THE START OF A JOURNEY. Apprehension blends with excitement as we set out from Scotland’s west coast. We know the broad outline: a 134-mile coast-to-coast hike across the country along the John Muir Way. What remains uncertain are the sights, the people we’ll meet, and how much rain we’ll endure.
Our walk begins in the seaside town of Helensburgh, northwest of Glasgow. A circular stone embedded in the lawn beside the town pier marks the official starting point of the route.
Despite the route’s association with wild landscapes and the naturalist John Muir, the first half hour leads us through pavements, past shops and houses. Only after leaving the town behind does the sense of adventure grow, and the air fills with the scent of pine and bracken.
Breaking from woodland into open ground, the countryside becomes a classic Scottish patchwork of browns and greens, punctuated by purple thistles. The path winds steadily inland. Three hours after leaving the coast we reach another body of water, Loch Lomond, and the bustling tourist town of Balloch, completing the first of the trail’s ten official stages.
The second day follows the leafy shore of Loch Lomond for a short while and skirts the attractive Balloch Castle before the small purple route markers steer us inland again. Is it raining? Of course. Few walkers complete the whole route without pulling on waterproofs — this typical wet weather is the landscape of John Muir’s youth. Muir emigrated to the United States with his family in 1849 at age 11 and later became one of the founders of America’s national parks.
Scotland nurtured his early love of nature. The scenery along the John Muir Way unfolds gently: easy hills and sweeping views across fields dotted with sheep. By contrast, in the United States Muir encountered grandeur on a different scale, memorably captured by the John Muir Trail, which traverses 160 miles of California’s Sierra Nevada.
The Scottish route is less dramatic than its American namesake but has a timeless charm. The landscape here has been shaped for millennia by people, animals and natural forces, resulting in a patchwork that feels both ancient and lived-in.
Human influence is visible across large portions of the trail. Some sections follow a disused railway that runs straight and smooth through woodland — easy walking, if somewhat monotonous. At times the purple signs lead abruptly out of open countryside into towns, requiring a temporary return to pavements and traffic.
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Falkirk supplies a couple of striking manmade features: the Falkirk Wheel, an ingenious rotating boat lift that links two canals, and the Kelpies, 90-foot-high steel sculptures of horse heads that have become a modern Scottish emblem since their completion in 2013.
By Stage Six we glimpse water again. Although there’s still distance to cover, our first view of the Firth of Forth confirms we’ve effectively reached the east coast. The broad estuary meets the North Sea and brings the smell of salt, shipping activity and the occasional sighting of dolphins. Ahead stands another unmistakable landmark: the Forth Bridge, a majestic cantilever railway bridge and a landmark of Victorian engineering.
Stage Seven takes us into Edinburgh, where hikers in full walking kit weave among city residents and visitors. Some choose to rest here and enjoy the sights and pubs before moving on. But the miles remain, and even on a typically damp Scottish day we press on, crossing busy roads and making our way back toward the Firth of Forth.
Although much of the shoreline is occupied by towns and golf courses, this area remains John Muir country — the landscape of his boyhood explorations. The penultimate day takes us to North Berwick, where the coast becomes ever more present. The final stage spans about 15 miles and typically takes around five hours as it follows the coastline into Dunbar.
Why finish in Dunbar? The town holds a personal connection to John Muir. Just off the High Street, two blocks from the sea, a three-story white house flies both United States and Scottish flags. A plaque marks the birthplace of John Muir, and so our journey ends where his life began.
INFO TO GO
International flights arrive at Glasgow Airport, which lies roughly 23 miles southeast of the John Muir Way trailhead at Helensburgh. Bus and taxi services link the airport with the town. At the trail’s end you can take the train from Dunbar to Edinburgh (about 25 minutes) and onward to Glasgow Airport (around 65 minutes).