THE GREAT GLEN WAY
The Great Glen Way stretches for 117km from coast to coast across the Highlands, linking the main centres of Fort William and the regional capital of Inverness. The route follows the major natural faultline of the Great Glen which divides Scotland from coast to coast. The route keeps to low levels and offers a good introduction to the Highlands and to long distance walking. It runs along the complete lengths of Loch Linnhe, Loch Oich and the forests above Loch Ness, as well as along the towpath of the Caledonian Canal, an engineering marvel built by Thomas Telford that links these lochs and creates a through route from the western seaboard to the Moray Firth.
Starting at the end of the West Highland Way, the Great Glen Way provides a natural continuation of a longer journey through the Highlands.
THE CHALLENGE
Well-waymarked and following clear paths and tracks, the Great Glen Way provides straightforward walking throughout. The section through the forests above Loch Ness does have some steep climbs. For most walkers the final stage is the main challenge, due to the distance from Drumnadrochit and Inverness.
| Stage descriptions | Length | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 1: Fort William to Gairlochy | 17km | 4 - 4.5 hours |
| Stage 2: Gairlochy to Laggan | 19km | 4.5 - 5 hours |
| Stage 3: Laggan to Fort Augustus | 17km | 4 - 4.5 hours |
| Stage 4: Fort Augustus to Invermoriston | 12km | 3 - 3.5 hours |
| Stage 5: Invermoriston to Drumnadrochit | 23.5km | 4.5 - 5.5 hours |
| Stage 6: Drumnadrochit to Inverness | 29km | 7 - 9 hours |
ACCOMMODATION AND SERVICES ALONG THE WAY
Fort William has a wide range of both bed and breakfast accommodation, hotels, and independent hostels. There is a good range of shops including outdoor gear and a large supermarket. The nearest campsite is at Glen Nevis.
Gairlochy has two bed and breakfasts. There are further alternative b&b options and hotels at Spean Bridge which is around 5km off route. There is also a campsite at Torness, 2km from Gairlochy.
Laggan Locks has only the Great Glen Hostel. There is a shop at the Well of the Seven Heads, just over a kilometre offroute on the A82 up the north side of Loch Oich. Invergarry (4km off route) has a range of bed and breakfasts together with 2 hotels.
Fort Augustus is a small town with shops and offers a choice of both bed and breakfasts, hotels, an independent hostel and campsite.
Drumnadrochit also has a good choice of guest houses and hotels. Again, there is also an independent hostel and campsite.
Inverness is the Highland capital and as you would expect offers a full range of services. These include many bed and breakfasts, hotels and hostels, as well as a campsite.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
The ends of the route are easily reached by public transport. Both Fort William and Inverness have good long distance bus connections as well as railway stations.
There is a Citylink bus service that runs along the length of the Great Glen, linking the ends of the route. This passes the start/end points of each of the stages, with the exception of Gairlochy. Gairlochy has no public transport and is around 4km from the bus routes along the A82.
Full timetables for the routes can be found on Traveline Scotland.
The following users have walked the Great Glen Way:
Paul Webster helenw beth grant GeorgeMacACF whitey333 JimGibson Peter Long Rekrab Walkscot druidsam IainG jondale walker1 kev_russ Onemorestep Clamberer wildrover rucsacs GlobalGraham Predator4466 dragoninny heckmackay CurlyWurly JAYMAC Jon Cossar The Morgans gaffr albagubrath charlie249 Bobafete Paderlan gillybaby81 mountainstar tomcowley prophetofdom deuchary chris_howat Scrofula kiltedbiggles Guilbert coopar kaiserstein Ben Hill Cribb-family Gythral calumwood paulgold23 donaldanderson fagans peterandjenny mamacgregor 1444 Billymaca samohtw Bonzo briansolar1 mogi760 raskguld GEOFFCARSON cobblergreen jfairclough1 DougieFerguson Scotsman2012 KGBMC lochfyne mursect8 The Dude. tonybailey Stainless nerual6943 slinkysly clavira craiglui Kerrycash almitche zhickman georg leon_gerber Grum Fraoch thescotthendry Weeboab sevillano Kenny Monaghan mhuze nicodemus31 LGreenaway Podpure ESCAPED nickzip Bjørn lusian Janettemair
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