Great Glen Way 2022

[emmasmithguitar]

Great Glen Way in 5 Days 2022

After doing the West Highland Way at the end of May 2021, we were keen to try another long distance walk, and the Great Glen seemed a fitting one to try.

Day 1: Fort William to Clunes

Start of GGW

We started the day with an early lift to Fort William from the Central Belt, stopping off at the Real Food Cafe in Tyndrum for some breakfast. The weather was already glorious, so we were hoping for a nice first day of walking. It was lovely to take in the popular views of the shipwreck at Caol and Neptune's Staircase, with some easy walking along the Caledonian
Canal. The weather was so beautiful and it was lovely to watch the boats on the water, passing through the locks.

Shipwreck at Caol

Patiently waiting on the canal locks

We made it to Gairlochy, which was our original plan, really quickly and so decided to walk on further to take some miles off the second day. The views of Loch Lochy were stunning and it was so lovely to walk beside the water and then through the quaint little villages. We decided to stop for the night just as we passed the Clunes Forest School. A lovely Ranger came for a chat and just to remind people that were wild camping of the Outdoor access code, very politely, it was nice to see that the spot we had chosen had been used respectfully before.

Camp spot outside Clunes. Midge net needed!

Day 2: Clunes to Leiterfearne Trailblazer Rest Site
We started our second day after a good night of sleep and were pleased to see it was another lovely morning, although the Scottish midge were out in force! Out came the midge nets (or the "little bug hats" as our friend referred to them as) and all was well again. We were met with more great views of the Loch before reaching the forestry work that as going on around Clunes Forest. There were cheery members off staff on hand to help escort us and prewarn those using heavy machinery that some walkers were coming. We soon made it to Laggan Locks and spotted our first canoeists and also our first sighting of the low flying fighter jets! It was such a lovely spot we decided to sit and have a cup of tea and a quick snack, however the weather had other ideas. As soon as we had made the tea the heavens opened and we ran for shelter. It was a quick rain shower so we finished our tea, watched some big boats on the locks and filled our water bottles back up at the canal facilities before heading back on our way.

Leiterfearne Trailblazer

The rain soon returned but we carried on, willing our way to the Leiterfearne Rest Site, which was our aim for the night. Waterproofs are a must in Scotland (or the UK in general) and it meant that even though it was hammering it down at one point, we were still cosy and dry underneath! The Trailblazer campsite was gorgeous! Such a beautiful, peaceful rest site and the weather soon became glorious again. We set up camp, and were joined by quite a few others that night. We spent the rest of the evening watching the water and the canoeists unpacking (who knew you could fit so much stuff into a canoe!?).

Loch Oich from Leiterfearne Rest Site

Day 3: Leiterfearne to Invermoriston

Morning on Loch Oich

We woke to another beautiful morning, with views right across Loch Oich, before joining the canal again. Our first point of call was Fort Augustus for some real food rather than the packets of dehydrated food we had been eating! It was an easy morning of walking and we saw lots of other walkers of the GGW with the same idea as us. We sat and had an early lunch right on the canal and got some take out cakes to help us on our way.

Fort Augustus

We chose the High Route to Invermoriston, which was definitely HIGH! This has some sections that were so steep I felt like my nose was touching the ground, perhaps it was our big bags that contributed to that too. We had a little rain as we reached the top but the views back to Fort Augustus were amazing. We passed a lot of cyclists on this day, I have no idea how anyone could cycle up those hills, good on them!

High Route with Fort Augustus in the background

Sheltering from the rain

We made it to Invermoriston and had a coffee/beer in the rain sitting outside a wee cafe (can you imagine a more Scottish scene?) whilst we waited for our dinner booking at the Glenmoriston Arms Hotel. Here we spent some time chatting with other GGW walkers and traded hilarious stories of blisters, trying to get bags as light as possible and compostable toilets... We both had fish and chips and then decided to walk on further. We had heard stories of good camping spots just up the hill as you leave Invermoriston, but be warned, they are few and far between! We found a spot just in time for some more rain and settled in for the night, listening to something squawking outside our tent.

Day 4: Invermoriston to Drumnadrochit
We continued our 4th day along the High Route and today the weather stayed glorious all day long. It was such a joy and the views were something we'll never forget. We quickly passed the famous View Catcher (which I think can only be accessed by the High Route) and stopped for photos.

Me at the View Catcher

Sam at the View Catcher

We continued to be wowed by the views of Loch Ness and stopped for a chat with a lovely lady and her sweet dog that we met. Long distance walking is such a great experience and way to meet people and chat about adventures/exchange stories.

Sam hasn't figured out how the walking poles work...

View of Loch Ness

Again, once we reached the top, the path evened out and was much easier going. The High Route is definitely steep, but so worth it for the views. We continued to enjoy the views of Loch Ness and then the beautiful forestry paths that took us on our way to Drumnadrochit. We stopped at Ness Deli for some food and a well earned beer before checking in to the 1 Lochness Hostel. This was the only night we didn't use our tent, we had planned this in case we needed a night to get everything dried off but it wasn't needed weather wise in the end. The Hostel was amazing and we had our own little hut with a private bathroom, would highly recommend for anyone staying in the area. We had a quick chill then dinner at Fiddler's Highland before getting an early night.

Day 5: Drumnadrochit to Inverness
After a great night sleep we were up early as we knew this would be our longest day (and we had a train to catch in Inverness!). Again, another glorious day weather wise, with stunning low cloud over Loch Ness in the morning (definitely no chance of Nessie showing her face).

Loch Ness low cloud

Loch Ness morning view

It was a steep start to the walk this morning through forest but we bumped into a lovely runner (who was aiming for 80miles that day!) who assured us the worst of the hills were over for the day. We trudged on with the Abriachan Eco Cafe and Campsite in mind, we had been hearing rumours of lemon cake and a warm welcome from other walkers. The Eco cafe is actually on the GGW so no detours off route needed and we did indeed received the warmest welcome ever. Howie and Sandra were lovely and the food was delicious, especially grannies famous lemon cake (which came in a slice bigger than my head).

Abriachan Eco Campsite and Cafe

Refuelled, we continued on our way along a B road, which was hard going on the feet at this point, but still had great views. This was our highest mileage day of the walk and it definitely felt that way too! Once you spot Inverness, there is still a fairly long way to go, even when you hit what feels like a more residential area. However, the walk through the park and crossing over the canal is still beautiful. Keep your sight carefully on the blue thistles once you get into Inverness. We spotted the end of the GGW from the bottom of a small hill and were glad to see it was directly across from somewhere to stop for some refreshment.

End of the Great Glen Way

We had an amazing time walking the Great Glen Way and would highly recommend. It has a wide variety of views and walking to appreciate, from canal and forest tracks to being high in the mountains around Loch Ness. We met some lovely people, experienced all the types of weather, dodged the dreaded Scottish midge and removed a couple of ticks, all whilst having the best time ever. Now, which walk to try next...

[dereks]

Great read Emma.