Rowardennan to Inversnaid

Rowardennan Car Park

West Highland Way

Walking from Rowardennan to Inverarnan is a typical one day section within the West Highland Way. That 14-mile walk is quite a tough days walk.

I've split this section into two 7-mile walks. This article covers the first half of the day, from Rowardennan to Inversnaid, with the destination marked by the red marker.

All of the guides on this See Loch Lomond website feature my own experiences. I live in Drymen and regally walk along the West Highland Way; this is a favourite section for me, even though I last walked it on a drizzly day.  Despite the not so good weather, the bluebells were out in force which more than made up for the drizzle.

 

Rowardennan

Rowardennan is at the end of the long and winding 14-mile road from Drymen. It's the starting point for climbing Ben Lomond (see our guide linked below). Walking along the West Highland Way, you will have already enjoyed your time following the eastern shores of Loch Lomond from Balmaha; the lochside path continues, with pretty beaches and waterfalls along the way.

National Trust for Scotland, Ben Lomond Mountain

There are various options for accommodation at Rowardennan, including the Rowardennan Hotel, SYHA Rowardennan Youth Hostel, Ben Lomond Bunkhouse and the excellent Ben Lomond Cottage B&B.

Cruise Loch Lomond run a twice-daily connecting water bus service between Rowardennan and Tarbet.

The Forestry Commission for Scotland has a car park which costs £3 a day to park in. If you're not walking the West Highland Way, I would strongly recommend a day spent walking from Rowardennan to Inversnaid and back.

There are temporary toilets in the car park, with an information stand outside them. Please note that if you're driving to Rowardennan, the car park fills extremely quickly on the weekend and warm days. 

Leaving Rowardennan

You'll soon see a mobile information unit for the National Trust for Scotland, which own and maintain Ben Lomond. They also have the Ardess Hidden History Trail. I mentioned Ben Lomond Cottage earlier; outside, there is water and baking available with an honesty box. The last chance to get water before Inversnaid.

Honesty Box, Water at Rowardennan

The shore path

Low Path or High Path?

Guide books and West Highland Way forums all discuss the merits of taking the more difficult shore path or easier track away from the shoreline. The official WHW route is the shore path, as pointed by the sign pictured above. Even though that is the case, many people that we met were taking the higher path.

Some walkers told us that some of the guides had put them off. We did the shoreline walk and enjoyed it and found it more comfortable than the section beyond Inversnaid. 

I highly recommend the low path. Having done both, I prefer this one; the route is really interesting and very comparable in difficulty to other sections of the way.

The pictures below are from our walk on the low path during a wet Sunday in May. See for yourself the paths and views through the drizzle.

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Paths Meet

Here’s where the two paths meet. Out of the forest, there are some stunning blankets of bluebells. I was looking forward to seeing these close up as I had seen them a few days before from the other side of the loch.

Talking of the western shores of the loch, you’ll be able to hear the traffic on the busy A82 on the other side of the water. A bit of a shame because otherwise, you really would get the feeling that you are away from everything.

The bluebells will come and go, but whenever you walk this section (and beyond to Inverarnan), you won’t be far now from the next waterfall. They are beautiful, with the best one of all to come at Inversnaid.

Inversnaid

The Inversnaid Hotel is a coaching hotel owned by Lochs and Glens. There is a walkers entrance, with a place to leave your rucksack, boots and coat. There is a drinking water tap outside, along with lots of benches and tables. Cruise Loch Lomond run a water bus service to Tarbet. Nearby there is the Inversnaid Bunkhouse with accommodation and restaurant.

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Arklet Waterfall

Before you move on from Inversnaid, take some time to enjoy the magnificent Arklet Waterfall. The walk from Rowardennan to Inversnaid took us just over 3.5 hours.

The following 7 miles are stunning, climb over Rob Roy’s Cave, walkthrough woodlands towards the northern end of Loch Lomond. Click the link below to read about Inversnaid to Inverarnan.

Thanks for reading

Words and photography by Paul Saunders. Visit Paul’s Marketing and Photography websites for details of his services in Scotland.

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