West Highland Way - High route or low route? Which is better?
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- čas přidán 6. 06. 2022
- A circular walk from Rowardennan on the West Highland Way. The debate goes on. Which path to use from Rowardennan? The lochside path, or the upper forest track. He we take a look at both walking out on the low route and returning on the upper. Which one do you prefer?
Just two weeks ago I finished the WHW, so I enjoyed revisiting this part of the way very much. Thanks for that!
The low route is so stunning and beautiful and the sheer amount of bluebells is brearhtaking. Nature poored buckets and buckets of purple randomly over the countryside just like that. No picture can truely capture that, you have to dive into it and forget about everything else.
Sending you much love from Germany
It is. The bluebells were almost over, which was a pity. There are places along the whole of the lochside that are just incredible when the bluebells are out, and it's true, no picture ever really does it justice. Thanks for commenting!
Thanks for posting, I'm hiking the WHW in September, very useful to know the different routes👍
Thanks for watching! Hope you have a great time in September. It's a nice time of year to walk the way.
Thank you for sharing this video! It really helped me decide! I was a bit worried about the low road, but if the weather is good I will take this one! In 2 weeks I'm on the way already! 🤩 Can't wait!
I hope the weather gets a little better for you when you start. It's a little unpredictable at the moment. Whatever the weather I'm sure you'll have a great time on trail!
Thank you for posting this! I hiked the Way in 2017 and took the high road. I was happy I had when I moved on to the more challenging section after Inversnaid and it was such a slog. I’m coming back next week to hike it again, and I really helped to see your footage of the low road and hear your thoughts. The weather forecast for next week isn’t promising, so that may be the deciding factor.
The weather always plays a big part in these decisions. I hope it holds for you next week, there's nothing worse than spending a soggy week hiking (though it can still be a wonderful experience). Thanks for the comment!
I think the weather will make up my mind, good weather then low, bad then high, great video and shots of the area "Absolutely" stunning scenery
Absolutely! :) Yep. The weather can make all the difference. Time too. It's still gorgeous in the rain though, but I'd be tempted to go high myself if it's chucking it down.
I can't imagine many folks biking the route choose the low road, it would take ages and be a nightmare with panniers on. Really great informative video. Thanks for filming, Andy
I've actually seen mountain bikers on the section between Inversnaid and Beinglas Farm at the top of the Loch. How they manage to get a bike over some of those rocks is beyond me. It's difficult enough just trying to walk over them without carrying a bike!
Very informative video. Thank you! Im planning on hiking the WHW in mid-May. Your video will help decide which road to take once I get to the junction.
Glad it was helpful!
Convinced. Much more enjoyable for me. I love being on or as close as possible to the shore of Lomond. A stunning placce
It's so much nicer than the upper way. The ancient oak woodland is just gorgeous. The upper route gets a bit trudgy, but does eat the miles up quicker
We are walking in April this year , The weather will be the deciding factor when we reach the junction . Hopefully a settled week beforehand and a settled day on the day . Thanks for sharing.
Good luck! Spring is a wonderful time to walk it. Hopefully the bluebells will be starting to show for you in April, but yes, the weather can really make a big difference to a hike. Have a fantastic time!
Thanks for this. Totally missed the split for the high route last year. Will be doing the high route this year as doing it solo and don't want to chance falling on the low section. Almost went head first a few times on the low route. Thankfully my daughter caught me in time. My only concern is missing where they both meet up again. Hopefully I don't double back on myself.
You can't miss where the routes re-join. The low route joins the forest track at a fork and there is a finger post there. There's really only one way you can go. A good rule of thumb is if the loch is on your left, you're going the right way!
This advice makes sense if you’re just doing a day trip, but when doing a big day in the WHW I definitely didn’t regret taking the upper route: you get A LOT of loch time north of inversnaid!
Yep. The route north of Inversnaid is a lot, lot tougher. This is just a warm up! My personal choice would still be to do the lower route, but if you're pushed for time or doing a long day (or even if the weather is awful) it can make a big difference to the day.
Thanks for this vid. Confirmed me I should walk the low route. As long if the weather is suitable (no heavy rain) I see no issue. Will start the WHW in a week. Looking forward to my first Scottish adventure.
Glad you found the vid useful. Hope the weather holds for you on the trail, and enjoy!
@@blackcathiking7831 Thanks. Yes I hope for good weather, if not: as worse the weather, as more heroic the hike... ;-)
Just walked the low route 2 weeks ago on the 09.06.2022 on my third stage of the WHW. The weather was really wet but I didn't regret it to chose the low route.
It is rocky and there are some ups and downs but it's a nice doable walk.
The part from Inversnaid to Beinglas is much more challening. Are you planning to do a similar video about that stretch?
Thx for sharing
It's true. North of Inversnaid is the tricky part really. I'd love to a video, but logistically as a day walk it would be pretty awkward. I think the only way to do it would be to get the water bus from Ardlui to Inversnaid then get the bus back from the Drovers Inn. It's maybe one for next May, when the bluebells are in their finery!
There was a scottish soap opera bases in luss called Take the high road.
Thanks for the informative video. I'm booked along the Way during May 2024.
I'm interested in how you captured the video clips & so steady too. Was it with a GoPro, or similar, & a chest harness?
I use a GoPro Hero 9. Mostly filmed with a hand held selfie stick which can be extended or turned into a tripod. The stabilisation feature on the camera is quite superb for smoothing things out (as borne out by more recent videos where I accidentally turned it off!)
did the way last year and took the low road - I slipped and was nearly in with the fishes....starting again this week and will take the high road this time
It is a little precipitous in places, especially if it's wet! I nearly did the same a few years ago further up the loch. Hopefully the weather gets better than it's been today for you. Have a great time on the Way!
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Welcome aboard!
Thanks for watching. About to start the Rob Roy Way next week, so look out for that in the near future!
Is the split between high and low road outside the CMZ??
The management zone ends just before the split. You can’t miss it, there’s a huge sign right on the path with all the information on it. Once you’re past it, you’ll be free to camp anywhere. There’s some gorgeous wild camp spots on the low route too.
Could I please ask what month you walked and did you have any trouble with midges? Thanks.
Late May or early June, if I remember correctly. The midges aren't too bad at that time of year as it's still quite early for them. I'm not saying that they're not there though ;)
I always find May and June to be the best months for hiking here, plus you get the full "bluebell" experience!
What date did you do it? Looking for best bluebell time thx
This was filmed in very early June, so around early to mid May is when the bluebells are likely to be at their best. Many were well on the way to seed when we did it, so even just a week or so earlier might have made a big difference.
Low road. Can't abide that high road malarkey. 😁
Shhhh. Don't tell anyone, or they'll all want to do it! :D
Great video. I reached this section doing the WHW from North to South in 2022. czcams.com/video/HNF2fpaOwTw/video.html. I was grateful to find the high route was an option after a challenging morning alongside the Loch to Inversnaid. Just be aware if you are doing the same there was no signage for the high route heading south, you just stay on the forestry road. I really enjoyed this day and while the views are no so great the conditions underfoot made for great walking and allowed me to reach Rowardennan in good spirits and in time for a swim in the Loch. 👍
I think there's one single waymarker on the high route for some reason that marks a forest track that leads down to the loch side. Fortunately there's not really anywhere else you can go rather than along the forest track. The upper route certainly does make for easier and quicker going. Heading south it's a very attractive option at the end of a strenuous day.