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Just completed the WHW on my sixtieth birthday in June. 170cm, 105kg, blood pressure and cholesterol issues. No prior training, just regularly walk 8km on the flat in trainers without any weight. Completed it in eight days but was day packing. No injuries, just a single blister on day one. So with your planned program, you should blitz it next year.

You are old because you haven’t been backpacking. It is never too late. But it is harder the older you get.

Walking the same journey with you from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, USA. I'm an old hiker / backpacker (65), overweight, and starting back. We can do this! I live about 30 minutes from the Appalachian trail and Grayson Highlands. Hiked the AT for years. Then work, kids and wife, (and a bit of laziness) all took me away from it. You're right! The weight has to go first. Hang in there!

Alan , good luck . I’ll be looking forward to see your progress . I enjoyed reading all the comments here and am Impressed with all the encouragement everyone gave you . I have subscribed as well .

Well a nice forest you have to walk in - and good luck with your plans!

As a retired Hiker of Long Distance routes, a few words of advice, start with short distances and over time build up your distances. Your Body will tell you if you are doing too much, so listen to your body. I started hiking as a way to get fit to join the UK Army in 1977 but I started way back in 1975. My first attempt was the Pennine Way, all the way from Edale in Derbyshire to Kirk Yetholme in Scotland a distance of 370 MILES, with no training BUT I was a life long cyclist. Fourteen days later carrying 25kg backpack I arrived at Kirk Yetholme. Yes I had a few blisters along the way, but nothing more serious. DRINK plenty of water during our Summer Months and yes MOST times the streams you cross or walk beside are SAFE to drink after filtration. Dried Ready Meals and a few chocolate bars provide me with enough energy to keep going with a short mid day stop and a nibble of something soon refreshed me. Now at the age of 68 I still get the urge to go out again but I know I am passed my best and leave it to others who are younger than myself. I went on to complete my Military Training being at least 10 yrs older than the next recruit an 18 yr old. I soon earned the nickname Grandad, but I was the one out in front when it came to route marches and map reading. Even some of the Instructors were surprised, it was only after the training had finshed that I admitted to my previous Hiking and Mapreading experienc as I hiked the Pennine Way Trail. Most of them has never heard of it so I explaing, imagine walking for 2 or 3 weeks cross country from Edale in Derbyshire to Kirk Yetholme in Scotland a distance of 270 miles carrying all you needed on your back. The look on the Instructors faces was worth all the ribbing the recruits and the Instructors gave me during the 18 weeks training was worth admitting the truth of my Past Experiences. Best wishes on your first hike reguardless of how long it is. Proper Planning prevent a Poor Performance. I have since I left the Military completed the reverse Pennine Way from Scotland to Edale and both a West to East and a East to West Coast to Coast Hikes (180 approx miles in one single direction in 10 days) the West to East route is easier as you get the Mountains of the Lake District out of the way while you are still fresh. I have also completed a John OGroats to Lands End and a Lands End to John OGroats hikes (no not one after the other but a years break between them) then it was a 2 yr rest before I was off again Up to John OGroats this time to do a Coastal Route ROUND THE UK, I estimate 5000+ miles on that hike with took me 3 yrs walking 6 days a week. Now you can see why I call myself a Retired HIker. Sadly the knees are beyond repair BUT I have my Memories and I encourage others to try something short to start with while you build up you stamina and map reading skills. Good Luck for you Future Hiking Adventures. Tony the Retired Hiker in Essex.

Your never too old for backpacking, I've been a camper since I was a teenager, im 54 now and doing the west highland way next week, as long as your legs can carry you then go for it 👍

Good on you. I did the WHW as my 1st long distance walk, 20-odd years ago. It's a perfect walk for your first. I was in my mid 50s, about 2 stone overweight, dead-end job, high blood pressure, etc. Simply *had* to do something to fix myself. A friend happened to send me the Harvey WHW map (complete coincidence!) so I packed far too much stuff into an entirely unsuitable back pack & got a train to Glasgow. Walked to Fort William & came home to the news I was being made redundant. Life changing in lots of ways, all of them good. Absolutely the most useful & intelligent thing I've ever done! So go for it... PS Join the Scottish YHA & book a couple of nights in the youth hostel at Rowardennan. Fabulous location, right on the lake & will give you a chance to recharge your batteries, your own & the one in your phone! PPS Take ear plugs, whether you're camping or hostelling.

Excellent video, good luck and following your story

Good luck Alanwith your training. I am just starting again after losing 4 stone and having a total hip replacement 9 weeks ago, and all is going well.

I use the Katadyn Befree filter and bottle, the Sawyer Mini is also great, and cheaper, alternative. The Sawyer is slower but I find it more reliable. As for food, you will find that you pass lots of cafes and pubs on the way. I only remember carrying snacks, porridge sachets, and probably only cooked once at the Rowardennan Youth Hostel on Loch Lomond. Once you do up your itinerary you will see where you will stopping to fuel up.

No dont include water weight. The Katydyn Bfree is a good water filter. It's flow rate is much better. There is water all over the place but possibly not between bridge of orchy and glencoe. Dill it up and camelbup on a litre and refill it to go. Progress isn't linear, having a bad day or two doesn't undo everything you did before it. The most important thing is to start again. Keep starting again. There is food everywhere on the whe, you won't need much. Take what you actually like to eat. Decant food into smaller lighter small sized zip locks. Eg, instant oats, I take a second collapsible mug and use it as a bowl. Consider if you want something warm. Instant canp meals are pretty good, but they vary in how good they are. I'd suggest you get some and try them before you go. Summit to eat taste the best and rehydrate well. You won't need many meals. Take some energy tablets as a back up.

buy the sawer mini water filter, carry what you need, then fill up when you camp. i recommend camping trips to the isle of arran before you tackle the whw. experiment with insoles, the heavier your bag the more cushion you will need. if youre feet are sore after a couple of hours, its not gonna be possible to walk 100 miles. buy some Darn Tough socks.... yes, give the man your money,

Good luck.... rooting for you from the USA ♥

The more questions you ask, the better prepared you will be. Just remember what works for one person may not work for you. If you have someone who can support you in a car, driving ahead, then they can also carry spare kit or food, which you can get when you meet up at designated places along the route.

I take a filter and filter all of my water, I carry I litre of water which equals a kilo and just top up when I can... I have never done a trail like what you are planning, but I think when it comes to food I would grab it along the way and take only a few dehydrated food packs, and some protine bars, Summit to eat seems to be the best ones... So with that in mind I would just wing it as much as possible, otherwise your pack will be very heavy and you need to keep it down in weight doing such a long trail... I am on a weight loss program myself and have just started to video it on my channel, inspired by yourself... Light weight gear is expensive and I have been collecting mine for some time, to spread the cost out, as far as tents for your West Highland Way, I would be looking at tents that utilize walking poles as these are super light, weighing in most cases less than a kilo... Good luck with the diet, I eat a lot of Tescos 5% mince with carrots and onions and a can of Hienz 5 beans mixed in, Ham, chicken breasts, poached eggs, everything cooked with no oil of course... Tip, next time you do a kids thing, take your own food... ;)

If you're interested, the obesity walking plan I mentioned is here www.livestrong.com/article/459545-a-beginning-walking-program-for-obese-people/

GOOD LUCK ALAN 😊 YOUR GIVING INSPIRATION TO A LOT OF US ❤ Check for shops and food outlets on route so maybe only carry enough food for 1 or 2 days 👍

Base weight excludes food and water. Good thing about the WHW is that water is readily available so take a good filter and fill up as you need it. You can resupply food for wild camping along the way as well at Beinglas and Tyndrum and Kinlochleven. Remember you can't camp in the restriction zones on Loch Lomond side. I take either real turmat or Bla band meals. They have better quality and taste.

Hi Alan, as a general rule, assume pack weight excludes food and water unless they say otherwise. You can't know how much food you'll need to take until you've planned each leg of your trip and worked out where you can resupply and with what. You will also need to factor in your arrival times vs opening times and bank holidays etc. The golden rule is not to assume anything and plan accordingly. For water on the WHW one litre carried should be fine, however, if conditions have been dry for a sustained period (unlikely but possible) then plan for two litres (2kg). The lightest option for water purification is a katadyn befree and the one I would recommend for this. Not be too harsh but you need to avoid making excuses for eating habits, if you don't drop your weight you won't be hiking anywhere and the WHW and similar walks should not be underestimated if your coming from the place you are, you will need to work hard and show good levels of self discipline otherwise you will not achieve your aim. I would not get too hung up on base weights just yet, I would concentrate on getting where you need to be physically first, and planning how many legs you intend to do and researching resupply points etc. I hope that helps and wish you best going forward.

Alex McDonald ran 5 marathons over 5 days while fasted (only consumed water and salt). You are tapping into your body’s store of glycogen which is maxed out at about 2000 “calories” of energy for the human body. A marathon takes about 3000 calories which is why most (99.99%) of runner use gels etc during the race as 3000>2000. This person, a fairly lean person who has, say a 15% body fat level has about 100,000 “calories” of fat store. How many calories are you storing? How much “food” do you need to take with you? Food for thought 😮

Progress is going well for you…. Well done! Have a look at Army ration packs for food. ‘Simon a bloke in the woods’ is a good one to watch and good for that he uses them quite often plus they have food full and drinks full of nutrients. Another one is ‘east Anglian bushcraft’ he’s ex Army. Love the simplicity of Paul Messner’s kits.

Hi Alan, Good luck on your quest! When folk talk about backpack weight, it is usual to measure the weight WITHOUT food or water. This is called Base Weight, and includes the weight of the empty backpack itself. Target base weight for a comfortable hike should be around 10 kgs. Then when you add water and food you will be at the 14 kg mark. For the WHW, I reckon you only need to carry 1 litre of water (1kg) at any one time in general. You can probably resupply along the way from streams. As for food. If carrying a heavy backpack you will burn around 4000 cals per day. That equates to around 1 kg food per day. If you are trying to burn off bodyweight then obviously you can reduce this amount. Suggest you do not need to carry more than 3 day's supply of food at any time (that's true for the majority of places in Scotland). Resupply along the way. And / or supplement with a meal at a pub or cafe along the way. Bottom line: do NOT carry too much weight. Better to resupply. Wishing you all the best in your training schedule!

Losing weight is a mental game. Everybody is different, but I found slimming world worked really well for me, I lost about 4.5 stone with them. It was the whole reporting in every week when you had to weigh in every week, to other people, and then the leader would ask you what went on if you didn't. I didn't want to have to explain myself, plus the positive feedback you get from the group really helped me. It's kind of like using peer pressure in your favour! I kept it all off until Lockdown, but I think that got a lot of people! As for being out with the family, McDonalds is your friend, if you go for wrap of the day, remove all the sauces and replace the fries with a side salad its basically lean chicken breast in a wrap with salad and you can definitely lose weight on those. I did. Water, you don't normally include the weight of food or water in your 'base weight' for a pack. For dehydrated food, its worth looking at Huel hot and savoury meals, works out a lot cheaper than the individual silver foil packs. Make sure you have plenty of snacks too to keep you going, again it can be dried like tropical mix to keep the weight down, but don't worry too much about being on diet when out on the hills, you don't want to come over with low blood sugar when you are out in the middle of nowhere! little and often is good to keep your energy levels relatively constant.

You are certainly not too old. I spent a year in preparation and walked the WHW in 2023 at age 65. I was a regular walker, but had never hiked long distances. It was a great experience and we are training now to walk the Camino in Spain. Good luck in your journey!

You go for it! I am 71 and I backpack!

Good luck on your journey and just go out and do what you can and enjoy the journey you have in mind 👍

A man in his nineties hiked across Canada. When interviewed he was asked how he did it. He replied that he did it one step at a time. When asked what was the hardest part of the entire journey he said that hardest thing was taking that very first step. Good luck.

Re load carrying, lighest gear possible!

Similar goals here, simikar problem. Good luck to you. Never too old or late as long as you can walk. 1 step at a time, then repeat. Looking forward to seeing how you get on.

Good for you!! Forget the naysayers as they will always be around. Always do it for yourself and what you wish to accomplish - regardless of length, level of difficulty, etc. I'm 64 and nearing retirement (likely still a few years off) but I have enjoyed hiking (short + day hikes) over the years and plan on continuing well into retirement. My challenges are a little with my weight (who couldn't stand to lose a few!) but mainly my knees. Strange thing is though, that I find I can hike all day on rugged root and rocky climbs out on the trails and feel better than I do after a 7.5 hour day walking on concrete floors at work. For me, setting a goal and working towards it works. Nice to see others share a similar belief. Looking forward to your upcoming videos of your West Highland Way hike next year. Keep up the good work!! 👍👍👍

A journey of a thousand miles, begins with a single step. Forward, if U don't quit, U will win. Glucosamine and Chondroitin is a fantastic supplement for ALL older hikers.

That looks lovely, with a nice wide trail. I live in Ohio, be 59 soon, never backpacked but wanted to hike the AT when I was in my 20s but I married and had four children instead! Now I'm thinking if I'm going to go I best get going.

I’m 59 very overweight too. I only started to hike in October after visiting the beautiful Lake District. I went there with my wife and dog with basic equipment. I came back home to Kent bought better gear decent boots backpack etc and now hike every week usually around the North Downs always with my dog and very occasionally the wife. I usually only hike about 5 to 8 miles sometimes a little bit more. To me the next logical step was to start wild camping which I love did absolutely loads of research bought some excellent gear and now as well as hiking I do a bit of camping too of course with my wonderful dog. My initial goal is to do The Surrey Three Hills Challenge about 23 miles in one stint I’m still quite a way off that unless I choose to wild camp somewhere to break it up. The thing with living where I do near The North Downs is there are many long distance trails but not so many places to easily wild camp on these. Good luck with your endeavours. Regarding high blood pressure have you ever drank beetroot juice it’s been proven to reduce blood pressure quite significantly I drink it quite regularly my BP is slightly raised around 145 to 132 over about 85. At the surgery it’s usually a bit higher white coat syndrome I guess they call it. They keep wanting me to go on medication but I refuse as to me it’s not that high plus I would rather maintain it through exercise and natural foods banana, beetroot etc, unless it starts to get really high. The North Downs has some pretty impressive hills as a training ground

Alan, your starting in the right frame of mind, I am 71 and get our regular in the fells of North Yorks and York dales Used to walk all the highest moutains in the UK, now I stick to around 2000ft but cover 12 / 15 mikes in a day You can do it

Well done on having such a great plan, I too have started a very similar plan at 66 planing a wild camp, but have also thought of an adventure like yours.. Sounds that we both live in the south as well as I share the same problems.. So far I have lost 20lbs and still very motivated... Good luck..

Dunno how your vid came up on my feed, but hey ho. Firstly, go for it. Good on ya! One recommendation - research the carnivore diet. That’ll resolve your weight and health goals.

If you want to do it you will . Never ever dnf. Which means did not finish 8n cycling terms. Done some great things in my life , still do. 73 and kicking.

You have a good plan & attitude Alan! Stay the course & reach your goals. Great physical & mental benefits will be gained. Train & do what works for you. Beat wishes!

Just that you were thinking about it, you can do it. I’m 67 years old and get my mileage in every day, but you have to be able to stay in your own wheelhouse everyone’s different. It’ll be fun to follow your journey. I hike and camp but walk instead of Run to save my knees. God bless 🎒Also subscribed

60 yr old disabled 600 miles on the a.t. in the usa you can do it

Good luck mate. It's great to have a goal to aim for. Start with small achievable targets and build up. Plan well and make it part of your life. Looking forward to watching your journey.

Look into the keto diet and lightweight backpacking. Wish you luck. 👍

Hi Alan good luck never say never 🏃‍♂️⛺️just completed the South West Coastal Path in under 8 weeks 632 miles very brutal in North Cornwall ,,but something you could only dream of at our age ,,16 kilos on my back did it on my own and so glad I achieved it ,,and I am 70 years of age,,also doing the South Down way ,,soon Winchester to Eastbourne 100 miles so good luck Stewart Devizes Wiltshire 👍🏃‍♂️

Have subscribed, I am recently retired, 68 and I am doing a similar health plan to what you describe, I lost 8lb in the first few weeks. I do not eat bread any more and I completely cut off sugar 10 years ago. I plan to go bike packing and Let the bike take the weight of the gear when fully fit. I am now under 12 stone and walk on average two miles a day. Really enjoyed your video.

I admire your determination and dedication. I have every faith in you. As you said, start small and build gradually. Reference weight carrying, I did a film on lightweight wild camping, maybe check that out. I have subbed to your channel as I’m really interested in how you will get on and you have my full support. 😊

As a 50-year-old who is also 'gravitationally challenged' absolutely not, never too old to start, you just have to understand where you are starting from (which you clearly do) and work from there. I managed to lose 4.5 stone a few years back, put most of it back on over lock-down but I'm still out walking regularly. When you start building up your training a great tip I can give you is try and follow a route along a trainline with frequent stops, that way if you get too tired you can jump on the train to get back! But start slow, build your base and work from there. The gains accelerate as you progress, 5% extra on top of 2.5km is only 125m, 5% on top of 10k is half a kilometer! I'm not a million miles from you by the sounds of it (I'm in Farnborough), who knows, might see you wandering around on your training walks!

Best of luck on your journey 👍

Good luck 👍

I wish you well hope you succeed and enjoy the highland way