West Highland, Great Glen and Affric Kintail Combo 2/3
Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2018 11:30 amAnne & Patrick - A french couple, used to long distance trails that we pratice 2 or 3 times a year, usually in the mountains. In May 2018, we hiked in Scotland, starting on the West Highland Way, then the high-route of the Great Glen Way, followed by the Affric Kintail Way. We then concluded our trip with a day walk in Inverness, and a couple of days in Edinburgh. Our trip report starts below. It is split in 3 parts : Part 1 is on the WHW, Part 2 for GGW, and Part 3 for AKW and the end. We hope you'll envoy reading and will forgive us for our english. Finally, thanks to Fairweather Softie, China88, Mal Grey, Gaffr, Scottk, Caberfeidh, Abbruce, Bootsandpaddles, and BobMcBob for their advices on the forum.
The Part 1 of our report, along the West Highland Way, can be found here.
The Part 3, along the Affric Kintail Way, is here.
Our complete slideshow can be seen here :https://youtu.be/yvGqRqvGd24
Thursday, May 24 (Day 9)
The bus leaves Fort William around 2pm. So, in the morning, we depart the Great Glen Way to Inverlochy Castle and Corpach, the western end of the New Caledonian Canal than connects the Scottish Sea to the North Sea, before returning to catch the bus. It drops us off at Fort Augustus, where the crowd watching the maneuvers of the locks leading to Loch Ness contrasts with the isolation of the last days in the moor.
The bad news is that the campsite at Fort Augustus is under construction and therefore closed, although nothing indicates it on the website. So, we leave without knowing where to go, and are delighted to see at the end of Fort Augustus, an independent hostel: Morag's lodge, where there are 2 beds left (in the same room!). We are very welcome, and Anne takes advantage of the self-managed kitchen to redo our puffed-rice stock. We had done several tries to puff rice before leaving and left with some rations of our home-made-puffed-rice. We really enjoyed being able to eat whole rice, without having to cook it and so light to carry.
Friday, May 25 (Day 10)
2 km after our departure, we take the junction for the high-route of the Great Glen Way. After a nice climb in the forest, we arrive on the crest. The sun is shining, but the wind is strong and cold. We overlook Loch Ness, and the views of the lake, Ben Navis and Munros are superb. We picnic at Invermoriston, have coffee and tea at the inn, and leave, still in full sun. We no longer have the view of Loch Ness, but on the other side, on the plateau, which seems dry and desert, with a beautiful ridge line. A sculpture in stone and wood "frames" this landscape nicely. Going down a little, we find an excellent bivouac, just above the Allt Saigh River.
So far, we have not been bothered by insects: no mosquitoes, no "midges", nothing of all that. We try for the first time during this trek a homeopathic preventive and curative treatment: 3 granules, 3 times a day of "Apis Mellifica 15ch" and "Ledum palustre 5ch". It is treatment the reason? Impossible to know... but in doubt, we will continue. On the other hand, tonight, the inspection of ticks is useful to Patrick who removes one of these undesirable insects, already well hooked under the skin.
Saturday, May 26 (Day 11)
As yesterday's stage was superb, this step towards Drumnadrochit is disappointing. Perhaps because of the fog, with us all morning, which offers us beautiful effects of light. We pitch the tent at the Borlum campsite, go for a beer in the pub, go shopping, and quickly shelter under our tent a very very cold wind.
The report continues with its part 3 here.
The Part 1 of our report, along the West Highland Way, can be found here.
The Part 3, along the Affric Kintail Way, is here.
Our complete slideshow can be seen here :https://youtu.be/yvGqRqvGd24
Thursday, May 24 (Day 9)
The bus leaves Fort William around 2pm. So, in the morning, we depart the Great Glen Way to Inverlochy Castle and Corpach, the western end of the New Caledonian Canal than connects the Scottish Sea to the North Sea, before returning to catch the bus. It drops us off at Fort Augustus, where the crowd watching the maneuvers of the locks leading to Loch Ness contrasts with the isolation of the last days in the moor.
Friday, May 25 (Day 10)
2 km after our departure, we take the junction for the high-route of the Great Glen Way. After a nice climb in the forest, we arrive on the crest. The sun is shining, but the wind is strong and cold. We overlook Loch Ness, and the views of the lake, Ben Navis and Munros are superb. We picnic at Invermoriston, have coffee and tea at the inn, and leave, still in full sun. We no longer have the view of Loch Ness, but on the other side, on the plateau, which seems dry and desert, with a beautiful ridge line. A sculpture in stone and wood "frames" this landscape nicely. Going down a little, we find an excellent bivouac, just above the Allt Saigh River.
So far, we have not been bothered by insects: no mosquitoes, no "midges", nothing of all that. We try for the first time during this trek a homeopathic preventive and curative treatment: 3 granules, 3 times a day of "Apis Mellifica 15ch" and "Ledum palustre 5ch". It is treatment the reason? Impossible to know... but in doubt, we will continue. On the other hand, tonight, the inspection of ticks is useful to Patrick who removes one of these undesirable insects, already well hooked under the skin.
Saturday, May 26 (Day 11)
As yesterday's stage was superb, this step towards Drumnadrochit is disappointing. Perhaps because of the fog, with us all morning, which offers us beautiful effects of light. We pitch the tent at the Borlum campsite, go for a beer in the pub, go shopping, and quickly shelter under our tent a very very cold wind.
The report continues with its part 3 here.