West Highland Way 5.42

The West Highland Way is a linear long distance footpath in Scotland, with the official status of Long Distance Route. It is 154.5km long, running from Milngavie north of Glasgow to Fort William in the Scottish Highlands, with an element of hill walking in the route. It is managed by the West Highland Way Management Group consisting of West Dunbartonshire Council, Stirling Council, Argyll and Bute Council, Highland Council and Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority. About 80,000 people use the path every year, of whom over 15,000 walk the entire route.HistoryThe trail, conceived by the late Tom Hunter from Glasgow, was approved for development in 1974 and was completed and opened on 6 October 1980 by Lord Mansfield so becoming the first officially designated long-distance footpath in Scotland. (Similar routes, such as the North Highland Way, have yet to achieve this status.)In June 2010, the West Highland Way was co-designated as part of the International Appalachian Trail.