West Highland Way - any advice for a solo wild camp trip?

[Caerleon]

I have it in my mind to do a reasonable length solo adventure in the coming weeks (lasting circa 10 days wild camping etc). Initially I considered Offa's dyke which is not too far from me so less travel to start point but it seems its not too receptive to wild camping along the route. On this basis I did some further research and identified the WHW route. The aim is to carry everything needed for the length of the route and to be fairly isolated/self sustaining (so dehydrated food I suspect will be the order of the day). Has anybody done this route and could possible share any hints & tips with regards to rations/kit required and also points to consider regarding the actual route? Or alternatively if anybody has another route suggestion I'm all ears ;-)

I am aiming to start the activity before the end of September.

Cheers
Rob

 

[tiger stacker]

Fresh food can be bought along the way, gentle enough with conic hill as the first introduction to the immense beauty surroundings. Further you go it gets better with the devils staircase a nice walk leading to kinlochleven.

 

[mick91]

Never done WHW but plenty of solo outings. Mountain house meals are a good lightweight high energy option but pricy. 10 days worth of food is quite a bit to carry but doable if you're sensible. Make sure someone knows your route, you have reliable means of communication and you've got a way out if something happens. Look into learning to find food to supplement your diet as dried pasta and potato based meals get a little monotonous over a few days. So long as you have the experience and skill set you'll manage quite comfortably for 10 days with carryable kit

 

[Ahjno]

Currently looking into the WHW myself, starting May/June.

Plenty of vids on YouTube, incl kit. I especially like the series by Ascent41.

General advice is not to take food for more than 3-4 days. Along the route are several pubs, etc to get a meal.

Prepare for rain ...
Get the weight of your kit down to as little as possible.
Don't take a fixed blade, saw and axe
Check if the ban on wild camping along / near Loch Lomond is still in effect
Practice walking with a (heavy) pack
Break your boots in and take plenty of Compeed for any blisters
Think about your water and check your map with regards to the amount you need to carry
Harveys map has the whole route, in sections on it with locations for resupply

 

[Caerleon]

Thanks for the feedback - re the food your right I think I need to carry enough between replen opportunities (at this stage I am wanting to avoid any pubs etc). One of the sections is concerning me after a little more reading and this is Inveroran to Kingshouse where the route description reads "...the way is extremely exposed with no shelter. Do not stray from the path as there are places you can sink into a peat bog." So think I need to take that section rather slowly and map read a little more carefully!
Regarding comm's I am taking my satellite tracker (delorme in-reach SE) which ticks the boxes.

I think in terms of kit taken this heavily is dependant on conditions so will be closely monitoring the weather as the time gets nearer for departure.

The excitement is now kicking in as I prepare for it
Cheers
Rob

 

[andibs]

Did the WHW years ago and it was my first long distance walk. Lovely outing but I took far to much gear. Well signposted but you do need to be happy with map and compass. There are some exposed sections but nothing I would class as severe if you have some experience.

Andy

 

[StJon]

You need to prepare for the worst the weather can throw at you no mater what the forecast says, also prepare for the midges, head net minimum...

 

[Caerleon]

Thanks for the advice guys I will be pulling together my kit in preparation during the next week or so. It's the weather that obviously dictates the amount carried i.e. 2 seasons sleeping bag or 4 seasons/winter clothing or lighter gear etc. The trick is to remove the like to haves from the must haves but not to the point of it being silly uncomfortable (are midges still around towards the end of September?). I am aiming to carry circa 12kg's (definitely not more than 15kg's) but if that's allocated for bad weather them I suspect there'll be little room for any luxuries.

I'm not looking to kill myself getting through it as fast as I can, I want to enjoy the journey really so if that means an extra few days under a tarp then thats good for me. One thing I have concluded so far is that taking a hammock would be more a like to have and so it'll be a solo tent or bivi I reckon.

Just bought the route map from amazon and will look in detail on trailzilla to start to learn the route so once on the ground there shouldn't be any surprises

Looking forward to it big time.
Cheers,
Rob

 

[tiger stacker]

Inveroran to Kingshouse is a really nice walk with a good path track to follow.

 

[boisdevie]

If you post your kit list I'd be more than happy to critique it. My biggest piece of advice would be to keep it as lightweight as possible. I know it's not exactly same terrain or conditions but I did the Pyrenees for 4 weeks with a 7kg pack (plus food and water).

 

[bopdude]

Care to share that list please boisdevie, that's got to be seriously lightweight

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

[andybysea]

Done Crainlariach to Fort William four times last time was August 2013 hardly took any kit, lightwieght pack,summer bag,self inflating mat,spare shorts socks t shirts rab generator jacket and water proof my mate had a lightwieght two man tent we shared, used inov8 roc lite boots new out of the box comfy and no blisters, ate and drank along the way, only time we encountered a midge was at getting tent packed near the Kinghouse.Loved it would do it again if i could.

 

[Bigfoot]

If you post your kit list I'd be more than happy to critique it. My biggest piece of advice would be to keep it as lightweight as possible. I know it's not exactly same terrain or conditions but I did the Pyrenees for 4 weeks with a 7kg pack (plus food and water).

I have a mental image of a climber carrying two supermarket plastic bags and nothing else! That is seriously lightweight for any kind of trip, never mind 4 weeks in the Pyrenees! (even allowing for grub and o2)

 

[boisdevie]

Care to share that list please boisdevie, that's got to be seriously lightweight

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

From memory
Rucksack. Lowe Alpine 40l with all excess straps cut off. Hip belt removed. Bum back used as hip belt.
Summer Rab down bag. 700g
Silnylon tarp 400g ish with pegs and guys
Hammock ripstop nylong 350g
Shoes. North Face Ultra Kilowatt. 500g the pair
Water bottle - 1.25 litre pop bottle.
Stove - no stove.
Clothes - 160g home made breathable jacket, karrimor wide brimmed hat, buff, 4pr socks, 3pr underpants, 2 t shirts, long sleeve thermal t shirt, tracksuit bottoms, running shorts, running tights, 100 grade fleece, bog ordinary waterproof trousers.
Spork, rechargeable head torch, phone, rechargeable external battery, craft knife instead of penknife (much lighter), bit of gaffa tape for plasters, lifestraw water filter (used once), puritabs (used twice), cut down toothbrush, bicarb of soda in 35mm film canister for toothpaste. Toilet paper nicked along the way.
For the Pyrenees wearing just about all my clothes was warm enough at night in my bag. I think now a 2 season bag might be a good idea - I slept out the other night in my summer bag and it was borderline.

 

[21st century pict]

If you make it to Fort William with time to spare the Great Glen Way to Inverness is a great walk and some ace camping.
Here's a vid on how to pack a week's food into a 10Lt pouch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLAh77etv14
Clean water is not so easy to find on the GGW, so water purification tabs will be handy and a Midge net worth it's weight in gold.

Plan for a stop at Doune Bothy on the WHW, stunning place.

Have a BIG one Rob, enjoy.

 

[Caerleon]

Thanks guys for the info - I've been away for a couple of days around Snowdonia camping, just honing in on the kit list and reckon I'm sorted. 21st Century you just inadvertently answered a couple of questions for me! - 1) being relatively new I was wondering if posting a youtube link was okay (presuming it is due to your comments lol) so will do a brief video clip of my gear & 2) the WHW is the 1st week on a solo 2 weeker for me and was wondering what to get up to on the second week so you've just answered it!

Thanks again all for your kind words. I will post my kit list very shortly and would welcome your feedback. My gut feel is I am looking at around 12-15kg's (definitely not more than 15kg's tho!).

All the best,
Rob

 

[Tonyuk]

I've only done the route myself once, that was a few years ago now so things may have changed. However if you a confident walker and reasonably fit it isn't that difficult. Think of all the teenagers out there doing their DofE gold and the size of packs they carry. I was working with a group of army cadets earlier this year going through it. They had full on bergens and wore issue boots. But they made the distance each day and carried every bit of food with them If they can carry them for the 60 odd mile walk then a well thought out kit list can be carried for 5 days without too much difficulty.. And seven days should be no issue. There's a good number of shops, pubs & bothys along the way so you don't need to carry every meal you plan to have and you can sleep under a proper roof some nights to dry off. Make sure however you take a DECENT waterproof (both jacket and trousers) Good lightweight boots, a good brew kit and plenty of dry socks. Being Scotland you can get all 4 seasons in the same day so be ready for them. Good luck!

Tonyuk

 

[stu1979uk]

I'm trying to make time to do the WHW this year as well but with the way things are looking it maybe next year now.

Yesterday I packed the kit I would take and headed off to do the Glen Loin Loop, excluding food (I intend to take roughly the food as shown by Paul Kirtley https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLAh77etv14)

Glen Loin Loop: http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/lochlomond/glen-loin.shtml

It was roughly 11 miles of the terrain I think the WHW would mostly be.
My kit list is roughly as follows, although I may change my pack to my Lowe Alpine Strike for more room.

[TABLE="width: 402"]
[TR]
[TD]
[/TD]
[TD]WEIGHT (g)
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]RUCKSACK
[/TD]
[TD]1570
[/TD]
[TD] ITEMS WORN
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]LOWE ALPINE AIRZONE PRO 35:45
[/TD]
[TD]1570
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]CLOTHES TOTAL WEIGHT=
[/TD]
[TD]2275
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]SEALSKINZ SOCKS
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[TD]98
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]BRIDGEDALE LINER SOCKS X2
[/TD]
[TD]30
[/TD]
[TD]30
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]SEALSKINZ SOCKS
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[TD]98
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]TROUSERS CRAGHOPPERS PRO ACTIVE
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[TD]360
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]BERGHAUS EXPLORER RIDGE BOOTS
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[TD]1200
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]SYNTHETIC LONG SLEEVE TOP
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[TD]180
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT LHOTSE JACKET
[/TD]
[TD]530
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]BRITISH ARMY GORETEX TROUSERS
[/TD]
[TD]330
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT FLEECE
[/TD]
[TD]332
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]BUFF
[/TD]
[TD]38
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]SEALSKINZ HAT
[/TD]
[TD]64
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]SEALSKINZ GLOVES
[/TD]
[TD]77
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]SYNTHETIC T-SHIRT
[/TD]
[TD]160
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]M.H. GHOSTLIGHT DOWN JACKET
[/TD]
[TD]200
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]MERINO LONG SLEEVE TOP
[/TD]
[TD]214
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]RUNNING LEGGINGS
[/TD]
[TD]250
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]NIGHT SOCKS
[/TD]
[TD]50
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]EQUIPMENT TOTAL WEIGHT=[/TD]
[TD]1102
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]PLASTERS & PAIN KILLERS
[/TD]
[TD]50
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]PARACORD
[/TD]
[TD]80
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]DUCT TAPE 2M
[/TD]
[TD]14
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]SURE 24 HR DEODERANT
[/TD]
[TD]50
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]TRAVEL FACE WIPES
[/TD]
[TD]75
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]SMALL TOWEL
[/TD]
[TD]75
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]WHISTLE
[/TD]
[TD]10
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]MORA & FERRO ROD
[/TD]
[TD]148
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]SPRAYWAY TORRIDON HIKING POLES
[/TD]
[TD]550
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]TRAVEL SIZE TOOTHPASTE
[/TD]
[TD]30
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]COLGATE FOLDING TOOTHBRUSH
[/TD]
[TD]20
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]SLEEPING TOTAL WEIGHT=
[/TD]
[TD]3296
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]GELERT SOLO
[/TD]
[TD]1500
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]3/4 LENGTH VANGO SLEEP MAT
[/TD]
[TD]576
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]KHYAM SLEEPING BAG
[/TD]
[TD]980
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]SLEEPING BAG LINER
[/TD]
[TD]240
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]NAVIGATION TOTAL WEIGHT=
[/TD]
[TD]571
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]SILVA EXPED 4 COMPASS
[/TD]
[TD]71
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]SILVA CARABINER 9 COMPASS
[/TD]
[TD]18
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]MAP AND CASE
[/TD]
[TD]166
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]GARMIN ETREX 30
[/TD]
[TD]142
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]3 X AA BATTERIES
[/TD]
[TD]69
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]HEAD TORCH
[/TD]
[TD]83
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]3 X AAA BATTERIES
[/TD]
[TD]22
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]COOKING TOTAL WEIGHT=
[/TD]
[TD]705
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]ESBIT COOKSET
[/TD]
[TD]440
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]SEA TO SUMMIT KNIFE & SPOON
[/TD]
[TD]15
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]METHS FUEL BOTTLE (FULL)
[/TD]
[TD]250
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]FOOD AND WATER TOTAL WEIGHT=
[/TD]
[TD]4562
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]3LTR HYDRO BLADDER-EMPTY
[/TD]
[TD]100
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]LIFESTRAW WATER BOTTLE- FULL
[/TD]
[TD]860
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]P.K'S FOOD FOR A WEEK LIST
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]GRANOLA
[/TD]
[TD]425
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]POWDERED MILK 3 PINTS
[/TD]
[TD]200
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]14 TEA BAGS
[/TD]
[TD]44
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]14 SUGAR SACHETS
[/TD]
[TD]20
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]7 HOT CHOCOLATE SACHETS
[/TD]
[TD]77
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1 BOX OF SMINTS
[/TD]
[TD]8
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]7 SNICKER BARS
[/TD]
[TD]118
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]7 CEREAL BARS
[/TD]
[TD]105
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]7 OAT CAKE 6 PKTS
[/TD]
[TD]350
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]3 BLOCK HARD CHEESE
[/TD]
[TD]200
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2 CHORIZO
[/TD]
[TD]225
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]5 TUNA PACKETS
[/TD]
[TD]290
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]6 VARIOUS SAUCE PACKETS
[/TD]
[TD]210
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2 TOMATO CUPA SOUPS
[/TD]
[TD]180
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]PASTA WHOLE WHEAT
[/TD]
[TD]250
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]4 COUS COUS PACKETS
[/TD]
[TD]400
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]CASHEW NUTS
[/TD]
[TD]200
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]HIP FLASK- WHISKEY
[/TD]
[TD]300
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]TOTAL WEIGHT WHW PACK=
[/TD]
[TD]14081
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]