GREAT GLEN WAY
Distance - 73 miles
Location - Fort William to Inverness, Scotland
August 2020
Itinerary
Day 1 - Fort William to Gairlochy, 11.5 miles
Day 2 - Gairlochy to Invergarry, 17 miles
Day 3 - Invergarry to Invermoriston, 17.5 miles
Day 4 - Invermoriston to Drumnnadrochit, 13.5 miles
Day 5 - Drumnnadrochit to Inverness, 19.5 miles
Day 1 - Fort William to Gairlochy, 11.5 miles
Having scaled Ben Nevis the previous day we were feeling slightly less than 100%, however, we were all set to start the Great Glen Way (GGW).
The hotel kindly allowed us to leave our car in their overflow car park for no cost. I had called the hotel and asked prior to making the booking. Leaving the comfort of the hotel we set off on our way.
The start/ end of the GGW is located close to the train station, marked with a stone monument. From this point, the route was very well signposted as we started making our way out of Fort William. As we left Fort William the weather was perfect for walking, slightly cloudy but warm enough for just a t-shirt, it was going to be a good day.
We had a rough itinerary for the 5 days however as we were planning to wild camp, we would take each day at a time.
Having read prior to starting the trip there were facilities along the Caledonian Canal along with Trailblazer sites, so we decided it was worth obtaining a key to access these facilities. We obtained the key from the canal office in Corpach, which is a short distance from the GGW route (less than 400m). The cost is £10 per person.
When collecting the key we were told that the facilities at Gairlochy were out of order, however, there was a portaloo in place. This was slightly disappointing as we had planned to potentially stay here on our first night. Leaving Corpach we were walking alongside the Caledonian canal, which would lead us to Gairlochy locks. There were lots of people using the path for recreational purposes, walking, running and cycling. We love seeing people enjoying the outdoors.
At around lunchtime, we passed Neptune’s staircase which is a series of 8 locks, pretty impressive! Here we took the opportunity to use the key and check out the facilities, which included toilets, showers, kitchen, and laundry.
As we got closer to Gairlochy we were both feeling knackered, Ben Nevis and also the added weight on our backpacks was catching up with us, so once we reached the lock we decided to call it a day. By this point, it was just after 3 pm. We could have kept going but it was the sensible decision to call it for the day. The informal wild camping area is lochside at the north end, just opposite from the facility building. Such a shame they were out of order.
It was disappointing, however, to see that there was no running water for drinking purposes, however, we did ask one of the staff at the loch and he kindly pointed me in the direction of the staff office to fill our water bottles. The bad news was that they closed around 4 pm and did not reopen until after 8.30 am the next day. Although we had the Sawyer squeeze water filters we didn’t particularly want to filter out of the canal due to the sheer amount of boats mooring up (petrol).
As we pitched our tent for the night, we sat and watched lots of boats turning up wanting to get through the locks, however by this point it was past 5 pm and all staff members had left, they had to bunker down for the night like the rest of us. They all seemed surprised to see that the loch had closed, each walking up to the office, each trying to access the ‘out of order’ facilities, looking to see if they could work the lochs themselves, amusing to watch.
It was a great camping spot and one that we would recommend.
Day 2 - Gairlochy to Invergarry, 17 miles
We woke up around 7.30 am having had a well-deserved rest. We had hoped the staff at the lock would have started work before we set off for us to access their water tap, however, unfortunately, this didn't happen.
Worries of water subsided as within a few miles we were lochside, being able to filter water and have a late breakfast. Lots of potential wild camping spots along this section.
From here we had amazing views over Loch Lochy, and the trail ran along the edge of the loch for a number of miles. We then had some road walking on a quiet road, however, be careful as the cars that did pass were travelling quickly.
As we entered Clunes Forest it started to rain ... a lot! The forest walk continued for miles, and the rain persisted. It made for a very soggy morning.
We passed the first trailblazer site, Glas Dhoire, which looked like a good place to wild camp, with a compostable toilet (unfortunately the window had been broken and no locks). When planning, we looked to camp here on the first night, however, it would be well over 20 miles for the first day, which would have been uncomfortable.
As we emerged out of the forest we could see Laggan locks. Just before reaching the locks, the trail splits with the option to go to Invergarry. We decided to stay on trail.
There is a small cafe at the lock, however, it was unfortunately closed (poor planning on our behalf, we should have checked in advance!). So we were slightly disappointed when we arrived. We did have food with us so that wasn't a problem, it would have lifted our spirits after spending all morning in the rain!
There are toilets at the lock if you have the key.
We stopped shortly after the lock to have some lunch, by this point it was around 2 pm and 13 miles in, and we were both a little 'hangry'.
We set ourselves the goal of walking to the next trailblazer site, Leiterfearn, which would put us parallel to Invergarry. The trail was nice and flat with some straight sections.
The trail passes the Invergarry railway museum, which appeared to be in development/ closed, but pretty cool to walk past. The trail continues on following the old railway for the next few miles.
After 17 miles we arrived at our wild camping spot, which was perfect. Lots of flat space to pitch, two compostable toilets, lochside with easy access to the water. The toilets were not locked and were fairly well kept (don't forget your loo roll and torch!). There is also an old building at the entrance which has been bordered up, however, we were pretty confident it was home to bats.
We tucked ourselves in for the night as the rain continued to fall.
Day 3 - Invergarry to Invermoriston, 17.5 miles
The wild camp spot at Leiterfearn was great, we had the whole site to ourselves. However, I am pretty sure we had some animals keeping us company during the night based on the noises we heard. This is something that I need to get more comfortable with, of course, there will be animals and of course, they will make noise, I'm just not very good at switching that part of my brain off at night!
We packed up the tent, had breakfast, filtered water, and set off around 9 am. It was drizzling for the first hour or so as we continued alongside Loch Oich.
We passed Kytra lock which was very pretty. Although we couldn't find the facilities this is another trailblazer site with a designated area to wild camp.
As we past Kytra Kevin took out a bag of snacks from his front pocket, only to find there was a hole in the bag. We didn't think too much of it at first, but on closer inspection, it wasn't just the snack bag that had a hole, the whole pocket had a hole. This could only mean one thing ... a little creature, mouse most probably had a great midnight feast!! Needless to say, the remaining chocolate raisins ended up in the bin! Lesson learnt though, ensure that all of your food bags are securely fastened, or placed somewhere away from the tent and all belongings.
Today we knew we would be passing Fort Augustus which was halfway along the Great Glen Way, so we planned to stop here for lunch. On arrival into Fort Augustus, it was quite busy, which was a little overwhelming having seen very few people for most of the day. Due to Covid restrictions, many places were serving food however for takeaway/ seating outside only. We thankfully managed to get a seat at Cafe Cobbs after waiting for a short while.
There are a few small shops, a petrol station and public toilets (pay) as you make your way out of Fort Augustus so worth taking advantage stocking up before leaving.
Within a short distance, we headed up through a forest track which was very steep, not good with a full belly! However it soon flattens off. You then have the option to take the low/ high route. We, unfortunately, got a little excited and took a path slightly earlier, which was wrong! Basically, if it doesn't have clear big blue sign, then don't follow it!
We chose to take the high route as we are suckers for views. It is a bit of a slog as you climb up from the forest floor, however, the views across Loch Nesss are worth the effort. Word of warning, if the conditions are right, you will have to fight off the midges! There was no wind for us, so within a few minutes, they were swarming. Top tip, get a smidge net, we found that a generic bug net was not sufficient and the little critters could get in through the holes!
It is a shame that we had to contend with the midges as it would have been lovely to sit and enjoy the view. Many locals we spoke to were saying that this year was one of the worst they had experienced with midges.
The path is very undulating and was certainly draining on our patience, not wanting to stop for fear of getting eaten alive! We did have bug spray which did help however we felt it was best to just keep moving. After 3-4 miles the path started to descend into the tree line which rejoined with the low route. By this point, we were both pretty tired and were happy to see that we were approaching Invermoriston. We stopped at the Glenmoriston Arms for a well-needed drink and rest.
We would have stayed at the holiday park, however, due to covid restrictions they were not able to open their camping facilities. This meant that we would need to find a place to wild camp for the night. Knowing that we might not be able to filter water for the night we filled up whilst at the pub.
By this point it was past 5 pm and we were keen to find somewhere to pitch our tent. There is another ascent as you walk away from Invermoriston. There is another low/ high route decision to be made, but if you want to see the wooden view catcher you must take the high route.
There were a few places on the forest track where you could wild camp and we thought some of these had been used in previous days due to flattened ground, however, we felt they were a little exposed for our liking. We continued on for another mile or so following the fence line of the forest. There were very few if any places to camp here, and we were getting a little concerned. Until we came to a bridge and could see the perfect place to camp just up ahead. It was on good flat ground, sheltered, slightly away from the path and close to running water. This would do nicely!
We didn't hang around setting up camp as the midges were out in force!
Day 4 - Invermoriston to Drumnnadrochit, 13.5 miles
We both had a great nights sleep, probably due to the fact that we were both super tired! It was surprisingly quiet where we had pitched the tent, with only a dull sound of running water in the background.
It was raining when we got up so we were pretty quick packing away. The Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 3 tent allows you to take the inner down first which was super useful in such conditions.
We set off with the intention of making it past Drumnadrochit, which would eat into the final day miles ... that was the plan anyway!
Within a mile, we came across the view catcher sculpture. Although it was raining and cloudy the scenery was stunning. Admittedly we spent quite a lot of time at the sculpture enjoying the changing views as the weather improved.
The path continues on above the forest line through the moorland, with views of vibrant greens and purples as far as the eye could see. There were some challenging climbs which rose to ~ 450m. We came to a few resting places along the way which would be lovely places to wild camp with views overlooking Loch Ness.
We eventually rejoined with the low route and the path leads away from the loch onto farm tracks eventually coming out onto a road. We noticed that there was a pottery 200m off trail serving snacks so worth checking out. Walking along the road continues on for some time, and became a little boring, to be honest.
We came across Ancarraig Lodges which had a sign advertising a small shop, so we decided to check it out, it was about time we had a break anyway. The shop was small but served snacks and drinks, just what we needed.
The trail continued on along the road for another 3 miles before turning into another forest. From here we got our first glimpse of the village which didn't seem too far away. But a word of warning the path goes away from the village before heading into the village.
We finally reached the village a little tired and short-tempered, by this point it was 2/3 pm having only had a small snack, we were desperately needing some proper lunch! So we stopped at Fiddler's fish and chips where they had set up a large tent due to covid restrictions, a very good set up!
After lunch, we then made the decision to see if there were any hotel rooms available, and we were in luck. We managed to book a room at the Benleva hotel which is ~0.5 miles off route. By staying in Drumnadrochit we knew we would have a big 19-mile day to end on, however, we weren't too concerned.
We took advantage of the hotel restaurant and managed to dry some of our kit on the radiators. Best decision we made!
Day 5 - Drumnnadrochit to Inverness, 19.5 miles
We had set our alarm to get up early knowing that we had a big day ahead of us. The hotel room came with a continental breakfast which was left in a fridge ready for us to collect in the morning, another good example of ways businesses are managing with covid restrictions.
On leaving Drumnadrochit we walked alongside the road on the pavement for a fair distance. It was a little unsettling as it was a 60mph road. We got small glimpses of Urquhart Castle as we looked behind us.
The path slowly started to wind up through the forest, with some steep sections which was hot sweaty work first thing in the morning. Within approx. 3 miles there is a sign to a viewpoint overlooking for Loch, which would be a perfect place to wild camp (there were people camping here when we arrived). Emerging above the treeline the forest track felt very Christmasy lined with fir trees. It then became moorland and quite exposed which would be nasty in bad weather.
Having past Abriachan Forest we came to a series of signs luring you into the eco campsite. We have heard the lemon cake is very goo, but we chose not to stop as we were making good progress and had already had our morning break and snack. Following the narrow path it emerges onto a quiet road. We walked on the road for several miles, this was't too bad as we had lovely views over the surrounding landscape.
The path then takes you away from the road and through the trees. There are some nice places to rest and potentially wild camp around here. We felt the path gradually starting to descend, however it wasn't a sudden drop, very gentle. The forest track is very pretty, we really enjoyed this section.
Coming out of the treeline we then caught our first glimpse of Inverness! We sat on the bench and admired the view, preparing ourselves to push on to complete the final 4 miles. It then became very residential, passing a golf course, walking through an underpass, to rejoin the canal. There was then a series of busy roads we had to cross. We were then walking towards Ness Islands and it became quite busy.
Walking over the final bridge to the road leading up to the castle, we were on the final stretch! We laughed when we saw the final 100m or so as it was uphill, of course it was! We were also a little disappointed to see that the castle had been boarded up, which was a shame as it would have been nice to see the castle in person without its cover. The Great Glen way ends at the entrance to the castle and is marked with a GGW stone post.
We completed our final day by around 4pm, and unfortunately, the rain caught up with us. Just as we reached the castle it started to absolutely pour down. Typical!! By this point, we were happy to have finished the GGW but also needed a well-deserved rest!
Check out our video of our Great Glen Way adventure!
The Great Glen Way is a great walk, with a range of different terrain and scenery. There were long, straight, flat sections which was nice underfoot. The path is very well signposted, we didn't really need a map or guidebook. We did take a Cicerone map, however, we only used it to check where we were and our progress. The route is also a cycle path so be wary of cyclists.
Due to the time of year and weather, we did unfortunately experience swarms of midges but we were aware this could happen. You just have to be prepared to make the most of the situation.
The GGW is positioned close to other long-distance trails, therefore easy to join walks together, for example, the West Highland Way which runs from Milngavie to Fort William. Our plan was to spend 1 day in Inverness before starting the East Highland Way which would take us back to Fort William.
Tips
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Be prepared for all types of weather. Good waterproofs are a must.
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Depending on the time of year you walk the GGW you may have to endure midges. It is worth investing in a smidge net and also get some good bug repellant.
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Filter water, we didn't have any trouble finding water to filter. But we did not filter directly from the canal, choosing faster flowing water or from streams higher up.