Last May, I solo hiked the latter half of West Highland Way (WHW), along with traveling to the Outer Hebrides and a few other places in Scotland. The whole trip was amazing but the walk was something I needed to do! I’m so happy that I finally did it and I really can’t recommend the WHW enough. To help others who might be on the fence or who might be waiting until someone could (or wanted to) come hike it with them, I want to share my experience because I really think you should do it if you’re interested – click here to read about my experience walking the WHW or keep reading if you’re curious about what I brought/used.
This packing list is geared for those who are staying in hostels, guest houses or B&Bs while on the WHW and who plan to travel a bit of Scotland either before or after. It’s also assuming that you’ll use a baggage transfer service. There are several but I used AMS and I’d definitely recommend them. Please note, this packing list does not include camping equipment as I didn’t camp (mainly because I like flying with only carry-on luggage and didn’t want to bring my camping gear), but does include casual clothing. It’s also based on the weather in May, but would work for pretty much any season but winter so if you’re planning on going in the winter, please adjust accordingly.
Oh, and none of the links in this article are affiliate links, they are simply products I used on my trip/hike that I recommend.
Before you go
There are a couple of items you’ll want to try out/break in before you go. Primarily your footwear and your pack. Because no one wants sore, blistered, wet feet or a sore back on a long distance hike.
Footwear – this will be the single most important thing you bring. And it’s a very personal choice – whether you go for hiking boots or hiking shoes is up to you and your feet. I used a pair of lovely purple Merrell MQM Flex Gore-Tex, which is a waterproof hiking shoe, and it worked perfectly for me. Whichever you choose, make sure you break them in (mine had about 100km on them) before you go.
Day pack – a great pack is the one you forget you have on. If you’re using a luggage transfer service like I did, you only need a day pack to carry the necessities so it should be about 20-30L. I used a Patagonia women’s 18L Nine Trails Pack and loved it. I have a tendency to think I need more than I do so I went with a smaller day pack purposefully so I wouldn’t bring too much. I loved the fit, especially the fact that the straps didn’t go across my chest.
Book – Walking The West Highland Way: Milngavie To Fort William Scottish Long Distance Route by Terry Marsh. While I generally read digital books nowadays, I wanted a physical copy with the maps. I read it before I left for Scotland and then I would re-read the bit on the section I was going to walk the night before. It was invaluable.
What I packed
Hiking clothes
The basics: non-cotton underwear and bras
Socks: such a key item. I brought 9 non-cotton athletic/hiking socks for walking, half of which were a merino wool blend and 1 pair of fuzzy socks for sleep in case it was cold. While I only walked for four days on the WHW, I did other hiking on the trip so all of the socks I brought were hiking socks. I needed seven to get me to the next laundry day but I always bring a couple of extras.
Base layer: 3 synthetic running/hiking t-shirts, 1 synthetic long sleeved running top. You can use merino wool ones but I really didn’t want to buy new clothes so I used the t-shirts I run in as they have similar technical functions. Just don’t use cotton ones. I could have brought one less.
Fleece (mid-layer): I took one but if I was doing the whole route, I would probably use two and alternate as I wore it a lot – both hiking and not.
Hiking bottoms: 1 lightly lined quick-dry hiking pants, 1 unlined quick-dry hiking pants.
Waterproof jacket: Key item! And one I definitely used as both a rain jacket and to protect from the wind. I didn’t bring a pair of waterproof pants as both pairs of my pants were quick dry pants and it was May (temps in the mid-teens to low-20s during my trip).
Hiking shoes: see above.
Non-hiking stuff
This is basically my normal travel packing list, adjusted slightly for the climate and time of year.
The basics: flannel pajamas (I don’t like being cold) and the underwear I mentioned above.
Casual tops (for evenings and the rest of my trip): 2 tank tops, 2 t-shirts, 3 long-sleeved flannel tops, 1 light sweater. Think layering. Next time, I’d swap one of the technical t-shirts for a regular one (or perhaps invest in a Merino wool one so it can be used as either).
Casual bottoms: two pairs of jeans. I know there’s lots of “don’t travel in jeans” posts and I would never hike in jeans but I live in them at home so I’m most comfortable in them traveling as well.
Casual shoes (for evenings and non-hiking days): one pair. I actually didn’t wear them much as I either wore my hiking shoes or Tevas but since I brought a pair that were at the end of their life so I ended up tossing them early.
Sandals: Teva flip flops are my go-to. Great to change into after a day of hiking and can double as shower shoes when necessary.
Extras: I brought a light wool scarf, baseball hat, sunglasses, toque (winter hat), and small pair of gloves. I used everything but the toque (but it didn’t take up much space and it’s better to have it than not). The baseball hat was regularly used and particularly useful when it briefly hailed while hiking.
Non-clothing essentials
Again, this is from my normal travel packing list, with a few additions for the hike and remoteness of some of the areas.
- Snacks, breakfast bars – I brought enough breakfast bars from Canada for the hike and bought snacks in Scotland. Each day I would add the day’s worth of food to my day pack.
- Ziplock bags (med & large) – I always travel with a couple of extras as they can be used for so many things.
- Plastic bags (for garbage) – this came straight from the West Highland Way website. I basically reused one, dumping it each night in the hostel garbage.
- Toiletries – I brought my regular small bag of toiletries.
- Landry bag – just a simple net bag to keep dirty and clean clothes separate.
- Pillow case – I always travel with one when using hostels.
- Travel towel – I brought two small ones and kept one in my day pack.
- Water bottle – why use plastic when you can simply refill.
- Plug adaptor – because the UK uses different plugs that North America. Since I was just using it to charge my phone and camera and both of them came with a converter, I only needed the plug adaptor.
- Small first aid kit + blister kit – luckily I didn’t need it but I always travel with a small travel-sized first aid kit and I added a few extras for blister prevention/care that thankfully, weren’t necessary. However, it’s something I would never leave behind, especially for solo travel.
- Disposable rain poncho – this is another item that’s always in my travel kit – a cheap, light, dollar store poncho for just in case.
- Tissues/wipes – because you’ll need them at some point.
- Gum for plane – my ears hate planes, this helps.
- Flashlight / headlamp – this was something new that every hiking blog recommended but I never used as it was always daylight when I was out.
- Travel insurance – better to have it and not need it than not have it and need it.
In my day pack
While on the West Highland Way, I used a baggage transfer service to move my main pack from hostel to hostel and simply carried a day pack on the walk. My back thanked me. The following items were in it and while I didn’t use everything, all were necessary. There was also space to add my fleece (and other layers) for days when it was warm.
- Rain coat, if I wasn’t wearing it
- Passport, wallet and money
- Water bottle in an outside pocket
- Trail mix/snacks, protein bars, pack lunch if possible
- Baseball cap (I almost always hike in one so I usually wore it)
- Extra socks, gloves, scarf, and a toque in a dry bag (just in case)
- First aid kit and whistle
- A small emergency foil blanket
- Phone + portable battery pack
- Camera (while my phone takes decent photos, I have always traveled with a camera too)
- Freezer ziplock bag for camera and phone (to keep them dry if necessary)
- Mini toiletry case with Advil, sunscreen, lip balm, tissues, gum, hand sanitizer, and wipes
- Plastic bag for litter and a small ziplock bag with a bit of toilet paper (just in case)
- Notebook & pen; WHW book (included a map) + printed directions/hostel info (just in case phone dies)
- Flashlight/headlamp (just in case)
- I didn’t have a bag cover for my day pack (I have one for my larger pack) so I used dry bags inside for everything even though my pack was water resistant. I’d recommend either dry bags, a waterproof liner or a waterproof cover. If I was carrying my all my stuff, rather than just a day pack, I’d have brought my cover too.
Things you can pick up in Scotland
Sim card: These are so much cheaper in the UK than they are in Canada so make sure your phone is unlocked and grab one there for your trip. I got a great deal as it was on sale but even at the regular price it was less than half of what I would have paid in Canada.
Final thoughts
It was a fabulous trip and I’m going to go back someday soon for another Scottish trail. The baggage transfer service was amazing and allowed me to pack for my whole vacation and not just the walk. I’m both an outdoors person and an experienced carry-on traveler – I learned my lesson years ago backpacking across Europe with a backpack that was way too heavy – and I’ve lived in Scotland before so I knew what to expect weather-wise (anything) and both helped when I was creating my packing list. I also read what the West Highland Way’s official website recommended and a few Scotland travel blogs like Watch Me See to make sure I wasn’t missing anything important.
Oh, I didn’t bring any midge repellent for two reasons – one, bugs generally don’t like me and two, I was going to be there before the midge season really started (I checked with a friend who lives in Scotland). It’s highly recommended but I figured it was something I could buy there if I did need it.
Have you hiked the West Highland Way? What did you find essential on your hike?
Rambles and Walks 