Great Glen Way

Today, you will start out on your adventure through the Great Glen. In the shadow of Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in Great Britain, you will head north out of Fort William. The day sees little elevation change and you hug the side of the Caledonian Canal. In short time you will find yourself close to Inverlochy Castle, which is well worth the quick detour underneath the railway line. You will then continue out of the surrounding towns of Fort William, passing Caol and Banavie. If you need a quick bite or refreshment, Banavie is the last city until you reach Gairlochy. Enjoy the engineering marvel of the canal on your hike. You will reach Gairlochy approximately 4.5 hours after leaving Fort William.

Today will be longer than yesterday. The scenery is also more varied, as you will walk the entire length of Loch Lochy along forested paths and minor roads. It is an undulating path until you reach Laggan Locks, which can be done within 4.5 hours. Here, there is a small café, the Eagle Barge Inn, although you may not realize it, as it is inside of a converted Dutch barge. From here, you will divert along a side road to reach the trail to Invergarry. In another 2 hours, you will reach the comfortable and historic hotel in Invergarry.

On this short day, you'll start with a forested climb out of Invergarry, making use of a path away from the main road. You'll reach the modern swing bridge in around 3 miles; however, we recommend that you travel further to the older Bridge of Oich to cross over the river Garry. From there, you will rejoin the main Great Glen Way and travel along a level track near the Caledonian Canal. Once you reach Fort Augustus, you will be head to the mouth of Loch Ness via a cascading series of locks.

Today, you have the option of taking a low route that hugs the loch or climbing higher to get a spectacular panoramic of the loch and the surrounding highlands. We recommend the latter. Today and tomorrow have some of the finest views of the tour. Once you reach the high point of the trek, you'll be able to look back and see the only island of Loch Ness, Cherry Island. In actuality, it is an ancient man-made island, what the Scots refer to as a crannog. The depth of Loch Ness extends to 230 m below sea level (755 ft) and the volume of water exceeds that of all lakes and reservoirs in England and Wales. It is truly a massive lake, and from this high vantage point, you can certainly appreciate its scale. Although you do have quite a bit of elevation gain, you'll reach Invermoriston within four or five hours.

Another day of beauty awaits, although at the beginning of the trek much of the loch will be obscured behind hills. Taking the high route, you'll climb high up to 470 meters. On a clear day, you may be able to glimpse Ben Nevis, from whence you came days earlier. In about an hour, you will reach a wooden, circular sculpture made of branches. The location is picturesque, so take out your camera to enjoy the panorama. You'll continue along the Caledonian pine forest, catching views of the Cluanie Mountains to the west. In another two hours, you'll reach a small stone wall only a few feet tall, which marks another good lookout point along the trail. Continue down to Drumnadrochit for a well-deserved meal and perhaps a wee dram.

The distance says it all - this will be a long day. There is no sensible accommodation between Drumnadrochit and Inverness, although some people prefer to cut this section into two by taking a taxi to or from the halfway point. The beginning half is the more peaceful of the two. You'll hike through the Abriachan Forest and, on slow days, you may not see anyone else. Take time to enjoy the solitude. After around 4 or 5 hours, you will reach roughly the halfway point at an "Eco Camp" at the end of the forest. The owners live in a house in the woods and serve tea, biscuits, soups and other snacks to weary hikers, albeit for a somewhat inflated price. Still, it's worth a jaunt into their realm just to meet the eccentric owners. You'll then continue on alternating road and forest paths until you reach the city limits. Here, you will weave through green spaces as you approach your final destination at Inverness Castle. Congratulations, you've conquered the Great Glen Way!