John Muir Way
One of Scotland's Great Trails and one of the UK's long distance walks, the John Muir Way offers walkers and cyclists a unique journey through Scotland’s landscapes, history and heritage.
For more detailed information - maps and route descriptions, photos, updates and diversions, please visit Walk Highlands.
Traversing central Scotland coast to coast in 134 miles, it links Helensburgh in the west with Dunbar in the east (birthplace of America's 'father of national parks' John Muir).
The route symbolically passes through Scotland's own first national park, Loch Lomond & The Trossachs and offers a chance to connect with nature, taking advantage of the green spaces that link our coasts, villages, towns and even the capital city.
This is a journey of contrasts, taking in woodlands, beaches and canals, as well as rivers and parks through urban areas. You'll also discover Scotland's ancient Roman history, engineering heritage and several UNESCO World Heritage sites on the way. Whether you're from Scotland or are visiting for the first time, this mixture of landscape, culture and history will give you a view of Scotland not seen from any other perspective.
Good transport links and plentiful accommodation make it easy to plan a coast to coast expedition, or split it into sections to be completed over day trips or weekends.
Certificates
Collect your printed certificate when you finish or fill out the form below and we'll email it to you.
When you've completed the route, make sure you claim your free completer certificate to mark your achievement. Free printed certificates can be claimed at John Muir's Birthplace in Dunbar and at Destination Helensburgh.
If you missed the chance to pick up a certificate when you finished the route, or completed it in sections and finished elsewhere, don't worry - we can send you a free personalised e-certificate, straight to your inbox. Simply complete the form below, providing your name and email address. We'd also really appreciate you taking a few moments to answer the other brief questions, which give us valuable feedback on your experience.
Remember, you can also celebrate by treating yourself to something from our official merchandise store.
Use this form to order your E-certificate:
Route Management
The John Muir Trust is not responsible for any issues on the ground. The route is managed by the ten Access Authorities along the Way. Running west to east, these are Argyll & Bute Council, Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority, West Dunbartonshire Council, Stirling Council, East Dunbartonshire Council, North Lanarkshire Council, Falkirk Council, West Lothian Council, City of Edinburgh Council and East Lothian Council.
The future of the John Muir Way
The John Muir Trust is looking at future governance options and we hope to move to a more streamlined service operating in a year or so once we have developed a viable financial plan to ensure sustainability of service. The Trust's Board of Trustees hope to be able to make a decision about the future management of the John Muir Way and announce their decision as soon as possible. In the meantime, please direct any route enquiries to the relevant access authority.