggled with my tent, the midges descended and began to eat me alive. I quickly wolfed down a tin of tuna and tried to get to sleep.
Our first night on The Way was spent listening to a symphony of screaming sheep in a nearby field. Day 1 and I was already questioning what I had let myself in for.
Day 2 started early and was fairly plain sailing until we reached Conic Hill. Apparently, the steepest part of the hike, it certainly felt it. We conquered the hill, took in the views, then headed down to Balhama for lunch.
At this point, the sun came out and we spent the afternoon sunbathing at the water front of Loch Lomond. More like Barbados than the West Coast of Scotland.
We headed to a campsite in Rowardennan, more argy bargy with tents and midges, then off to bed.
Day 3 I woke up with a banging headache. Would you believe that I got sunstroke in Scotland?
This day was a mental challenge. The only thing consistent was inconsistency. Up, down, stop, start as we hiked the length of Loch Lomond. Midges still out looking for blood.
Powering through, we completed the Loch. We ended up at a campsite in Inverarnan, 34km in the bag, finishing the day with fish and chips.
Day 4, finally a good night sleep! Free breakfast at the campsite meant we were off to a flyer.
Much easier on the hiking front. A few rolling hills but nothing to cry about. Weather still amazing, so hot that we had to avoid walking in the middle of the day.
Another 33km done, we wild camped at Bridge of Orchy, swam in the river and set a fire to keep the midges at bay. Great vibes.
Day 5 just went up and up and up. The most physically demanding day.
At this point I should add that we carried all of our own bags. There is a courier service between stops, but we had to do this properly, right?
We made it to Glen Coe by lunchtime, all feeling pretty broken after 20km of hills in the 28C sunshine.
After lunch we encountered the Devil’s Staircase. It was as menacing and humbling as the name suggests. Am I selling this to you?
Strangely, with our hiking boots wreaking havoc with our feet, the downhills started to hurt more than the uphill. 33km done, we arrived at the next campsite at Kinlochleven.
Day 6 was a straight 24km shoot out to the finish.
Sun was beaming, bags were heavy and legs were weak. We were caught out by a few short climbs.
But then, Ben Nevis came into view and the finish line was in sight.
West Highland Way, 154km, job done.
Anyway, you’re probably wondering why I’m telling you about this.
Firstly, the unavoidable and totally shameless plug. I wore my Kata Tee most days on the hike. It was completely comfortable, as well as breathable which was very useful when hiking in the sun. You can see me pictured here at the top of the Devil’s Staircase in the Essential Tee.
Secondly, I could have easily gone and sat on a Greek beach for a holiday this year, but I wanted to do something out of my comfort zone.
At Kata we believe that life is about trying new things. Personal growth comes when you push yourself out of your comfort zone.
So, I’d like to encourage you to leave your comfort zone. Whether that be trying a new sport, joining a new club or signing up to an event.
Maybe even hiking the West Highland Way?!
We’d love to hear how you decide to push yourself out of your comfort zone, so drop us a DM on social media.
