East Highland Way
The East Highland Way is a 130 km waymarked route from Fort William to Aviemore through the Great Glen and Strathspey — an alternative to the West Highland Way for those wanting to explore the eastern Highlands.
This route has no official waymarking. Serious navigation experience is required — do not rely on GPS alone. Carry OS 1:25,000 maps and study the line before you go.
About East Highland Way
The East Highland Way runs from Fort William north-east to Aviemore, connecting the two main gateways to the Highlands via the Great Glen and the Strathspey valley. It passes through very different terrain to the West Highland Way — more forest, less mountain crowd, and the vast Cairngorm plateau visible to the east for much of the later sections.
For trail runners it is a two to three day challenge on good forest tracks and riverside paths. The route uses sections of the Great Glen Way briefly before diverging east towards Laggan and the Spey valley. Newtonmore and Kingussie are the main mid-route towns.
The route
Fort William to Spean Bridge (~15 km): Through the Great Glen past the Caledonian Canal. Views to Ben Nevis.
Spean Bridge to Laggan (~45 km): East through Roy Bridge and up Glen Roy — famous for its parallel roads (ancient lake shorelines). The route climbs to high moorland before descending to Laggan.
Laggan to Newtonmore to Aviemore (~70 km): Down the Spey valley through the heart of Strathspey. The Cairngorm massif visible to the east throughout.
Getting there & logistics
Start: Fort William. Regular trains from Glasgow on the West Highland Line.
Finish: Aviemore. Regular trains to Inverness and Edinburgh.
Accommodation at Spean Bridge, Roy Bridge, Laggan, Newtonmore, Kingussie and Aviemore.
Best time: May to September.
Safety
The Glen Roy section is the most remote. Mobile signal can be poor. In an emergency: call 999 or 112, ask for Police then Mountain Rescue. Lochaber MRT covers the Fort William end; Cairngorm MRT covers the Aviemore end.
Have you completed East Highland Way?
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Completions
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