2026 West Highland Way Day 4: Crianlarich to Bridge of Orchy

Picking up where we left off yesterday, we caught the bus back to Crianlarich this morning, pleased to learn that the Ember bus left Inverarnan earlier than Citylink, thus buying us an extra 45 minutes to dodge the rain / sleet / hail due to begin early afternoon. An additional bonus was that I got to ‘be the driver’, sitting right at the front.

Up the Hill: Rejoining the WHW

Leaving the bus, we headed up the road very briefly to pick up the spur up to the West Highland Way. This led us back uphill quickly, the path less like a waterfall today than when we came down yesterday.

On the Way

Once onto the main path it was an easy walk, albeit still ascending to reach the highest point. The view from here was good, the skies still clear.

Fresh snow on the hills around us made for stunning views.

Back on the lower ground, we got our first sighting of highland cows, always a joy. While one had the good grace to pose for a photo …

… others were less obliging.

Spring Vibes: Lambs!

Further along we saw some sheep and Bruce commented that we’d not seen any lambs as yet. I wondered if it was maybe just a wee big early, then we spotted them! Cute wee lambs, some black, some white, bouncing around and playing, only running back to mum as we approached, already gaining independence.

Approaching Tyndrum

There was a diversion in place just ahead of Tyndrum due to forestry work. We therefore followed the cycle path along to the village.

Wandering through Tyndrum, we bumped into Heather and Colin (Tigh na Fraoch B & B). Usually we’d stay with them so it was a pleasure to see them both, albeit briefly. We will return!

The Real Food Café

Our next stop was for coffee at the Real Food Café, always hoaching! Thereafter, a wander around the Green Welly Stop ahead of the walk to Tyndrum Upper Station only to find that the train was delayed due to a signalling fault. Thankfully, the delay was only 10 minutes as initially we’d wondered whether we would be forced to walk instead, gutting considering the forecast.

Safely on the train, we enjoyed the warmth and the short journey along to Bridge of Orchy. Safely ensconced in our hotel for the night, we happily watched others come in, drookit from the rain.

Good decision! Here’s hoping the plans will work out tomorrow too. Looks like we’ll not get the planned munros, but it’s been fun all the same.