- Does West Highland Way Companion work without a phone signal?
- Yes, for the part that matters. The route itself is built into the app when you install it, and your phone works out where it is from satellites rather than phone masts, so you can see the line of the Way and your own position on it with no signal at all. On Android the map is bundled in too, so the terrain draws as well. On iPhone the terrain is drawn by Apple Maps, so without a signal the background may not appear — but the route line and your position still do, and that is all you need to walk yourself back on track.
- Do I need to download a map before I set off?
- No. There is no separate map download to remember. Everything the app needs ships with the app itself, so once it is installed you are ready. It is still worth opening it at home to set your direction and your first daily goal, rather than fiddling about at the obelisk in Milngavie.
- How do the daily goals work?
- You tell the app where you are walking to that day — Drymen, then Rowardennan, then wherever suits you — and it guides you to that destination. As you walk it shows how far is left to today's goal and how far remains of the whole West Highland Way. You choose your own days rather than following a fixed set of stages, so it fits whatever your legs and your bookings allow.
- Can I walk the West Highland Way from Fort William to Milngavie?
- Yes. The app reverses. Choose the southbound direction and the guidance, distances and daily goals all follow the way you are actually walking, rather than assuming everyone starts in Milngavie.
- What happens if I wander off the route?
- The app shows you the way back to the route line. That covers a wrong turn at a forestry junction, and it covers the more common case of accommodation that sits a mile or two off the trail — in the morning it points you back to where you left the Way rather than to some point further along it.
- Can I keep a record of my walk?
- Yes. There is a journal built in: write up each day and add your own photographs as you go. When you get home you can export the whole thing as a PDF to print or send to whoever was daft enough not to come with you. There is also a packing list that comes pre-filled and can be edited, so you can tick items off as they go into the rucksack.
- Does the app track me in the background?
- No, and that is deliberate. Background tracking eats battery, which is the last thing you want on a remote stretch with no charger for hours. Your position is only used while the app is open and you are looking at it.
- How much does West Highland Way Companion cost?
- It is a one-off purchase — no subscription and no in-app purchases — and it costs considerably less than a paper map of the route. The price differs slightly between the App Store and Google Play, so the current figure for your phone is shown on the store page.
Get it before you go
Download West Highland Way Companion for iPhone or Android. A one-off purchase, no subscription. See all features.