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Scottish Long-Distance Trail Compare

Side-by-side comparison of Scotland's eight major long-distance walking trails. Pick two or more routes and see distance, ascent, duration, difficulty, best months, accommodation density and resupply notes in one grid — the comparison table nobody has actually written until now.

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Comparison

3 routes side-by-side

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West Highland Way

Milngavie → Fort William

Distance
96 mi / 154 km
Typical duration
7 days
Total ascent
3,200 m
Difficulty
Moderate
Waymarked
Yes
Best direction
South to north
Best months
Apr, May, Jun, Sep

Highlights

  • Conic Hill viewpoint over Loch Lomond
  • The Devils Staircase descent into Kinlochleven
  • Rannoch Moor crossing
  • Final approach to Fort William under Ben Nevis

Accommodation

Everything from campsites to 4-star hotels. Book 6+ months ahead for high season. Macs Adventure and similar companies run baggage-transfer itineraries.

Resupply

Resupply available at Drymen, Balmaha, Rowardennan, Inverarnan, Tyndrum, Kingshouse, Kinlochleven, Fort William. No genuinely remote sections.

Great Glen Way

Fort William → Inverness

Distance
79 mi / 127 km
Typical duration
6 days
Total ascent
2,000 m
Difficulty
Easy
Waymarked
Yes
Best direction
South to north
Best months
Apr–Sep

Highlights

  • Neptune's Staircase at Banavie
  • The high-level alternative above Loch Ness
  • Drumnadrochit and Urquhart Castle
  • Finish on the banks of the River Ness in Inverness

Accommodation

Well-served by B&Bs and small hotels. Several campsites and a handful of wild camping spots. Book ahead in July-August.

Resupply

Resupply available at Gairlochy, Laggan, Fort Augustus, Invermoriston, Drumnadrochit. Longest resupply gap is ~25km around Invergarry.

Cape Wrath Trail

Fort William → Cape Wrath

Distance
230 mi / 370 km
Typical duration
18 days
Total ascent
12,000 m
Difficulty
Expert
Waymarked
No
Best direction
South to north
Best months
May, Jun, Sep

Highlights

  • Knoydart peninsula crossing
  • The Falls of Glomach
  • Beinn Dearg Mor and Fisherfield
  • Sandwood Bay

Accommodation

Bothies, wild camps, occasional bunkhouses. Shenavall, Strabeg, Strathchailleach and Kearvaig are the famous overnight bothies along the route.

Resupply

Limited. Fort William, Strathcarron, Ullapool, Kinlochbervie are the main resupply points. Some sections require 5+ days of food between resupplies.

Distance and ascent figures are from the Long-Distance Trails dataset and verified against Ordnance Survey mapping. Typical days assumes an average walker on a standard itinerary — fit walkers do the WHW in 5 days, slow walkers take 9. Use the figures as a planning baseline, not a prescription.

How it works

Pick any number of Scotland's long-distance trails from the picker above and the tool renders a side-by-side comparison grid with every stat that matters for choosing between them. No favourites, no sponsorships, no “best of” rankings — just the same dataset that drives the Long-Distance Trails listing laid out next to each other so you can actually see how they differ.

Eight routes are in the dataset today: West Highland Way, Great Glen Way, Southern Upland Way, Speyside Way, Rob Roy Way, John Muir Way, Cape Wrath Trail and the Fife Coastal Path. We'll add the rest of Scotland's 29 Great Trails as they move through editorial review — the tool will pick them up automatically once they're in the dataset.

Typical duration assumes an average walker on a standard itinerary. Fit walkers do the West Highland Way in 5 days; slower walkers take 9. The dataset shows a middle figure that matches the packaged tour operator schedules most newcomers end up walking.

Difficulty grading is our own editorial call and combines total ascent, terrain, remoteness, waymarking and the consequences of navigation error. A “moderate” trail is physically demanding but waymarked and forgiving; an “expert” trail needs real navigation skills, proper kit and bail-out planning.

Related tools and guides

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Naismith's Rule Calculator

Once you've picked a trail, use Naismith to estimate per-stage walking times with Scotland-specific terrain and weather adjustments.

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Gear Checklist Generator

Pick “long-distance trail” + your season to get the full Scotland-specific multi-day kit list.

Article

West Highland Way Planning Guide

The full editorial guide to Scotland's flagship long-distance walk. Pair the planning guide with the WHW comparison card for a complete picture.

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