Your West Highland Way

Thank you for sharing your photographs, poems, videos, stories and art.

Scroll and discover…

Videos

Ryan Smith

Jane Chilton (Scottish Water)

Two West Highland Way adventures squeezed into videos less than three minutes each. The first was submitted by Ryan Smith, who was joined on a six day walk by his two sisters, their partners and Labrador Blue. Sister Emily and her boyfriend Will were over from New Zealand, whilst Carly and her boyfriend Samir came from London to join Ryan and partner Donna who live near Stonehaven.

The second film comes from Jane Chilton of Scottish Water, encouraging you to make the most of top up taps along the Way to ensure you stay hydrated.

Drawings

Douglas Lawrence from Toronto, Canada, sketched these drawings whilst walking the West Highland Way in May 2019.

Paintings

This gallery of oil paintings is the work of Robert Marshall. Not many people will know the West Highland Way better than Robert as, by 2020, he will have walked it 50 times. His first walk was in 1993 and he has done it in all months (apart from December); he has even helped to maintain the paths, volunteering with Mountains and the People.

Robert shares his love for the West Highland Way through his art and by giving talks to international students at the University of Glasgow. Thank you for sharing your inspiring story and works of art Robert.

Love Stories

Many of you got in touch to say that walking the West Highland Way had brought love into your life. Here are a few stories (pictured above). Charlotte met her boyfriend Marcus just outside Drymen whilst walking and love had blossomed by the time they reached Balmaha - despite being soaking wet and hungry!

Jenny met partner Graeme close to Bridge of Orchy whilst walking. They’ve since moved close to Milngavie and in 2018 welcomed baby Roddy into the world.

Gary Mathieson and his wife got married in 2005 at Fort William after walking the West Highland Way. They now repeat the walk each year to celebrate their anniversaries.

In addition, several couples got engaged on the Way, including Yvonne and Paul McNairn, Florence and Mathieu Jacques and Tom and Jenny Smither. Paul McEwan nearly lost his wedding ring clambering on rocks on a wet, cold day near Rob Roy’s cave. Steffi Ziehfreund and her husband celebrated their honeymoon on the Way in 2019 and you can read Laura and Iain Houston’s Honeymoon story at the link below.

Houston Honeymoon

Letters & Poems

Click below to read Amy Mostert’s illustrated letter about her trip from South Africa to hike with her husband in 2017.

Click to Read

Click below to read a poem penned by Cicely Roy, inspired when walking the West Highland Way with her husband on their ruby wedding anniversary.

Click to Read

Music

Bill Tobin from Vermont in the United States sent us his story. At the age of 10, his parents took him on the newly opened West Highland Way. The trip left such an impression on him that he went back in the summer of 1990 and re-walked the trail on his own. Five years later, during summer 1995, he took his new wife on the trail to share the experience. The West Highland Way played such a strong part in his childhood and young adult life that he even named their dog Milngavie.

Bill is a harpist and composed this beautiful piece inspired by the trail. Click below to play ‘The Highland Way’.

Thank you!

Your contributions to our 40th anniversary have been outstanding. We are very grateful to everyone that took the time to send in photos, sketches, stories, videos, poems and more. We have featured as many as we can in this Virtual Exhibition, which we hope you enjoy exploring.

As you would expect, many of you sent in photographs taken along the West Highland Way, which all capture special experiences, adventures and landscapes. We end this page with a collection of images.

If you have enjoyed this Virtual Exhibition and would like to support the maintenance and conservation of the Official West Highland Way for the future, please donate below. Any contribution will be gratefully received.

Donate to the West Highland Way