The West Highland Way Gets BRUTAL at Loch Lomond

I thought Loch Lomond was going to be one of the easier parts of the West Highland Way. Nobody warned us about the rocks. This is day 2 and 3 of our West Highland Way hike, from just past Drymen to our first Scottish bothy, with Conic Hill, Loch Lomond, wild camping in the permit area, and perhaps the toughest section of the entire trail. After surviving my dad’s first ever night in a tent, we still had a long way to go. These two days came with some of the best views of the trip, one very cold swim, and a whole lot more scrambling over rocks and roots than expected. We camped at Lochan Maoil Dhuinne in the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs camping management zone. You can get camping permits here: https://www.lochlomond-trossachs.org/... 🎒 Curious what gear I use for hiking, wild camping, and backpacking trips like this? I keep my current gear list here: https://trailsandbackroads.com/gear 🏕️ Whether you’re planning the West Highland Way, wondering what the Loch Lomond section is really like, or thinking about wild camping in Scotland, I hope this gives you a realistic look at this part of the trail. 🌍 I share honest stories and lessons from life outdoors: long-distance hiking, wild camping, road trips, travel adventures, and figuring it out as I go. 💬 Have you hiked the West Highland Way? Did anyone warn you about the Loch Lomond section? 00:00 The trail is changing 00:35 Day 2 - Climbing Conic Hill 04:56 Breakfast in Balmaha 06:12 Loch Lomond Swim?! 09:29 Getting to Lochan Maoil Dhuinne permit zone 13:59 Day 3 - Leaving Rowardennan 16:12 The HARDEST part of the WHW 19:52 Sleeping at Doune Bothy #WestHighlandWay #WHW #LochLomond #ConicHill #DouneBothy #ScotlandHiking #ScottishHighlands #WildCamping #WildCampingScotland #HikingVlog #LongDistanceHiking #Backpacking #OutdoorAdventure #HikingWithDad #ThruHike #AdventureTravel