text:
West Highland Line

The West Highland Line is a railway in Scotland running from Glasgow to Fort William and Mallaig, with a branch to Oban. It's rated one of the most scenic railways in the world, but is a practical everyday route for passengers and freight. It's a lifeline not only for communities along it but for Hebridean islands connected by ferry to the terminuses, as indicated by its Gaelic name Rathad Iarainn nan Eilean - "Iron Road to the Isles".

Understand
In the mid-19th century, a frenzy of railway expansion reached all the cities of Scotland, even Inverness, but the northwest remained blank on the map. As the easy-to-build, profitable lowland railways were completed, increasingly hare-brained proposals were put forward for outlying routes — one for the West Highlands reckoned trains could be sucked over the hills, with an almighty thhhhhwurp! to out-do the sucking of the bogs they crossed. Eventually from 1866 a line was built in fits and starts from the existing network near Stirling via Callander, Killin and Crianlarich, with a complete route to Oban by 1880.

Much more difficult terrain lay north, and much poorer prospects for either passenger or freight revenue. The ground was either too soft or too rock-hard, and there was no locally-available labour or materials. Costs were higher and investors (already burnt) were wary. A further obstacle was existing railway companies, who squealed at anything that might threaten their local monopolies. What changed government thinking was rural poverty sparking civil unrest in the Highlands, as it had in Ireland. So funding and legal assent were obtained, ground was broken in 1889 on what would become the West Highland Railway, and it reached Fort William in 1894, extending to Mallaig in 1901. At Crianlarich it crossed the Callander-Oban line, with the minimum of cooperation between the two routes until the Beeching cuts of 1965 — then the Callander-Crianlarich section was abandoned and the Glasgow-Oban route became a branch of the West Highland line.

Prepare

The train is the easy bit. Timetables, fares and discounts are described on the National Rail website, which directs you to the multiple train operators to buy your ticket. Scotrail operates the regular day-time train but you can buy from any, including for connecting journeys from England to Glasgow. Reservations are essential for the sleeper from London (the booking horizon is 12 months), and recommended for day-time trains in July, August and around public holidays. The rail service connects with several Hebridean ferries and gets busy at peak times, and you don't want to be standing in the corridor all that way. Off-peak there's no problem buying tickets for immediate travel, but advance returns are generally a better deal. These may tie you to specific trains but this is not the sort of route you hop-on, hop-off on a whim.

You need accommodation, probably both in Glasgow and at your intended terminus. Glasgow itself is a great destination that deserves a few days to explore. It gets chock-a-bloc in August during the Edinburgh Festival, as everywhere within an hour's travel of that city is booked solid.

What do you intend to do at the north end? If it's just a stroll on the promenade and purchase of a souvenir tea-towel, preparation is simple. More is involved for water activities or mountain hikes, where you have to factor in changes in the weather and the logistics around train times. At any rate be better prepared than Sir Robert MacAlpine (1847-1934), founder of the construction firm, who set off with six colleagues to survey the intended route over Rannoch Moor. On a bleak January day in 1889, facing a 70-km hike over trackless bog, they were dressed as if sauntering down the street to the bank on a mild morning in May. Two days later they were rescued; it's a miracle they all survived. Their ordeal did some good as further evidence of the need for a railway.

Get in

Glasgow is the start of the West Highland Line, and the usual springboard for exploring it. The city has good air connections across Europe and within the UK, and trains and buses from London and all over Scotland; it has never been a ferry or liner port. There's lots to see and do here, and plenty of places to eat, drink and sleep.

Glasgow Central is the arrival terminus for trains from London Euston, Birmingham and Manchester, via Preston and Carlisle; the fastest trains from Euston run hourly and take 4 hours 30 min. Some trains from London Kings Cross via Newcastle and Edinburgh terminate here, but it's quicker to change in Edinburgh. Trains from southwest Scotland also run here, from Lanark, Motherwell, Dumfries, Kilmarnock, Stranraer (for Belfast ferry), Ayr, Prestwick Airport, Ardrossan (for Arran ferry), Largs, Troon, Wemyss Bay (for Bute ferry), Greenock and Gourock (for Dunoon ferry).

Central station is 500 m southwest of Queen Street station. It's simplest to walk, unless the weather is foul or you're laden with luggage or sprogs. Bus 398 is free if you show an onward rail ticket. Don't use the Underground, it's just as far to walk.

Buchanan Street bus station is 100 m west of Queen Street and has buses from London, Belfast, just about everywhere in Scotland, and from the main airport.

Glasgow Queen Street is the start for trains along the West Highland line. It has fast trains from Edinburgh via Falkirk, so this is your usual arrival point from London Kings Cross, Leeds, York, or Newcastle, changing at Edinburgh. (Slower trains from Edinburgh, including through-trains from England, trundle across the industrial central belt to Glasgow Central.) Services from Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee, Perth and Stirling also terminate at Queen Street. Saturdays it's thronged with football fans and drunks, but few of these are taking the West Highland train.

Scotrail trains are the principal service, running the length of the route six times M-Sa and thrice on Sunday. The first departs shortly after 05:00 and the last towards 18:30. These are composed of two-coach diesel (Class 156 Sprinter) units, and they start from Queen Street with two or three units, a four- or six-coach train which divides at Crianlarich. The front two or four carriages turn west to Oban while the rear unit of two carriages continues north to Fort William and Mallaig. There is a corridor between units.

The Caledonian Highland Sleeper runs F-Su from London Euston to Fort William, booking essential. It departs after 21:00 and runs northwest via Preston to reach Edinburgh in the early hours, where portions detach for Aberdeen and for Inverness. Passengers in the seating saloon without a sleeper bunk must change coaches here, but you can't use this train for Edinburgh or Glasgow - instead take the Lowland Sleeper which leaves Euston towards midnight. The Fort William portion rumbles across the central belt and through Glasgow to join the West Highland route approaching Dumbarton some time after 06:00, and from here on can be used as a day train. It stops at all stations on the way including Crianlarich but has no portion (or sensible connection) for Oban, as the first Scotrail train of the day is 20 minutes ahead of it. It reaches Fort William at 10:00; the return south departs towards 20:00 to reach Euston for 08:00.

The Jacobite is a heritage steam-hauled tourist train between Fort William and Mallaig, departing daily April-Oct at 10:15 and returning at 16:00. May-Sept there's also a daily afternoon service, departing at 12:50 and back before 19:00. That means it connects with the sleeper both ways. It makes a 15-min stop at Glenfinnan to photograph the viaduct, and at Arisaig by request. The morning run gives you 90 min in Mallaig, while returning by the afternoon run gives you 4½ hours, enough for a boat trip. See Fort William for practicalities: the fare is about three times the Scotrail service.

Go
The full route from Glasgow takes 5½ hours to Mallaig or 3 hours to Oban, diverging at Crianlarich.

Between Oban and Mallaig takes about 5 hours, with a 30 minute wait at Crianlarich.

Glasgow to Crianlarich

 * (0 km) is the terminus for trains from Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee, Perth, Stirling and the faster trains from Edinburgh. Local through-trains use the basement platforms. The West Highland route carves away from this leash of tracks to rattle through the suburbs north of the Clyde.
 * (16.1 km) at the northwest edge of the city is near Auchentoshan Distillery.
 * Kilpatrick, Bowling and Dumbarton East are platform halts with trains from Glasgow to Helensburgh and Balloch, but the West Highland trains don't stop there.
 * (26.6 km) is where trains branch for Helensburgh Central and for Balloch on Loch Lomond. The town is tatty and industrial but has a fine castle on a crag overlooking the Clyde estuary. If you landed at Glasgow Airport, you could take a taxi direct here across Erskine Bridge to bypass Glasgow.
 * Dumbarton marks the boundary of the Highlands, and the first major transport obstacle in the shape of the "Argyll Alps". The road heads north along the bank of Loch Lomond, and a former railway did so, now a cycle track. The mainline railway however swings west to follow the shore of Gareloch, a sea inlet, and from here on is single track, not electrified.

 * (41.0 km) is close to Hill House, built and decorated by Charles Rennie Mackintosh in 1902/04. It's a mile uphill from the main town, which is more easily reached by the frequent trains to Helensburgh Central.
 * (51.9 km) is a Victorian beach resort blighted by the Royal Navy submarine base at Faslane, and other industry.
 * (62.9 km) are neighbouring villages on a low saddle of land between the hills flanking Loch Lomond and Loch Long. The A82 towards Inveraray also crosses here, so the villages are busy with traffic.
 * (82.1 km) at the north end of Loch Lomond has water sports. The route now climbs Glen Falloch.
 * (96.2 km, two hours out of Glasgow) is where the tracks diverge and daytime trains divide for Oban or for Fort William and Mallaig. (The sleeper has no portion for Oban.) It's the midway point on the West Highland Way long distance footpath and is set amidst mountains, but you need road transport to reach the trailheads to climb them.

Crianlarich to Oban

 * (104.2 km) on the west flank of the glen is slightly the more convenient of the two Tyndrum stations for accommodation there; the village stands on the West Highland Way. This branch of the line then climbs over the hills to descend into Glen Lochy / Glenorchy.
 * (123.5 km) is a pleasant village, birthplace of Labour Party leader John Smith (1938-1994).
 * (127.9 km) station is near the eastern head of freshwater Loch Awe, 41 km long. Kilchurn Castle is a scenic ruin at the tip of the loch, blasted by lightning in 1760. It was originally on an islet, became a peninsula when the water level was lowered in 1817, but occasionally becomes an island again thanks to the railway: after heavy rainfall the access path under the railway floods. Just beyond the station, St Conan's Kirk is a hotch-potch of just about every architectural style.
 * (133.1 km) is a request halt, where the big attraction 200 m from the platform is Cruachan Hydro Electric Power Station. This is housed in a cavern deep within the mountain: a guided tour buses you in. Its role is to meet spikes in demand for electricity, by releasing water from an upper loch to roar down through the turbines.
 * "Pass of Brander Stone Signals" is the Neolithic-sounding contraption protecting the line here from rock falls. Installed in 1882 shortly after the line opened, it's a screen of trip-wires: if a rock falls and breaks any wire, the mechanical semaphore signals go to "danger". A derailment in 2010 was caused by a fall starting below the wires; it caused a small fire aboard, left one coach teetering over the embankment, and caused eight minor injuries.

 * (142.4 km) is where you unexpectedly return to sea level, after what has felt like three hours of climbing, but the yellow bladder-wrack on the shore of Loch Etive is the proof. Half a mile north of the station are the gaunt ruins of the 18th / 19th century Bonawe Iron Furnace. It was wood- and charcoal-fired and could only produce pig iron: it became obsolete once coke-firing was developed to make steel.
 * (153.3 km) historically carried road traffic across the narrow outlet of Loch Etive. Tides here are fierce, with 30 km of sea loch to fill and empty twice a day. In 1903 a sort-of-railway, sort-of-road bridge was constructed. It was primarily a freight line to the slate quarries at Ballachulish, but from 1909 a low-loader also took cars across, a prototype which the designers of LeShuttle-Eurotunnel no doubt studied carefully. In 1914 a road was squeezed in besides the track, but with insufficient room for trains and vehicles to pass, so it became effectively a very long level-crossing. The track was removed in 1966 and it's now a traffic-light controlled road bridge on A828. Dunstaffnage Castle is glimpsed west beyond the bridge.
 * (163.3 km) is the agreeable terminus town. Lots of accommodation and other facilities here, and you may need an overnight stop if you're taking one of the Hebridean ferries. (To Craignure on Mull is the busiest, most frequent sailing.) The railway and bus stations are next to the ferry terminal.

Crianlarich to Fort William

 * Upper Tyndrum (103.8 km) is on the east flank of Glengarry, lying a little further from Tyndrum village than Lower station on the west flank. It is however undeniably more convenient if you hope to go to Fort William, rather than to Oban where the front portion of the train is heading. The line north is paralleled by A82 and the West Highland Way, until it sweeps round in a horseshoe bend over Allt Kinglass Viaduct.
 * (116.3 km) grew up after 1746, when a military road and bridge was built in the wake of the Jacobite rebellion. (Bonnie Prince Charlie had inadvertently done the locality a favour, since the River Orchy rates as a white-water kayaking destination, and you really don't want to be fording it.) The village is on the West Highland Way and there's a hostel within the station building. Beinn Dorain (1076 m / 3530 ft) to the east is ascended from here.
 * (141.2 km) feels like the most remote railway station anywhere, but you haven't seen Corrour yet. Rannoch Moor is a great boggy plateau where in places the track has to "float" on wooden stretchers. The road crosses its west edge then descends to the coast via Glencoe, while the line swerves east to avoid the gradient. However bleak, this moor is not a timeless wilderness, but the outcome of Victorian land use which the present owners are working to reverse and re-wild. B846 from Pitlochry and Loch Tummel ends at the station, and there's a cafe and bunkhouse. Gorton station once stood 15 km south, where a disused carriage was the village schoolhouse and the teacher rode up each morning from Bridge of Orchy.
 * (152.9 km) is near the summit of the line at 411 m / 1350 ft. It's reached by a private estate track, no visitor vehicles allowed but bicycles are welcome. The estate makes its money from visitors shooting deer or fish or bicycles or something. A hostel stands 2 km east; Loch Treig is the body of water seen west.
 * (169.0 km) is lower, as the route turns west and leaves the moor for the valley of the River Spean.
 * (178.2 km) is where River Roy flows into River Spean: look south (left side) for the waterfalls and Monessie Gorge. This village was home to the parents of Australia's only saint to date, Mary MacKillop (1842-1909, canonised 2010). They emigrated and Mary was born in the Melbourne suburb now called Fitzroy; she visited the ancestral home in 1870.
 * (183.5 km) is in the Great Glen, the fault line slicing diagonally across the Highlands and filled by a string of lochs, linked coast-to-coast by a navigable canal. The lake in the valley below is Loch Lochy, and Loch Ness is out of sight 30 km further northeast. The railway turns southwest.
 * (197.5 km) is the regional hub, with accommodation and other facilities. The Caledonian Sleeper terminates here, but in summer connects with "The Jacobite" steam train to Mallaig. The town is the north terminus of the West Highland Way, the base for climbing Ben Nevis, and is near Nevis Range skiing centre. Buses run to Inverness, Oban and the Isle of Skye. Fort William is on the coast but is not a ferry port, except for the dinky little ferry across Loch Linnhe to reach Ardnamurchan Peninsula.

Fort William to Mallaig

 * This extension to the line was completed in 1901 and has some of the best scenery, with stern mountains, douce pasture, shining waters and bold Victorian engineering juxtaposed. The train reverses out of Fort William and runs north around the head of Loch Linnhe, diverging from the line from Glasgow at Inverlochy Castle. Three battles were fought hereabouts, no wonder the castle is a ruin.

 * (201.2 km), where the line turns west, is near the start of the Caledonian Canal, which here ascends through the picturesque "Neptune's Staircase" flight of locks.
 * (202.8 km) is at the very foot of the Caledonian Canal, with a short flight of locks. You can easily walk along the towpath between here, Banavie and Neptune's Staircase.
 * (207.6 km) is the stirring name of the activity centre on the shore of Loch Eil, the western extension of Loch Linnhe.
 * (213.6 km) is a request halt near the head of that loch. These are the traditional heartlands of Clan Cameron, and one famous chieftain was "The Gentle Locheil" Donald Cameron (1695-1748). His support was pivotal in Bonnie Prince Charlie's decision to campaign in 1745. That Jacobite cause and many clansmen died at bayonet-point at Culloden. Lochiel escaped to die in exile in France, while his family and lands suffered ruthless reprisals.
 * (224.1 km) is best known for the long sweeping viaduct just before the station. You get a limited view from the train, though "The Jacobite" waits for a photo stop. Don't walk on the viaduct! - it's an active railway, you're trespassing and might get squished. (線路の上を歩かないでください, 请勿在铁路上行走！- yes this includes you!) The 21-m column below marks the launch of Bonnie Prince Charlie's campaign, when he landed and raised the Stuart royal standard on 19 Aug 1745 to optimistic huzzahs. By 1814 when the monument was erected, all of that lay in a romanticised Gaelic Dreamtime, and Scotsmen dressed in the clan-appropriate kilt were dying for the United Kingdom in the Napoleonic wars. The long lake starting here is Loch Sheil - like Loch Lomond this was a fjord where the outflow was blocked by glacial debris, so it became a freshwater lake. Viaduct and village are often used as TV / film locations, such as "Harry Potter and the Game of Thrones" or whatever it was.
 * (239.0 km) is a request stop. This sea loch is a branch of Loch nan Uamh. 5 km further down the line purports to be the grave of Professor Albus Dumbledore, the bookish magician of "Harry Throttler and the Game of Bones" or whatever. It's equally possible he faked his own death.
 * (246.6 km) is a request stop on the sea inlet of Loch nan Uamh. The Prince's Cairn is where on 20 Sept 1746 Bonnie Prince Charlie fled back to France, to resume his first and all-consuming love affair with the brandy bottle.
 * (252.3 km) has long sandy beaches and boat trips to the Small Isles of Rhum, Muck, Eigg and Canna.
 * (259.5 km) is a tiny village on the coast, with white sandy beaches.
 * (264.3 km) is the small fishing and ferry port at the end of the line; it has accommodation, a museum, and an inn with an extensive whisky collection. Mallaig used to be the main way to reach Skye, by ferry to Armadale. You can still come this way, but most road traffic nowadays goes north to cross by the bridge at Kyle of Lochalsh. Other ferry routes are to the Small Isles, to Lochboisdale on South Uist, and to Knoydart, the last villages of mainland Britain to have no road connection with the rest.

Go next

 * Glasgow is Scotland's largest city, full of interesting architecture, museums and culture. Edinburgh is only a hour away.
 * Oban has ferries to the islands of Mull, Lismore, Colonsay, Islay, Coll, Tiree, Barra and South Uist.
 * Fort William is a great base for hiking, at the foot of Britain's highest mountain Ben Nevis. A long distance path passes Loch Ness to reach Inverness.
 * Mallaig has ferries to Armadale on Skye, the Small Isles, and the Knoydart Peninsula.

title: West Highland Line


text:
West Highland Way

The West Highland Way is a 95 mile / 152 km long-distance path from Milngavie near Glasgow to Fort William in the Scottish Highlands. The WHW is one of four officially-designated "Long-Distance Routes" in Scotland, so local authorities support its maintenance.

Understand
The route was planned in the 1970s and opened in 1980 as Scotland's first designated Long Distance Path. It is at low to medium altitude, with the highest point at 550 m, way-marked and with the trail well beaten, downright eroded in places. Much of it is on cattle-drovers' trails and disused Georgian military and stagecoach routes. Some sections are suitable for mountain bikes or horse riding, some definitely not. It demands no mountaineering or rock-climbing skills. The section north of Inversnaid springs a nasty surprise upon anyone who takes a cursory glance at the map and expects a level stroll along the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond: those banks are a steep jumble of boulders. Rannoch Moor is the most exposed section, where lives have been lost. The main challenge is the day-after-day grind of 10-15 mile sections, when you're already weary from yesterday, the weather forecast is poor and your hiking companion is mutinous - what's not to like?

The West Highland Way proved popular and several other trails have been designated, but the most surprising was the 2010 badging of WHW as an international extension of the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine in the US. True, that trail was already extended through the Maritime Provinces to Newfoundland, and the arc of mountains continues into Europe. But the planning meeting maybe overlooked the opening up of the Atlantic between, and it feels like a branding or marketing ploy. Don't expect to see moose on the WHW as a result.

Prepare
The route can be walked any time of year but is pleasanter in summer, with milder weather, longer days and less boggy terrain underfoot. That's the peak tourist season so everything's open, but accommodation and transport may fill up. So you need to book your overnight stops, which commits you to travelling a fixed distance each day come wind or weather.

Two pinch points for accommodation are Inveroran Hotel beyond Bridge of Orchy, and Kingshouse Hotel at the top of Glencoe. These are likely to book solid even off-peak, and have no nearby alternative shelter except wild camping. So the timing of your entire itinerary could turn on their availability.

Those living in central Scotland can do the route as a series of day trips from home, driving to a convenient spot, doing a half-stage out and back, then home to resume the trip another time.

Devil o' The Highlands is an ultramarathon over the northern 42 miles of the route, from Tyndrum to Fort William. The next is probably 10 Aug 2024, tbc.

Get in
Standard advice is to walk from south to north, using the more gentle terrain in the south as a warm-up to the harder going further north, plus you have the sun and wind behind you.

Milngavie is easily reached by train or bus from Glasgow, and Fort William is a longer but regular journey from there.

Walk
It takes 6 to 9 days to complete the WHW, as you can double-up some of the shorter sections. The record for completing it is 13 hours 41 min 8 sec, set in 2017.

 * (mile 0) (pronounced "Mill-GUY") is a commuter town for Glasgow six miles southwest, linked by frequent trains and slower buses. Other hiking trails here are the Kelvinside Way from Glasgow, and the John Muir Way coast-to-coast from Dunbar via Edinburgh to Helensburgh. The town has a couple of Premier Inns aimed at business travellers, or it's realistic to stay in Glasgow then travel out to complete the first easy stage. WHW starts from the granite obelisk in town centre: plod north across the golf course and Mugdock woods, on into the fields and by small lochs. Zag west on B821 then on north by Dumgoyach Standing Stones, Dumgoyne village, west at Gartness to cross the river then bear north into Drymen. This section is 12 miles / 19 km, 5-6 hours and brings you into Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.

 * (mile 12) is a small village on the Glasgow-Stirling main road. It can be reached by bus from Balloch, which has frequent trains from Glasgow. Drymen is also the start of Rob Roy Way to Aberfeldy and Pitlochry. It has campsites, B&Bs and a couple of hotels. The WHW goes through the commercial pines of Garadhban Forest and you catch your first glimpse of Loch Lomond. Now ascend Conic Hill, which marks the transition into the Highlands. It's worth a short detour to the summit at 358 m, where you see how the loch islands lie along the same fault line. Descend steeply into Balmaha - there's a low-level route here from Drymen if the weather's too foul to cross the hill. This section is only 6 miles / 10 km, and many walkers combine it with the next to Rowardennan.

 * (mile 18) is a small village by Loch Lomond, end of the line for buses from Balloch via Drymen. In summer water buses cross the loch four times a day from Luss. The village has a bunkhouse and B&B. The WHW simply follows the loch shore, but up and down over the crags and bluffs. This section is touristy as it's the approach to Ben Lomond, but in May and June all the woods along the east bank are a riot of bluebells. There are four designated campsites along the route, and wild camping is not permitted here March-Oct. The narrow lane alongside has no parking until you reach the edge of Rowardennan. From Drymen this section is 14 miles / 23 km, 6-7 hours.

 * (mile 25) is the end of the road along the east loch shore. In summer a water bus sails once a day from Tarbet on the west shore. Rowardennan is the start of the easiest trail up Ben Lomond so on fine summer days the car park fills up early - the overflow is half a mile further out. There's a hostel and a hotel here. The WHW follows an undulating course along the loch, passing a bothy halfway at Rowchoish. It's 7 miles / 11 km to Inversnaid, and some walkers press on to Inverarnan.

 * (mile 33) can be reached by road from Aberfoyle through The Trossachs. There's a hostel and a hotel (which is often full with coach tours). The next section is surprisingly tough, up and down the boulder-strewn banks falling steeply to the loch. "Rob Roy's Cave" is not worth a detour. You reach easier grassy going at Creag a' Mhadaidh, and there's a bothy at Doune. Ardleish has a jetty for the water bus to Ardlui, hoist an orange ball to call it, but check ahead that's it's sailing.

 * (mile 37) is an overnight stop on the opposite shore of the loch, so consider your bail-out options if you can't reach it. It's on the busy main road, with buses and trains from Glasgow to Crianlarich, Oban and Fort William. It's an activity centre for the north end of the loch, and accommodation is mostly pricy. Next morning you return on the water bus to Ardleish and continue the trek north. You ascend Cnap Mòr, take a last look at Loch Lomond, then the mountains of the north come into view. Descend through woods to Beinglas, which has camping and other accommodation, or turn west for half a mile to Inverarnan which has more. From Rowardennan this section is 14 miles / 22.5 km, 7 hours.

 * (mile 40) is on the main road and bus route from Glasgow, but the trains don't stop here. There is the Drover's Inn and Beinglas Campsite. Return to Beinglas for WHW, which now is easier going along the riverside of Glen Falloch, through grazing land and woodland. A side trail leads to Crianlarich (a one mile detour) but most walkers continue to Tyndrum.

 * (mile 46) is a large village with accommodation and transport. Trains from Glasgow divide here for Oban or Fort William and Mallaig. Retrace your detour to rejoin WHW on the hill. The route comes into the valley of the River Fillan, draining east into the Tay. At the bridge crossing the river is an ancient priory and graveyard. Continue up the glen to Auchertyre, which has camping, then three miles further is Tyndrum. From Inverarnan this section is 12 miles / 19 km, 5-6 hours, leaving the National Park.

 * (mile 52) is a village at the junction of the roads to Oban or Glencoe and Fort William. The railway from Glasgow has already divided, so the west station has trains to Oban and the east to Fort William and Mallaig; they're both about a mile from village centre. The WHW continues north through easy valley terrain to Bridge of Orchy.
 * (mile 59) is on the main road north, with buses and trains to Fort William, and accommodation. Most walkers push on to Inveroran, three miles further over a low ridge. You're on the line of the 18th century military road, built to march troops towards rebellious Highlanders; 1745 was when it dawned on the government that it equally helped rebels march south. From Tyndrum this section is 9 miles / 14 km, 4-5 hours.

 * (mile 62) can be reached by a narrow dead-end lane from Bridge of Orchy. It has one historic hotel, otherwise you have to wild camp. The route north is the military road across Rannoch Moor, abandoned as a highway when the A82 was built further east. This means firm going and easy navigation across a notoriously boggy, hazardous heath. The scenery is sublime in good weather and desolate in bad. This section is 10 miles / 15.5 km, 4-5 hours to Kingshouse Hotel, where some walkers continue to Kinlochleven.

 * (mile 72) is at the top of Glencoe near the ski lifts, with views of louring Buachaille Etive Mor. It's a historic inn which quartered troops during the Jacobite troubles; Dorothy Wordsworth in 1803 was aghast at how dirty it was. Several renovations later, it's the main accommodation, often booked up far in advance, astride the busy main road and bus route. The descent through Glencoe to the village is dramatic but a ten mile diversion. WHW however continues on the military road, with the sharp ascent of the "Devil's Staircase", a well-marked zigzag to the highest point on the entire route at 550 m. It's now a long but straightforward descent to Kinlochleven at sea level. From Inveroran this section is 9 miles / 14 km, 4-5 hours.

 * (mile 80) is the village at the head of Loch Leven (just as its name says) with buses from the larger villages of Ballachulish and Glencoe. There's camping and small hotels, and a short walk north is Grey Mare's Tail waterfall. The last section of WHW is a steady climb into Lairigmoor, a glacial valley, on the military road over the Mamores. Ben Nevis comes into view. Finally descend via forestry trails into Glen Nevis and Fort William. Trudge through town to the ceremonial end point "Sair Feet", a bench with a sculpture of a weary walker. This section is 15 miles / 24.5 km, 6-7 hours.

 * (mile 95) is the unattractive but substantial town at journey's end. It has buses from Glasgow heading to Skye, and from Inverness via Loch Ness. The Caledonian Highland Sleeper from London Euston terminates here, while trains from Glasgow continue to Mallaig, for ferries to Skye and the Small Isles. Lots of accommodation and other facilities, and a couple of bashed-up castles.

Stay safe
You never know, the weather might be glorious. But you must plan on the assumption that at some point bad weather will set in, with stiff cold winds and driving rain. You need waterproof outer clothing and stout boots that are well worn-in. Several sections of WHW are remote, with no bail-out option or mobile signal. Carry enough water, as anything along the way has already been used by livestock.

Conic Hill is the geological boundary of the Highlands, but for hikers the true marker is the arrival of the Great West Highland Midge. They generally clock you on their radar north of Rowardennan, and scramble to intercept in hungry clouds. Don't camp in summer if you react badly to bites.

Go next

 * The West Highland Line is a scenic railway from Glasgow running close to WHW in its central section between Ardlui, Crianlarich and Bridge of Orchy. The south section is away west via Helensburgh to avoid the "Arrochar Alps", the north sweeps east across Rannoch Moor to avoid the steep descent of Glencoe. From Fort William it continues to Glenfinnan and Mallaig, with a steam-hauled heritage train in summer.
 * Ben Nevis, the UK's highest mountain, rises near Fort William.
 * Great Glen Way continues the northward slog, a 73 mile walking and cycling route from Fort William to Inverness.
 * The Speyside Way is a walking and cycling route from Newtonmore down the valley through Aviemore and Grantown to the Moray coast near Elgin. There isn't a link trail from Fort William, pick your own route.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: West Highland Way


text:
Westhill

Westhill is a town in Aberdeenshire, seven miles west of Aberdeen. It was built as a "greenfield" commuter town and industrial park from 1968, and by 2020 had grown to a population of 12,110. So it's a bland modern place, yet it's set in a landscape of ancient stone circles and castles. It's also close to Aberdeen Airport and might make for a more interesting stop-over than the airport hotels.

Understand
Scotland's postwar population increased rapidly and its existing housing stock was in poor condition, or in the wrong place as new industries replaced the old. The mid-to-late 20th century was an era of ambitious but not entirely successful house building, best known being the "New Towns" of Livingston, Glenrothes, Cumbernauld, East Kilbride and Irvine. There were also substantial developments expanding existing cities, and a few greenfield settlements that didn't follow the pattern of the New Towns - and Westhill is one of these.

The name "Westhill" was conjured up in 1859 when a landowner combined the farms and names of Wester Kinmundy and Blackhills. It remained farmland until 1968 when a local entrepreneur developed it, nicely timed to catch the Aberdeen oil boom. It grew rapidly as a commuter town and as a light-industrial park for any business that didn't care to pay Aberdeen's spiralling land prices and taxes. In the 1980s the city council eyed this upstart town and tried to incorporate it within Aberdeen, but was rebuffed sharply enough that it hasn't tried again. The local oil and gas industries are in their sunset years as North Sea reserves become harder to reach and carbon-based fuels are seen as harmful. Nevertheless it's still a major player in Westhill, for instance in sub-sea ROV and robot technology to replace human divers. And any commuter or business looking for a cheap alternative to the city is ten years too late, as prices within Westhill rocketed even before the re-aligned A90 improved its transport.

Get in
is 6 miles north of Westhill. By public transport you need to go into city centre and out again, but a taxi will scoot along the A90 in ten minutes.

Aberdeen is the nearest railway station, with hourly services from Dundee which variously start from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds or London. The city also has trains every couple of hours from Inverness, ferries from Orkney and Shetland, and inter-city buses.

Road access to Westhill was greatly improved in 2019 by the A90 Aberdeen bypass, officially the Western Peripheral Route. This makes a great loop west of the city to pass within a mile of Westhill, so coming from south, north or wherever, follow A90, which is mostly fast dual-carriageway. The last mile is on A944, which runs from Aberdeen to Westhill then away out cross-country to Rhynie, which is almost a byword for "nowhere in particular".

By bus the operator is Stagecoach Bluebird. All buses start from Aberdeen Union Square, next to the railway station and ferry port.
 * - Bus 4 / 5 / 6 / 6a to Kingswells P&R and Westhill (45 min), M-Sa every 10 min and Sunday every 30 min. Bus 14 also runs as far as the P&R.
 * - Bus 218 to Kingswells P&R, Westhill and Alford M-Sa every 3 hours.

There isn't a bus station, buses loop around Westhill Drive, Old Skene Rd, Wellgrove Rd and Straik Rd.

Get around
The town is small enough to walk, and the bus (above) gets you into Aberdeen, but you need your own wheels for Castle Fraser and the prehistoric sites scattered round the shire.

Taxi firms are Westhill Taxis (+44 1224 444 444) and PGM (+44 7849 582319).

See

 * is man-made: the valley outflow was dammed in the 19th century to create a reservoir to power tweed mills, and after 1905 for electricity generation. It's shallow and a roosting spot for many waterfowl. The Tower House and gateway on A944 on its north shore is a fine piece of Edwardian money-no-object whimsy. It's part of the estate of Dunecht House, a couple of miles further west and privately owned.
 * is a compact Bronze Age circle two miles south of the loch. A survey of 1820 noted nine satellite circles, which now can't be found.
 * is a ring-fort atop Barmekin Hill off B977, with five concentric defences.
 * is a recumbent stone circle: the chief stone hasn't been knocked over but was lain flat, presumably aligned with something that's been lost. It's along B9119, use the car park south across the road.
 * Midmar Castle is a well-preserved 16th-century tower house half a mile west of Sunhoney. It's a private residence, no tours.
 * Midmar Stone Circle is another half mile west up B9119. It's within the grounds of Christchurch.
 * : see Ballater for this castle managed by NTS.
 * : see Ballater for this castle managed by NTS.

Do

 * Westhill Swimming Pool is on Hays Way and open daily 9AM-6PM.
 * Westdyke Leisure Centre is on 4 Westdyke Ave.
 * Golf: Westhill Golf Club is north side of town. White tees 5813 yards, par 70, visitor round £28.
 * Others nearby are Craibstone, Auchmill and Hazlehead Pines. Aberdeen is ringed by golf courses.

Buy

 * Westhill Shopping Centre is off Old Skene Rd a block west of the Holiday Inn. Aldi is just north, open M-Sa 8AM-10PM, Su 9AM-10PM.
 * The Farmers Market is held here first Saturday of the month 9AM-1PM at Ashdale Hall.

Sleep

 * Aberdeen Airport has half a dozen hotels, convenient for Westhill with your own car.
 * Aberdeen Airport has half a dozen hotels, convenient for Westhill with your own car.
 * Aberdeen Airport has half a dozen hotels, convenient for Westhill with your own car.
 * Aberdeen Airport has half a dozen hotels, convenient for Westhill with your own car.
 * Aberdeen Airport has half a dozen hotels, convenient for Westhill with your own car.

Connect
The town has 4G from all UK carriers, covering the road into Aberdeen and the A90 bypass, but soon fading to the west. As of Oct 2021, 5G has reached Aberdeen city centre but has not extended out to Westhill.

The Golden Post Boxes on Westhill Drive commemorate Tim Baillie's victory in the C2 canoe slalom at the 2012 London Olympics. They'd fobbed him off with a dinky one but then added a proper pillarbox. Neither box conveys mail any faster than usual.

Go next

 * Aberdeen is more than just the transport hub, it's a fine old city that deserves a couple of days to explore.
 * Banchory brings you into the scenic Dee valley. Crathes Castle is the top sight, continue up the valley for Balmoral, Royal Deeside and the Cairngorms.
 * Craigevar Castle is 20 miles west of Westhill on B9119, but see Banchory for description.

title: Westhill


text:
West Hollywood

West Hollywood is a city on the West Side of Los Angeles, sandwiched between the Hollywood and Fairfax districts of Los Angeles to the east and Beverly Hills to the west. West Hollywood is home to the famous Sunset Strip, with its nightlife and its rock-music history, many prominent design institutions, and to the largest gay nightlife district in the Los Angeles area.

Understand
Sunset Boulevard through West Hollywood is the famous Sunset Strip, with its flashy billboards, nightclubs, and hotels famous for their Hollywood history. However, the main commercial area of West Hollywood lies along Santa Monica Boulevard, with many small shops, restaurants, and the center of the city's gay community. Though well known for its population of gay men, "WeHo" also has large numbers of Russian immigrants and a large Jewish population.

In the late 1960s, West Hollywood welcomed music clubs such as the Whiskey A-Go-Go and the Troubadour, venues that eventually became renowned launch pads for many famous musical acts. More music clubs soon followed, establishing West Hollywood as a linchpin of the music industry.

The area of Los Angeles immediately adjacent to the southeast of West Hollywood, the Fairfax District, contains some attractions mistakenly thought to be in West Hollywood (like Canter's Deli); that area is covered in that article. Similarly, the area surrounding the Beverly Center mall and the La Cienga corridor to the north is commonly thought of as West Hollywood although it is mostly in the city of Los Angeles; this area is however included in this article.

Get in
From I-405 or US 101, take Santa Monica Boulevard about 5 miles (8 km). From I-10, take Fairfax or La Cienega north about two miles.

By public transit, West Hollywood is served by many frequent Metro bus routes. Frequent east-west routes include the 2 on Sunset Blvd, 4 and Metro Rapid 704 on Santa Monica Blvd, 10 on Melrose Ave, 14 on Beverly Blvd, and 16 on 3rd Street. Frequent north-south routes include the 30 along San Vicente Blvd, the 105 and Metro Rapid 705 along La Cienga Blvd, and the 217 and Metro Rapid 780 along Fairfax Ave.

See

 * West Hollywood's main tourist draw is the Sunset Strip, a section of Sunset Boulevard lined with flashy billboards, restaurants, nightclubs, and hotels famous for their Hollywood and rock-and-roll history. Take a walk or cruise along the Strip and see what there is to see.

Buy
Robertson Blvd. runs through West Hollywood and is a trendy shopping district. It's famous for its many boutiques and for its celebrities and the trailing paparazzi.

Eat
Many of West Hollywood's favorite restaurants line Santa Monica Boulevard. Many of these are as much about "seeing and being seen" as they are about food.

Go next

 * Hollywood. West Hollywood's more famous neighbor to the east.
 * Beverly Hills. West Hollywood's more famous neighbor to the west.

title: West Hollywood


text:
West Iceland

West Iceland (Icelandic:  Vesturland ) is the region of Iceland north of the capital.

Towns

Listed from south to north:
 * and Borgarbyggð – a town by Borgarfjörður about an hour and a half from Reykjavík by car and its municipality. Borgarnes used to be a service centre for the neighbouring farming communities, but has a developed tourist industry and is a good place to stay for those wanting to get out of Reykjavík while remaining close to the south-west corner.
 * – the largest town on Snæfellsnes and gateway to the islands of Breiðafjörður. Has many houses of Danish influence dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries.
 * – to the west of Stykkishólmur, on the north coast of Snæfellsnes.
 * , Rif and Ólafsvík – three villages on the western end of Snæfellsnes, close to Snæfellsjökull and the national park.
 * – small village in Dalirnir, known for its cheese production.

Other destinations

 * – former home of Snorri Sturluson, medieval poet, author and chieftain.
 * – on the tip of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, this park is home to the ice-covered volcanic crater that was the setting for Jules Verne's book Journey to the Center of the Earth.
 * – the largest island in Breiðafjörður, and the only one that is inhabited.
 * — A shield volcano and former glacier. There is a memorial plaque for the glacier, dated 2019, with the inscription "Ok is the first Icelandic glacier to lose its status as a glacier. In the next 200 years all our glaciers are expected to follow the same path. This monument is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it."

Understand
West Iceland can be split into four main areas. Furthest north are Dalirnir (The Valleys), a farming area mainly seen by tourists driving through on their way to North Iceland. Dalirnir contain a remarkable natural phenomenon, though: The hills. There are many of them. Very many in fact. And some of the hills have hills on top of them. Icelandic legend has it that the hills are so many that they're uncountable.

A second uncountable phenomenon is found to the west of Dalirnir. Breiðafjörður is a large bay scattered with a supposedly uncountable number of small islands. In earlier times these islands were all used for farming purposes, but today only one of them is inhabited, the island of Flatey.

South of Breiðafjörður is a large, long peninsula. Snæfellsnes is one long mountain range with stunning, if barren, beauty. Dotted along the coastline are fishing communities, with farming taking place on the little lowland regions found between the coast and the mountains.

Finally, to the south of Snæfellsnes, there is the farming area surrounding Borgarfjörður. This is an important agricultural area, reaching far inland. Borg, the farm after which both Borgarfjörður and the town of Borgarnes are named, was the home of Egill Skallagrímsson, the titular character of Egil's Saga. Further inland, Reykholt was home to Snorri Sturluson, one of the most important players in Iceland's 14th-century civil war and chronicler of Norwegian kings. Today the area is home to two universities, the Icelandic University of Agriculture and Bifröst University.

Get in
West Iceland is linked to Southwest and North Iceland via the ring road. If you are arriving from Reykjavík, you will most likely go through a tunnel under Hvalfjörður (the fjord marking the start of West Iceland). Taking a detour around Hvalfjörður instead is a scenic drive, and well worth it if you have the time. Since the tunnel was built, the traffic levels are very low and sights include the country's only whaling station in operation as well as innumerable waterfalls, mountains and rivers. However it's a long drive, 59 km, as opposed to the 6-km long tunnel.

If you're arriving from the Westfjords, there are two roads, one on each coast of the peninsula that links the regions. Or you can take a ferry from Brjánslækur, on the south coast of the Westfjords, called Baldur. Brjánslækur is only a ferry port and the closest towns are Bíldudalur and Patreksfjörður, both around 50 km away. The terminal on the West Iceland side of the route is Stykkishólmur on Snæfellsnes, with a stop in Flatey on the way.

There are no scheduled flights into West Iceland.

Get around
Roads mainly trace the coastline in West Iceland, with a few mountain passes and more inland roads in the rural area northeast of Borgarfjörður. The Ring Road bypasses large sections of the region, including Snæfellsnes and Dalirnir, meaning traffic can be very light. Although most roads are paved, the very tip of the Snæfellsnes peninsula is not, nor are some of the mountain passes. In some places, the road on Snæfellsnes sits on a very narrow ledge, with a long and steep fall to the sea below.

Driving on your own is the most flexible way of getting around, but there are some bus routes operated by Straeto. Hitch hiking is an option for those travelling by bus who want to reach destinations not served by the bus system.

To get to the islands of Breiðafjörður, a boat is needed. Only Flatey is served by regular ferries from Stykkishólmur, crossing over to Brjánslækur on the south coast of the Westfjords. If you wish to visit other islands you will need to arrange transportation locally, but frankly most of them are small and without much to see.

See

Natural beauty is the main attraction of the region, particularly Snæfellsnes and the islands of Breiðafjörður.

 * Deildartunguhver – Europe's biggest hot spring, measured in amounts of water. Close to Reykholt.
 * Snæfellsnes – a magnificent mountain range that forms a peninsula separating the bays of Faxaflói and Breiðafjörður. A trip around the peninsula will allow you to see the ocean and the mountains. Many waterfalls come out of the mountain cliffs and there are a number of beautiful rivers running from the mountains into the ocean. This is also the best place in Iceland to see orcas.

Do

 * The islands of Breiðafjörður – according to Icelandic legend, the islands of Breiðafjörður are so many that they're uncountable. Sightseeing trips are available from Stykkishólmur as are tours to some of the larger islands.
 * Glacier tours – go to the top of Snæfellsjökull glacier. You can get a ride in special trucks, or simply hike up on your own. Remember to pack sunglasses!
 * Danish days – the town festival in Stykkishólmur held each August, celebrating the town's historic links to Denmark.

Eat
West Iceland is not traditionally a culinary destination, even by Icelandic standards. However there is some important food production. Snæfellsnes is a fishing area, so look for fresh fish, especially in the small villages on the western end of the peninsula. Búðardalur is known in Iceland for its cheese production, although the cheese produced are generally not of a local type (brie, cheddar etc.). There are geothermal areas in the vicinity of Borgarfjörður, and by extension there is greenhouse farming. Sometimes it will be possible to buy vegetables direct from the farmer and there's a popular stall selling tomatoes by Deildartunguhver.

Most villages will have some restaurants, but there are also some interesting rural eating options with fantastic scenery. These include Hótel Búðir (fine dining) and Fjöruhúsið (a small café), both on the southern coast of Snæfellsnes.

Drink
West Iceland has a local beer, and a local vodka. The beer is called Jökull and brewed by Mjöður Brugghús in Stykkishólmur. Reyka Vodka is distilled in Borgarnes.

As everywhere in Iceland, alcohol can only be bought in Vínbúðin. This can be interesting in some of the smaller villages and in Ólafsvík the liquor store is also a baby clothes store.

Stay safe
Don't worry about crime - you probably won't see very many people at all. The biggest risk is falling off the road. Especially going up the mountain, be careful and watch for oncoming traffic.

As the peninsula sticks directly into the Atlantic, the area tends to be very windy.

title: West Iceland


text:
West Ireland

West Ireland is a region on the western (Atlantic) seaboard of Ireland that comprises County Galway, County Mayo and County Roscommon. Visitorscsrecattracted by its inland rivers, lakes, mountains and plains, off-shore islands, beaches, and its rugged coastline. The West Region is largely rural, with only 30% of its population living in urban areas. It is noted for its continuance of Irish traditions, such as the Irish language in the region's Gaeltacht areas.

Towns

 * is a lively historic city on the coast - even Christopher Columbus came here.
 * is the archbishopric and has been a religious centre for 1500 years.
 * , a Victorian seaside resort, is the main town in Connemara.
 * is on scenic Clew Bay. Nearby is the pilgrimage mountain of Croagh Patrick.
 * is Mayo's market and county town.
 * has several ruined abbeys and a rugged coastline. The French invasion of 1798 began nearby at Killala.
 * is in an area dotted with prehistoric, medieval and later ruins.
 * spans between Counties Leitrim and Roscommon. It's near major junctions on the Shannon waterways.

Other destinations

 * – all three are inhabited, and dotted with prehistoric and early Christian sites. There are daily ferries and flights.
 * – the scenic west of County Galway, with rugged granite peaks. Be grateful you don't have to farm it.
 * is reached by a bridge. It has several haunting deserted villages, Slievemore being the biggest.

Understand
With a population of 486,000 in 2022, it's one of the eight regions of Ireland for statistical and planning purposes, more lyrically named "IE042 - NUTS Level III". It's never been a unit of local government, but it roughly corresponds to the ancient Kingdom of Connacht.

In bygone times it was easier to move people and livestock around this region by boat than to slog across the terrain, so settlements grew up on the coast. One sheltered bay attracted so many Viking, Norman and other incomers that it was called "Foreigners" - Gaillimh or Galway. Inland there's a surprising amount of fertile lowland, where settlements and religious centres grew up. Yet it's testament to the terrain in the 6th century that when St Jarlath set off in a brand-new chariot, he only got 3 km to Tuam then the wheelshaft broke; despairing of roadside rescue, he settled and founded a monastery.

In early Christian and medieval times this region roughly corresponded to the Kingdom of Connacht, who in legend battled mightily with the Ulaid, the Ulstermen. (Both fielded superheroes: Queen Maebh or Mab of Connacht wielded a debilitating curse, but Ulster had Finn McCool whenever he wasn't busy building the Giant's Causeway.) But from the 1230s they much preferred fighting among themselves, so the Normans took advantage. The Irish rolled back the Normans in the 14th century so not until the Tudor period did England have control. Ironically later it was loyalty to the English crown that was the area's undoing: first Cromwell then the incoming King William took exception to this. Power and sea trade drained away to Dublin, overland transport remained as poor as ever, and there was little industry. Connacht was a poor enough place even in the good years, and the famine years struck hard. Agitation for reform grew in the late 19th century, when one unpopular County Mayo land agent had his name immortalised: Captain Boycott.

There was a great outflow of population in the 19th and 20th centuries, but little inflow. The west therefore has many areas where Irish remains the first language; English is always understood but place names (eg on road signs) are often only in their Irish form. It's travel and tourism that has revitalised this region, with railways, motorways and budget flights. Connemara and Galway city are the best known destinations, but it all deserves exploring; it's marketed by the national tourist agency as the Wild Atlantic Way.

Get in

 * is in Mayo, 20 km north of Knock village. It has flights mostly by Ryanair from London Stansted, Luton and other UK cities, and a few European destinations.
 * Since you need a car to get around, you might prefer to fly into Dublin or Shannon (near Limerick) and drive over.
 * Trains run from Dublin Heuston via Athlone to Athenry and Galway, and to Roscommon, Castlebar and Westport, with connections to Ballina.
 * They run from Dublin Connolly via Longford to Carrick-on-Shannon, Boyle and Sligo.
 * Buses radiate out from Dublin Busáras and Airport. See individual cities, the main lines are Dublin-Longford, branching for Sligo or Ballina, and Dublin-Athlone-Galway.
 * Cross-country buses are Derry-Letterkenny-Sligo-Knock-Tuam-Galway, Ballina-Castlebar-Galway, and Cork-Limerick-Galway.
 * By road from Dublin, for Galway and the south of this region follow M4 / M6. For Carrick and Mayo further north, leave M4 for N4 through Longford.

By bus
See above for inter-town routes. Where a journey is also possible by train, that's usually the better method: public transport in the West is taxpayer-subsidised but they won't support multiple modes.

Galway is the only place where you're likely to use town buses. See individual towns for details of village and "Local Link" services. These are sparse, and timetables are designed for locals to come into town for work, school, shopping and other necessities then get home; they're not designed for sight-seeing.

By boat

 * Ferries ply daily to the Aran Islands from Rossaveel near Spiddal and in summer from Doolin. They sail to Inishbofin Island from Cleggan north of Clifden.
 * Boyle and Carrick-on-Shannon at the east edge of this region are on the navigable Shannon waterway network, which connects the length and breadth of Ireland.

By car
Rental car hire is available in Galway, but you'll find better deals by pre-booked hire from your airport of arrival.

You'll travel quickly on the main roads, but minor roads are often narrow and twisty, with no opportunity to overtake the eejit tourist ahead of you. Visitor cars may not be taken to the Aran Islands or Inishbofin, but for the other islands it's the best method, as you drive across the bridge. In country areas don't let your tank dip below a quarter, the winding distances are further than they look on the map. E-car charging points are scarce outside Galway city.

See

 * Prehistoric settlements: Rathcrogan near Roscommon is a good example, but the best are on the Aran Islands.
 * Castles: crumbling turrets everywhere, Athenry has a well-preserved medieval castle off the beaten track. They were too cold and rat-ridden for modern tastes so their stone was often recycled into plush Georgian mansions, leaving a picturesque stump.

Do

 * Hill walking: none of the summits are technically demanding, but they are noticeably wet. Some of the most attractive hikes are in Connemara, with the Twelve Bens and Diamond Hill.
 * Pilgrimage: the shrine at Knock draws visitors worldwide, and there's an annual pilgrimage from Ballintubber Abbey to the summit of Croagh Patrick near Westport.
 * Gaelic games: each county has a GAA team, playing predominantly Gaelic football, and there are some 160 club sides across the region.
 * Watch Rugby Union: Connacht Rugby are one of the four Irish professional teams playing in Pro14, the top European (predominantly Celtic) tournament. Their home stadium is in Galway city.
 * Go to the races: there are tracks at Ballinrobe near Cong, at Roscommon, and in Galway. The "Castlebar Races" however were a famous humiliation of the British.
 * The Wild Atlantic Way is a coastal itinerary from Donegal all the way to Kinsale near Cork. There's no set route but generally there's a main road near the coast which you loop off to fishing villages or across bridges to several islands.

Eat

 * Galway has most choice, but few really outstanding: Ard Bia is among the best.
 * Around the region, the pubs and small hotels will often be your best bet.
 * Top choices are Gleeson's in Roscommon, Mulhern's in Crossmolina south of Ballina, Newport House in  Newport, and two places on tiny Inis Meáin island.

Drink

 * Irish whiskey is distilled in Drumshanbo, at Lough Mask near Cong, in Ballina, and on Achill Island.
 * McHale's in Castlebar is the only pub that still serves Guinness by the meejum, an obscure measure short of a pint.

Stay safe

 * Traffic is by far your biggest hazard. Take usual precautions about valuables, the weather and conditions underfoot, and the occasional aggressive drunk.

Go next

 * County Sligo north is haunting scenery of cloud-wreathed limestone scarps.
 * East, the Shannon marks the transition to the pastoral midlands, with quiet places for boating and angling such as Carrick-on-Shannon.
 * South, limestone scenery resumes in the stark plateau of The Burren in County Clare, which ends in the great Cliffs of Moher.

title: West Ireland