I did a solo WHW in May 2022 and struggled to describe the experience to others afterwards. My pix just don't capture it. THIS video is reveals what it's like to stroll the length of the trail all on your own. The only diff is I didn't camp. Otherwise, if you're wondering whether to do this walk, this is should convince you. Plus I 💙 there is no narration!
Thank you Jan and glad you found it meditative, I tried a different format this time opting for precisely that (no talking, better microphone for nature sound capture and less overtaking music as opposed to my earlier hiking videos that always to some degree involve commentary)
I love the not talking! You must have walked it several times over to get all that video! I'd like to do it one day at the same time of year, so beautiful!
Thanks! Yes, the hike did take a bit longer due to the walking back and forth, however what took up most of my time when creating this video was to take up and down the camera as well as switch lenses. It was my first time bringing a proper camera and external microphone setup with a tripod and I'm still getting used to it.
What a fantastic film. No drama, no useless chit chat, just epic scenery and what looked like some great food. Thanks for sharing your adventure Jonathan. Subbed.
I thoroughly enjoyed this very serene and meditative journey you shared. I appreciated the silence to just be able to take in the beauty of your adventure. Technically everything was put together magnificently and I was able to almost feel present in the moment. Bravo!
Wow, thank you very! I was aiming for immersion with this format so I'm very happy to read this! My initial concern with this new shooting style was that it would feel less engaging and dragged out without any talking.
@@JonathanLundmark being from Wisconsin, USA I love nature and really appreciated being able to just take in the beauty of this wonderful adventure through your "eyes". As much as I would love to travel and experience such majestic sights I may never get the chance, so I truly thank you!
Glad to hear you enjoyed the format, I might stick with it going forward! Thank you for this valuable feedback and hope you get to enjoy the hike yourself one day!
Beautiful video. I'm so impressed that on top of hiking/camping for 7 days, you filmed all of the "passing by" shots- all of those extra steps to give us this incredible video! Much love
@@JonathanLundmark Mainly, it was raining more than in your video, you were lucky, jajaja. The route was somewhat different. Milngavie-Drymen-Rowardennan-Crianlarich-Inveroran-Kinlochleven-Fort William. Like you, I couldn't do Ben Nevis either because of the fog.
Absolutely loved the video. Thank you so much for the care and attention taken. It basically summed up my own experience but much better than my efforts at capturing it. I never got to see Loch Lomond from Conic hill as it was a white out. Now I know what I missed.
I’ve wondered if the WHW was a doable hike for me. This (beautiful) video is giving me a lot of helpful information about what it is like and it is now going on the top of my list! Thank you, Jonathan Lundmark!
Thank you very much and glad it was helpful! The days stretched from 20-33km so quite long stretches, but most often the terrain was quite flat and roads easy to walk. The route towards Beinglass farm from Sallochy was the toughest part. You can split the hike into more days than I did it in to make the hike a bit more easier, I think the standard itinerary suggests 8 or 9 days.
@@JonathanLundmark The trail looked pretty much the same. The biggest difference was the remodeled Kings House Hotel. It was much more rustic (old) when we stayed there. Our last day walking into Fort William was so rainy that we had no views of much at all.
@JonathanLundmark Absolutely 😁 I love documenting my hikes, I recently started my channel as a sort of diary to my older self but soon realised there are others who enjoy watching them too which is nice
Simply Excellent! I'm doing the WHW in a few weeks and if my footage is half as good as yours I'll be pleased. I would have liked a little commentary about the the journey, but the video does not suffer from not having it. Thanks for the inspiration.
Thank you! I'm sure your footage will be great. Regarding no commentary I'm testing this new format out and I do think it is both more relaxing and immersive, but also less informative and engaging so there's 2 sides to the coin. Given that rationale, which format would you prefer?
@Jonathan Lundmark I agree I think there is an arguement for both styles, but I would have liked just a little commentary here and there to serve both as information, and more importantly to show us a little bit of your personality.
This is fantastic! I completed my solo backpacking of the WHW in September. I’m pretty sure we had the same site at Sallochy. 🙂 Thank you for capturing the experience so perfectly. It was so nice to relive it all while watching. Subscribed & excited to watch more of your adventures.
Never thought about adding a narrative track over it. Pity you cant have multiple tracks like on a Blu-ray. Would love a com track. lol Oh and almost 19kg on your back. Insane !!!!!
Yep i'm a bit torn on that part myself. In my other hiking videos I typically vlog throughout the hike talking about the experience as i go, which to me makes it slightly more engaging and entertaining. However not saying a single word (like in this video) I think makes the hiking experience more immersive and relaxing. Having a togglable track is a great idea, hope it's implemented!
So beautiful Jonathan! Thats the top quality solo hikes I am looking for. Peacful, relaxing and incredible scenery. I enjoyed following you out there and looking forward to your next adventures. Happy trails, Mario
Jonathan Lundmark really well done pal 👍 full respect , that took a lot of effort especially when you are filming walking away and then you need to return to retrieve your camera . You really show the full details of your walk which was excellent , I’m always interested in other peoples techniques with walking and wild camping , from that aspect the viewer feels as if they are on the journey with you . Excellent work 👍👍
great video, one of the best of whw i have seen, and i have watched a fair few. :) kudos for putting in so much effort. and respect for carrying all your own food (that is a heavy pack to be carrying!).
Wow what a compliment! Thank you for those kind words. Yes I most certainly did feel the around 18kg on the back but it was worth it! There were more food options than I first thought along the way so I had quite a lot of food left when finishing the trek (hamburgers along the way were just too tempting after a long days hiking)
@@JonathanLundmark hahaha yea i was glad to see you had some real food on the trip, the idea of eating nothing but packets of reconstituted dried food for a week is not a happy one. ;) If i had to give any other feedback on the video i would perhaps suggest splitting them into chunks. i think 15-20,mins is more than enough and yt will normally serve up the next item for viewers automatically if it has the same title 1/2…2/2 etc…and it means that you would have more content on your channel so more likely to be picked up by the algorithm i guess, and your viewer retention rate would be higher as i suspect that perhaps some people drop out before watching the full 40,mins. i’m sure there are others who prefer to see the whole video in one sitting, so please don’t take the suggestion as a criticism, it’s only my own personal thought, and i thought the video was great.
Thanks for this! I haven’t thought about doing it that way. In my earlier uploads I used to put an itinerary guide and review of the hike at the end of the video. But it felt in this case the video would become too long. What I am considering to do for this one is a standalone guide to complement. How to plan, where to stay, where to eat and section difficulties etc.
Great job on the hike and on the video Jonathan! The scenery is so beautiful and you really did a great job of capturing the peace and allure of your surroundings. I have subscribed and look forward to your upcoming adventures!
Absolutely gorgeous video! Love this style. And man you put a lot of effort into this video. All this back and forth running to pick up the camera again. Well done. I just came back from scotland. I finished the WHW last tuesday. I had a lot of rain so it's such a pleasure to see some of the places during sunshine. Fortunately I wasn't camping. It's an awesome hike. I had so much fun despite the rain. I'll definitely will be back sometimes. Happy hiking
Thank you very much! Happy to hear you liked the format which for me was attempting a new way of creating hiking videos (without any talking). Yes I did get quite lucky with the weather I suppose! ☀️Might be back one day too!
Amazing quality mate. Some of the shots were just awesome. Great to see some old familiar landmarks from a different perspective. I'm heading there in 8 days. Not my first trip and probably not my last although I always say it is. I really need to get my drone skills sorted out. 😂 Many thanks...
@@JonathanLundmark yup, I can see Noodle , Nugget and Dodo at the fence. Next time if you repeat the WHW . Knock on the door. I will put the kettle on. Enjoy life and all your adventures
Hey amazing video! Tx for sharing ❤️ was thinking of doing the West highland way this year, was wondering, you seem to catch a lot of daylight and sun, which month did you go in? Also how was the temperature on average? Tx so much!! Keep making vids we're supporting you!
Thank you very much! Glad you liked it. I went late april to early may, don’t remember the temperature but on sunny days t-shirt worked! However it does get cold during night and important to bring many layers and warm as well as rainproof clothing. Hope you do the trek and best of luck!
You've put SO much work into this - you make the video work look easy. All that extra walking to include yourself. Well done. And all without words!. planning the trip in June next year. Did you encounter midges? Are gaiters necessary? Were 'wild camping' places easy to find? How did you charge the drone? Thanks.
Hi! Some work was put in but I enjoyed it, thanks! Gaiters are not neccessary and I did not encounter any midges but others often do. Wild camping places are not always easy to find, because there are areas where its not allowed such as next to Loch Lomond. I brought a lot of batteries and was able to charge them in Tyndrum where I booked a hotel. You can also charge electronics all arranged campsites you encounter! When are you hiking? :)
@@JonathanLundmark Thanks for the information. I asked about battery charging before I had watched all of the video. I’m planning the walk in late June 2023. Because I am travelling light I may need to use the hostel accommodation instead of camping even though I prefer the flexibility (and low cost) of camping. I had thought about doing longer days and finishing in 5 or 6 days but may need to re think that in case of poor weather or beautiful scenery to ponder/ photograph.
@@JonathanLundmark Yes. Did 7 days in late June. Bought a small Vango Soul 200 tent in Glasgow and also took a lightweight golf umbrella which was brilliant. Saved having to onandoff wet weather gear in the variable weather. Could have sold the umbrella a dozen times for a lot 😀. Agree that wild camps are not exactly easy to find nor good quality nor protected from weather but managed OK. Had good company (strangers who became friends) along the trail. Ate out most nights so no need for stove (weight). Great fun and lovely to be home on Scotland.
Jeg liker ditt blikk for motiver og detaljer i både lyd og bilde. Mange av scenene er meditative og gode å oppleve med både øyne og ører. For meg fungerte det fint uten kommentarer i selve videoen, men jeg liker dine kommentarer avslutningsvis. Du kunne gjerne hatt flere klipp uten deg i bildet; vi vet jo at du går der. Blanding av drone og andre klipp fungerer fint, synes jeg. Bra at du ikke fristes til hurtigere veksling mellom scener. Jeg skal følge deg videre. Du inspirerer til både friluftsliv og bruk av video. Takk.
Great video, thank you 😊 I would be interested to know how much the trip cost you, without a flight, just for the food and where you slept in a guesthouse?
Thanks for saying so and the landscape was indeed beautiful! The highest elevation point is just 548m above sea level. Total elevation for the trail is around 3000m. Are you planning to hike the west highland way yourself?
@@JonathanLundmark One day perhaps. My plan is that when I retire, I'll return to England and from the southernmost tip to the northernmost. Until then, it's hiking in the Cascades of Washington state. Check out my RU-vid channel.
Thank you, glad you liked the filming. A bit of a water divider on the commentary, I wanted to try 100% no talking and some seemed to prefer it. I personally think it becomes more immersive and relaxing without, but of course less informative and a bit less entertaining. Thinking about doing a separate upload to complement - more like a guide.
@@akshayjabi3090 I’m happy with my trip so I’d advice going the same time which was starting late april and then ending it in fort william start of may. Don’t have the exakt dates but something along those lines! May is considered a popular month but also means less people in April. Also less risk of midges the sooner you go!
@@JonathanLundmark great stuff! We are looking to do this in September, but we are worried about overpacking. We are looking to train up to walking with our full packs on for each day. What was the most difficult part of the journey for you?
The most difficult part was between Sallochy Campsite to Beinglass Farm. I highly recommend camping at Sallochy though, the best spot on the entire trek!
