The West Highland Way (Scottish Gaelic: Slighe Taobh an Iar na Gàidhealtachd) is a linear long-distance route in Scotland.

It is 154 km (96 miles) long, running from Milngavie north of Glasgow to Fort William in the Scottish Highlands, with an element of hill walking in the route.

[2] It is primarily intended as a long distance walking route, and whilst many sections are suitable for mountain biking and horseriding there are obstacles and surfaces that will require these users to dismount in places.

[8] Notable wildlife that may be seen includes feral goats (descendants of those left from the Highland Clearances), red deer, and around the peaks sometimes golden eagles.

After the Second World War ex-RAF man Tom Hunter from Glasgow conceived of the idea of an official footpath, partly to protect the eastern shore of Loch Lomond from development.

[8] Significant in the development of the Way was geographer Fiona Rose who surveyed the route over a year in the early 1970s, covering some 1,000 miles on foot.

[9] The trail was approved for development in 1974, and after completion was opened on 6 October 1980 by Lord Mansfield so becoming the first officially designated long-distance footpath in Scotland.

[8] The route can be covered in considerably less time than this (as of 2020[update] the record was 13 h 41 m 8 s), but a less hurried progress is the choice of the majority of walkers, allowing for appreciation of the countryside along the Way.

One pattern of sections, travelling from south to north, is as follows:[10] The path officially starts in the centre of Milngavie, a town on the northern fringe of the conurbation of Glasgow.

This section is about 19 km (12 miles) long:[10] After leaving Drymen the path enters Garadhban Forest before reaching the first major summit of the route, the 361-metre (1,184 ft) Conic Hill ,[17] a site of special scientific interest lying on the Highland Boundary Fault.

Meanwhile, the route continues up through the dense woodland to one of the high points of the Way before descending to cross the A82 and pass through Auchtertyre Farm and gently up to Tyndrum.

[26] The final stage skirts the Mamore Mountains on an old military road and descends into Glen Nevis before finishing in Fort William.

The last stage passes the foot of Ben Nevis, before finally reaching the pavements leading into the traditional finish line in Fort William, where a statue depicting a man with sore feet marks the end of the path.

[30] Bobby Shields (Clydesdale Harriers) and Duncan Watson (Lochaber) initiated the idea of racing over Scotland's most popular long-distance footpath.

[33] Listed south to north, with approximate distances from Milngavie, the West Highland Way passes the following towns, villages and hotels: