Nearby
Food, supplies and things to see.
What is within reach of the campsite, on foot and on the trail, with distances measured along the Way from our gate.
- Shop and water on site
- Drymen village about a mile
- Balmaha eight miles on
Drymen Camping has a shop, homemade pizza, drinking water, toilets and hot showers on site. Drymen village is about a mile on along the Way and has four pubs and hotels, a Spar, a bakery and a free water tap. Going north, the next place with anything is Balmaha, about eight miles away over Conic Hill, so the stretch between the two is the one to carry food for.
Distances below are measured along the trail from our gate. We have deliberately not listed opening hours or menus: they change through the season, they are not ours to publish, and a walker who plans around a stale opening time has a bad evening. Where a business has its own site we link to it so you can check before you set off.
- Water
- Shop
- Food and drink
- Worth a look
- Information
Map data from OpenStreetMap, ODbL.
Pick any place to see where it is in relation to us. The numbered pins match the places listed under what is worth seeing.
At the campsite
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Drinking water
WaterAt the campsite
Drinking water on site. There is no water or electric hook-up on the pitches themselves.
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Altquhur Byre baking shed
ShopAt the campsite
A self-service shed of home baking at Easter Drumquhassle Farm, a couple of minutes from our gate. Pay by card using the QR code.
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Homemade pizza
Food and drinkAt the campsite
Made by our neighbours Altquhur Byre: margherita, pepperoni, roasted vegetable, with gluten-free and vegan options. Order on site, or pre-order with Carolyn.
Drymen village
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Spar
Shop1.1 miles after us on the Way
The village shop, and the nearest full grocery run to us.
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Drymen Bakery
Shop1.1 miles after us on the Way
Bakery on the village square.
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Top Up Tap
Water1.1 miles after us on the Way
A free Top Up Tap on the square, part of the Scottish Water refill network.
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The Clachan Inn
Food and drink1.1 miles after us on the Way
On the village square. It describes itself as the oldest licensed pub in Scotland, dating to 1734.
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The Drymen Inn
Food and drink1.1 miles after us on the Way
Pub and restaurant on the square.
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Winnock Hotel
Food and drink1.1 miles after us on the Way
Hotel bar and restaurant on the square.
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Buchanan Arms Hotel
Food and drink0.9 miles after us on the Way
Hotel with a bar and restaurant, on the Stirling road out of the village.
On the way in from Milngavie
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Turnip the Beet
Food and drink3.2 miles before us on the Way
On the Way in the Blane Valley, a common lunch stop on the walk in from Milngavie.
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The Beech Tree Inn
Food and drink3.9 miles before us on the Way
Just after Glengoyne, with the Way running through its car park. The usual stop for a pint, a snack or the toilet, and where walkers most often ring us from.
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Gartness honesty shop
Shop1.2 miles before us on the Way
At the cottages by the Gartness bridge, next to the Pots of Gartness. Cold drinks and snacks for the last stretch in.
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Glengoyne Distillery
Worth a look4.5 miles before us on the Way
A working distillery right beside the Way, and the usual mid-morning stop on Stage 1.
Ahead of you, at Balmaha
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National Park Centre
Information8 miles after us on the Way
National Park visitor centre at the foot of Conic Hill, with maps and route advice.
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The Oak Tree Inn
Food and drink8.1 miles after us on the Way
The obvious stop once you are down off Conic Hill.
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St. Mocha
Food and drink8.1 miles after us on the Way
Cafe and coffee roaster by the bay.
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Village Shop
Shop8.1 miles after us on the Way
Village shop, and the last easy resupply before Rowardennan.
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Top Up Tap
Water8.2 miles after us on the Way
Another free Top Up Tap, by the bay.
What is worth seeing from here?
Everything here is on or beside the West Highland Way, so you pass it on foot rather than having to drive to it.
Pots of Gartness
about 1 mile before us
Waterfalls on the Endrick Water where salmon leap upstream on their way to spawn, best seen from September to November. The Way comes past them and on to Gartness Road, which is our road.
Directly on the Way
Glengoyne Distillery
about 5 miles before us
Right beside the Way in the Blane Valley, and the usual mid-morning stop on Stage 1.
Dumgoyach Standing Stones
about 6 miles before us
Five stones in a field below Dumgoyne, on the old railway line section of the Way.
Mugdock Country Park
about 9 miles before us
The first proper stretch out of Milngavie, and where Stage 1 stops feeling like a suburb.
Garadhban Forest
about 2 miles after us
Where Stage 2 begins. The Way climbs through the forest and Loch Lomond appears on the skyline.
Directly on the Way
Conic Hill
about 6 and a half miles after us
On the Highland Boundary Fault, with the best view of the islands on Loch Lomond anywhere on the route.
Balmaha
about 8 miles after us
The far side of Conic Hill and the usual next stop, on the shore of Loch Lomond.
Questions people ask
Is there a shop on site?
Yes. The Purple Pod is our reception and shop, stocking TentMeals dinners, noodle pots, soft drinks, crisps, tent repair kits, plasters, Colemans C300 gas and freshly ground Caffia coffee. Homemade pizza by Altquhur Byre is also available on site.
Can I get a hot meal at Drymen Camping?
Yes. Homemade pizza made by Altquhur Byre, our neighbours on Gartness Road, is available at Drymen Camping: margherita, pepperoni, roasted vegetable, on a 5-hour fermented dough with homemade marinara sauce, with gluten-free and vegan options. Order it on site, or pre-order by calling, texting or WhatsApping Carolyn at Altquhur Byre on 07980 889790.
Where can I eat near Drymen Camping?
Drymen village is about a mile on from us along the West Highland Way and has four places to eat and drink: The Clachan Inn and The Drymen Inn on the square, the Winnock Hotel, and the Buchanan Arms Hotel on the Stirling road. There is also a bakery and a Spar for supplies. On site there is homemade pizza by Altquhur Byre, and TentMeals dinners, noodle pots and freshly ground coffee from the Purple Pod shop.
Where can I fill up water on the West Highland Way near Drymen?
There is drinking water on site, though no water or electric hook-up on the pitches themselves. Drymen village has a free Top Up Tap on the square, part of the Scottish Water refill network, about a mile on from us. The next one north is at Balmaha, roughly eight miles away, so fill up before you leave for Conic Hill.
Where is the next shop after Drymen on the West Highland Way?
Balmaha, about eight miles north of us over Conic Hill. There is a village shop, a cafe, a pub and a National Park visitor centre there, and it is the last easy resupply before Rowardennan. Between us and Balmaha there is nothing at all: Garadhban Forest and the Conic Hill crossing have no facilities.
How far is Drymen Camping from Drymen village?
Two kilometres, a little over a mile. The West Highland Way does not go through the village, it skirts around it, and we are on Gartness Road on the trail itself. The village is a short walk on from us for a meal or supplies, and you rejoin the Way where you left it.
What is there to see near Drymen Camping?
Everything worth seeing here is on the West Highland Way, so you pass it on foot. Walking in from Milngavie you go through Mugdock Country Park, past Glengoyne Distillery and the Dumgoyach standing stones, then the Pots of Gartness a mile before us. Heading north you climb through Garadhban Forest and over the shoulder of Conic Hill, which gives the best view of the Loch Lomond islands on the whole route.
Last updated .
Walking the Way this year?
The 2027 season runs from Sunday 14 March, with the last night on Friday 8 October and last check-out on Saturday 9 October.