Dogs on the West Highland Way

Specific advice on taking dogs on the West Highland Way is contained in several emails published in a chat forum. The emails were in reply to the question of access for walkers with dogs and the replies were sent from the Customer Services Advisor at VisitScotland, Loch Lomond Shores. I have edited these emails into one reply.

Thank you for your e-mail. Under the new Scottish Outdoor Access Code it is now possible to take dogs on the Way on all sections for most of the year, with some provisos.

Firstly, you cannot take a dog into a field with young animals, like lambs or calves, so during the lambing season the three areas listed below will still be out of bounds. This will be posted on the website (www.west-highland-way.co.uk) and may be signposted on the ground.

The West Highland Way over Conic Hill can be closed to dogs for up to six weeks (the last three in April and the first three in May) but normally it is only closed for four weeks and occasionally three weeks, again around the last weeks in April and first Weeks in May. We normally receive confirmation of the exact dates in March. This restriction may be extended to Glen Falloch and Auch Estates.

Secondly, you must keep your dog on a short lead or under close control (i.e. walking to heel and obeying all commands) when taking it onto land with livestock, which includes most of the unforested land on the Way.

Thirdly, you must keep your dog on a short lead or under close control (i.e. walking to heel and obeying all commands) during the bird nesting season when in woodland, moorland, loch shores or grassland. It is worth remembering that it is an offence to let your dog foul a public open space (such as a footpath) under the Dog Fouling Act (Scotland) 2003. It is also irresponsible to let your dog foul agricultural land where there is a risk of disease or infestation. If your dog worries livestock the land manager is legally entitled to take measures against your dog. If cattle try to attack your dog, drop its lead and move to safety.

The main point to make is that unless your dog is very obedient, you need to keep it on a short lead for most of the Way and avoid the lambing season. It can also be difficult to book dog-friendly accommodation along the Way.

The three sections that might be closed to dogs for a short period during the lambing season are:

1. Conic Hill, which has a well signposted alternative route, which does not add any time or distance to your trek.

2. Glen Falloch estate, which means that you would have to get the ferry from Inversnaid across Loch Lomond to Inveruglas; then either wait for a bus (the company stated that dogs are allowed on the bus at the driver's discretion) or take a different ferry to Tarbet and take the train to Crianlarich. We do not recommend that you walk on the A82 as it can be a dangerous road. You can then walk to Tyndrum before you need to pick up a bus or train to Bridge of Orchy to rejoin the Way. The farms between Crianlarich and Tyndrum ask for dogs to be on the lead.

3. The third no dogs section is between Tyndrum and Bridge of Orchy which can be got around by bus (driver dependant) or train. One other alternative route for the middle section is to take the ferry from Rowardennan to Inverbeg and then walk along the path to Tarbet before picking up transport to Crianlarich.

Please also find below details of ferry companies. Two of the ferries listed are operated by hotels and should be contacted if you require further information about the times of travel.

    * Rowardennan Ferry: Tel: 01360 870 273 - operated by Rowardennan Hotel
    * Inversnaid Ferry: Tel: 01877 386 223 - operated by Inversnaid Hotel
    * Tarbet Ferry: Tel: 01301 702 356 - operated by Cruise Loch Lomond

I hope this information is helpful to you, but please do not hesitate in contacting me again with any other enquires that you may have.

Regards
Name (edited out by Albawest)
Customer Services Advisor

VisitScotland
Loch Lomond Shores
Ben Lomond Way
Balloch
Dunbartonshire
G83 8QL

As was stated in the | Information | page under the new Scottish Outdoor Access Code it is now possible to take dogs on the Way on all sections for most of the year - with the provisos mentioned above. General advice to walkers is found in The Scottish Outdoor Access Code which states:

Access rights apply to people walking dogs provided that their dog(s) is kept under proper control. Your main responsibilities are:

    * never let your dog worry or attack livestock.

    * do not take your dog into fields where there are lambs, calves or other young animals.

    * do not take your dog into fields of vegetables or fruit unless there is a clear path, such as a core path or a right of way, but keep your fog under control.

    * if you go into a field of farm animals, keep your dog(s) on a short lead or under close control and keep as far away as possible from the animals.

    * if cattle react aggressively and move towards you, keep calm, let the dog go and take the shortest, safest route out of the field.

    * during bird breeding season ( usually April to July ), keep the dog under close control or on a short lead in areas such as moorland, forests, grassland, loch shores and the seashore.

    * in recreation area and other public places avoid causing concern to others by keeping your dog under close control or on a short lead.

    * pick up and remove your dog's faeces if it defecates in a public open place.

Since very few establishments have kennels, if you plan to walk the West Highland Way with a dog and you plan to stay in B&B^s you should contact the places where you plan to stay to check if they have a 'No dogs allowed' policy.

If this interests you, a related page is at | WHW information |


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