Talking Location With Kelli Estes – The West Highland Way, SCOTLAND

17th June 2025

#TalkingLocationWith ... Kelli Estes, author of Smoke on the Wind – The West Highland Way, Scotland

I blame it on the Jacobite Steam Train. There I was, standing on a hillside with my family, shivering in the cold wind, waiting for the famous “Hogwarts Train” to pass by so we could get photos. As I waited, I caught sight of hikers walking below the viaduct on a trail that snaked into the distant glen, and I felt a spark ignite in my soul – I wanted to go with them. I wanted to hike through glens and over hills and see the true Scotland, off the tourist path. Eventually I did just that by walking the West Highland Way, Scotland’s most popular long-distance walking trail, and it changed my life.

The West Highland Way (WHW) is 96-miles long and stretches from the Glasgow suburb of Milngavie north to Fort William in the heart of the Scottish Highlands. Most people take about a week to walk the whole trail, but some choose to do only a section or two. I walked the trail over seven days with my then-16-year-old son. Although many choose to camp along the way, we stayed in bed & breakfasts and hotels, and we hired luggage transfer, which meant that all we needed to carry each day was our day pack with lunch, snacks, water, first aid supplies, and extra clothing.

On the shore of Loch Lomond looking northward to Ben Lomond )phot: Author)

I had already planned to write my novel, Smoke on the Wind, which is set on the West Highland Way, and so I arrived armed with a knowledge of much of the history that had occurred in the areas through which the trail passes. We walked on the same Loch Lomond shoreline where the outlaw Rob Roy MacGregor once lived. We gazed at a pond where followers of Saint Fillan tried to cure people of insanity. We skirted a meadow where Robert the Bruce battled against Clan MacDougall in his quest to become king. We traced roads built by government soldiers in their efforts to suppress Highlanders during the Jacobite uprisings. We walked across a romantic and moody moor at the foot of a mountain range that was once Scotland’s greatest deer stalking forest. We hiked through glens where drovers once led herds of cattle to market. We stood on what were once the ramparts of an iron-age hillfort. It was like I was walking with the spirits of all of these people and, even with sore legs and aching feet, I felt honored to be there.

The author and her son at Dun Deardail iron-age hillfort overlooking Glen Nevis (photo: Author)

The first section of the trail takes walkers through farmlands and meadows full of sheep. By day two, the trail crosses the Highland Boundary Fault Line at Conic Hill and arrives on the shores of Loch Lomond. The loch is long, and the path on its eastern shore is rugged in places, with no roads to hail a taxi if it becomes too much. Even still, this section is often identified as people’s favorite. North of the loch, walkers traverse through beautiful glens and straths, with opportunities to pop into a pub or café for lunch. On about day five, the trail again veers away from roads or trains, so walkers must plan accordingly. This is the fabled and breathtaking Rannoch Moor that leads toward a pyramid-shaped mountain called Buachaille Etive Mòr at the start of Glencoe. If it hasn’t happened already, this is the place where walkers really fall in love with Scotland and the WHW. Over the final two days, the trail crosses mountains with stunning views, dips through a verdant valley, and snakes toward the immense bulk of the UKs highest mountain, Ben Nevis (don’t worry, although many choose to climb it as part of their WHW trek, it’s not part of the official trail). No WHW hike feels complete without having your photo taken at the finish line in Fort William with the famous statue, Man with Sore Feet (and you’ll certainly be able to relate to his pain).

The trail crosses over several fences and stone walls like this one near the top of Loch Lomond, with bracken ferns in abundance (photo: Author)

No matter how you break up the trail, if you plan to stay in hotels and B&Bs, it is essential that you book your accommodations in advance – preferably at least nine months ahead. It is a very popular trail, but you will still find moments of quiet with few others in sight. Several companies offer guided hikes, if this option appeals to you.

Yes, there are biting midges, blisters, and weather to contend with, but there are also friendly fellow hikers, interesting sites, fascinating history, stunning views, fragrant meadows, and potentially life-changing memories there, too. The West Highland Way wove itself into my soul and I can’t wait to walk it again. Maybe you’ll choose to walk it too, if not in person, then in the pages of Smoke on the Wind!

Kelli Estes is the USA Today bestselling author of The Girl Who Wrote in Silk, which has been translated into eleven languages, was the recipient of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association Nancy Pearl Book Award and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association STAR Award, and is currently under option for film/TV; and Today We Go Home, a nationwide Target Book Club pick. Kelli is passionate about stories that show how history is still relevant to our lives today. Her lifelong love of Scotland has her learning the Scottish Gaelic language and the Scottish fiddle (both badly, but she’s working on it). She has walked three of Scotland’s long-distance trails (so far) and is currently planning the next. Kelli lives in Washington State with her husband and two sons.

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