Choose only one master – Nature
Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), Dutch painter

Close your eyes, imagine lush forests, the sun filtering through branches shading a pretty path, add a subtle floral fragrance, all topped off with birdsong, and you get the feeling we experienced shortly after setting off on a hike along Scotland’s West Highland Way. You’re probably thinking, sunshine in Scotland?

And yes, we were lucky enough to walk under sometimes bright, sometimes cloudy skies, and we also had the pleasure of experiencing a rainy, windy day with fog worthy of a Harry Potter film! You’d think it would be very unpleasant to walk in the rain, but soak it in (I couldn’t resist the pun), it was one of the most memorable days. There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes!

Scotland is: wide open spaces, flowers, birds, fresh air, pure water, lochs (lakes), glens (valleys), bens (mountains) and history! Despite the popularity of the West Highland Way, the trails are often deserted, and we walk in symbiosis with nature – what a pleasure!

It’s an eight-day hike, with a few steep climbs, but generally on beautiful, well-marked trails. However, it is possible to do the same route in 7 or 9 days, by lengthening or shortening certain daily distances.

On the food front, we’d been to Scotland twenty years ago and noted a marked improvement in the range on offer, including vegetarian and gluten-free dishes. I had the best fish and chips in Drymen at Scotland’s oldest pub, the Clachan (1734). And the desserts are delectable! Never mind, the calories are burned on the walk!

This 154 km hike starts in Milngavie (10km north of Glasgow, pronounced Millguy) and ends in Fort Williams. The return journey is by train from Fort Williams to Glasgow. It is possible to extend the stay in the beautiful and picturesque city of Edinburgh, where most of the Harry Potter books were written. Travelling by train in Scotland is so easy!

Speaking of Harry Potter, from Fort Williams you can take the famous Jacobite steam train over the viaduct seen in the Harry Potter films. There was no more availability for the steam train when we went, however it is possible to make the same journey on the regular train from Fort Williams to Mallaig.