Great Glen Way in 6 Days, Based in Inverness Using Public Tr

[Hoybeuy]

Great Glen Way in 6 days based in Inverness, using public transport

We wanted to walk the Great Glen Way, but weren’t keen on carrying heavy packs with us, so decided to book accommodation in Inverness for the week. We planned to use the Citylink bus service down the Great Glen to access start and finish points each day, as well as local buses wherever they were available. The suggested southwest to northeast direction mostly worked well for us, so we started in Fort William, finishing in Inverness. This meant we had less distance to travel each day to reach our starting point, the sun was mostly behind us and on the long last day we would be walking back into Inverness and could take as long as we needed. Our accommodation was close to Inverness city centre, a short walk from the bus station and close to numerous places to eat and get supplies each morning.

Day 1: Fort William to Gairlochy (10.5 miles)

The day started, as did each subsequent day, by boarding the 09.00 Citylink number 919 bus for Fort William. Although this meant quite a late start for walking from Fort William, it was also the shortest section to walk, so we knew we would have plenty of time. The route out of Fort William is quite interesting passing over the rivers Nevis and Lochy, with stunning views across to Ben Nevis, before joining the Caledonian Canal between Caol and Corpach.

Lovely views of Ben Nevis leaving Fort William

Neptune’s Staircase is a spectacular sight as you approach from the southwest with the eight locks on the Caledonian Canal stacked one above the other. There was a shop here but it was closed when we passed about lunchtime, so it is best to take everything you need with you for the day from the start. From Neptune’s Staircase to Gairlochy the Great Glen Way follows the Caledonian Canal along the former canal towpath. It is easy walking through quiet, pleasant countryside, although you have to look out for occasional cyclists speeding past, as this path also forms one of the National Cycle Network routes.

Neptune's Staircase

At Gairlochy there are no facilities and it is a four mile walk along the B8004/A82 to reach Spean Bridge where the Citylink bus departs from. However, Shiel buses do run one bus at 16.24 (school days only) which travels from here to Gairlochy. We timed our walk to meet this bus and watched with interest as the swing bridge over the canal opened to let a boat through while we waited. The number 919 bus got us back to Inverness by 18.30.

Swing bridge in operation at Gairlochy

Day 2: Laggan Locks to Gairlochy (13 miles)

There is no way of getting from Inverness to Gairlochy by public transport in the morning, unless you walk the extra 4 miles from Spean Bridge. So we opted to get off the Citylink bus at Laggan Locks on the A82 and walk the second section from here back to Gairlochy.

Leaving Laggan Locks for Gairlochy

After crossing the Caledonian Canal at the locks where it enters Loch Lochy, the route heads south along a minor road and then meets a diversion caused by construction of the infrastructure for the Coire Glas hydroelectric power scheme, which adds a significant extra climb and at least an extra mile to the distance of this section. This diversion looks like it will be in place for at least a couple of years and leads up a forestry track to a considerable height above Loch Lochy. Here there are one or two information boards and newly constructed stone benches commanding tremendous vistas in both directions down the Great Glen. A purpose-built replacement path with a good gravel surface zig-zags its way back down from here to meet the original Great Glen Way route which follows the loch shore more closely.

new section of path & information boards south of Laggan Locks (diversion due to Coire Glass HEP works)

Once back on the original path, the route enters forestry along the edge of Loch Lochy. There is an eco-toilet for walkers and access to the loch shore early on along this section, providing a scenic spot to stop for lunch. We watched a group of kayakers stop for lunch on the beach here and later in the week met two of them again who had just completed a journey up the Great Glen by kayak!

The rest of the route follows undulating forestry roads and then from Clunes you have to walk mostly along the B8005 for about 4 miles back to Gairlochy. Although there was not much traffic it was quite hard at the end of the day. We travelled back to Inverness making use of Shiel Buses service to Spean Bridge and then Citylink.

Day 3: Laggan Locks to Fort Augustus (via Invergarry) (13 miles)

In the morning we returned to Laggan Locks and followed a pleasant path through woodland northwards to Laggan Bridge where the A82 crosses the Caledonian Canal. From here we once again had to follow a diversion as the usual route up the east side of Loch Oich is closed due to forestry operations. We followed the alternative Invergarry Link up the west side of Loch Oich instead. This involves a considerable amount of extra ascent and is at least two miles longer than the main route. The Invergarry link route passes almost exclusively through coniferous forests along forestry roads. The ascent out of Invergarry is short and steep.

Looking north up Loch Oich from Laggan Bridge

A curious lamb watches us walk past

At Bridge of Oich the Invergarry Link route rejoins the original route which, from here to Fort Augustus, follows the former tow path of the Caledonian Canal and is welcome flat and easy walking after a day of two considerable ascents on forestry tracks. As it was a sunny 27 degrees (!) we were hot and headed straight for an ice cream from the shops in Fort Augustus, before boarding the bus back to Inverness.

Bridge of Oich, south of Fort Augustus

Arriving in Fort Augustus

Day 4: Fort Augustus to Invermoriston (high level route, 7.5 miles)

All the advice suggests that the views from the high level route are worth the extra effort of the ascent out of Invermoriston. The walk up through woodland is fairly steep but there are a number of waterfalls to admire on the way. The path on this section is good and easy to follow and once you emerge from the forests on to the hillside the views in both directions down the Great Glen are the best of the whole walk so far. We were lucky enough to have good weather and Loch Ness looked stunning bathed in sunshine beneath a clear blue sky. The choice of the high route was already worth every calorie expended on the way up!

the high-level route from Fort Augustus gives the most spectacular views of the Great Glen

The track follows an undulating route along the hillside and reaches a bench surrounded by a stone shelter at the high point of 351 metres - an excellent place for lunch, weather permitting. The descent into Invermoriston is very steep in places and we were glad we hadn’t walked this section in the opposite direction. The waterfalls at the old bridge in Invermoriston are probably spectacular in wet weather, but even after the dry weather we had been enjoying, the falls were picturesque. It was nice to have a shorter day and get back to Inverness earlier.

a stone wind break and bench make the ideal place for a lunch stop

the undulating high-level path between Fort Augustus & Invermoriston

Day 5: Invermoriston to Drumnadrochit (high level route, 14 miles)

Once again we chose the high level route, anticipating decent views once we had climbed out of the forestry. We were not disappointed. The route follows a fairly steep, but quiet, minor road which zig-zags up the hillside from Invermoriston, before it branches off on to forestry tracks and paths. The ascent is through a mixture of coniferous and deciduous woodland. Once above the forestry there are good views out to the north as you walk past the Viewcatcher sculpture which is, as the name suggests, the perfect place to frame a photo or three.

the Viewfinder sculpture between Invermoriston & Drumnadrochit

After descending briefly back down into forestry and crossing the Allt Saigh burn, the Great Glen Way climbs to its highest elevation (415metres) on the slopes of Creag Dhearg. From here the route undulates at first with spectacular views across Loch Ness and then descends gradually down through forestry paths and tracks to rejoin the low-level route. Once you reach the settlements at Grotaig (look out for the pottery offering refreshments and home baking) and Balbeg, the rest of the route mostly follows a minor road, before descending steeply into Drumnadrochit, quite close to the campsite on its southern edge.

looking down the Great Glen from the high level route between Invermoriston & Drumnadrochit

Day 6: Drumnadrochit to inverness (19 miles)

This is by far the longest section of the Great Glen Way and there are long sections of road walking. Initially this is on the pavement of the busy A82 road heading north out of Drumnadrochit. After about half an hour it is a relief to turn left up into the forests where, although you can still hear the traffic, at least you are away from it. The path here becomes steep quite quickly and you have to beware of mountain bikes which can be heading downhill at high speed.

Eventually the path joins a more gradually ascending forestry road. At grid reference 553325 there is a partially hidden bench on the right, providing a welcome stopping place after the hard walk out of Drumnadrochit, with excellent views across Loch Ness. From here the walking gets easier as there is not too much more ascent and most of the rest of the route is on forestry roads or minor roads.

at GR553325 a partially hidden bench on the right of the forestry road is a great place for a scenic break

Some points of interest along the way are the Abriachan Community Forest which provides eco-toilets and picnic tables at GR 542354 and a little further on in the forest, near Tomachoin, there is an off-grid café and campsite. A very convenient place to stop for refreshments (which were excellent). Interestingly they had a functioning card reader for payments, which relied on satellite broadband!

in the Abriachan Community Forest there are eco-toilets and picnic tables

The remainder of the route into Inverness is long but scenic, with views to the north. It is good to eventually see Inverness stretching out below you. Just before the end of the route, you walk across the islands in the River Ness which are notable for their size and the huge Caledonian pines growing on them. Even though we hadn’t started walking until 10am and had stopped for decent spells at Abriachan and at the eco-café, we were in Inverness by 7pm.

Overall Impressions

We thoroughly enjoyed our Great Glen Way experience. Although we have done other long distance routes such as the Yorkshire Wolds Way and the Wicklow Way, both of which are great walks, the Great Glen was easily the most spectacular. Mostly the paths are good and the waymarking is pretty clear. However the high level routes are not marked on Ordnance Survey maps (only the low level ones), so you have to be even more vigilant than usual about navigation on these sections.

The weather was amazing as it was hot and sunny for almost the entire week. It felt like we were in the Med, not Scotland. It was vital to make sure we had enough water with us in these conditions, but the bonus was that there were hardly any midges about – they hated this weather! However, we were also extremely lucky on two occasions when, just after boarding the bus back to inverness in the late afternoon, the heavens opened and there were severe thunderstorms. There are almost no places to buy supplies along each section of the route, so it is important to take everything you need for each day with you.

We studied the bus timetables very carefully before making our plans for each day. The bus services down the Great Glen are good and reliable and so our itinerary worked out well. We didn’t feel rushed having to catch a bus at the end of each day. Mostly, there was at least one later bus, had we been running late.

Apart from some occasional mountain bikers, we met very few other people walking the Great Glen Way. This might have been because we were able to walk outside of the peak holiday season. It was really noticeable how places such as Fort Augustus and Drumnadrochit were very busy with tourists but within minutes of walking away into the forests and/or up into the hills, we would be on our own. Overall the Great Glen Way was a reasonably challenging but very enjoyable walk and being based in Inverness worked really well. It was great being able to set off with just a day pack each morning and go back to the same place every evening.

the path to Invermoriston winds its way steeply down through forestry

a wake splits the glassy surface of Loch Ness, but its just a boat!

the prospect of a cold drink at the end of each day was a significant motivating factor!

Citylink buses down the A82 provide good access to most, but not all, of the start/finish points each day

[Booga]

Thanks for the report and photos. A friend and I are planning to do the GGW in a very similar way so it's good to know that the based in Inverness and use the buses option works.

I've heard the City Link buses can refuse to pick people up if they are full, did you pre-book tickets or just hope there would be space and get lucky? What sort of money were you spending on bus fares? Thanks.

[Hoybeuy]

Hi,
Yes. we were a little anxious about how busy the buses would be. We booked on the 919 at 09.00 on the first morning for the journey to Fort William, but apart from that we didn’t book. The 09.00 bus from Inverness was usually reasonably busy but never more than half full, while the return buses in the late afternoon always had plenty of seats. This was in mid-June, so the situation might well be different at peak holiday times in July/August. We are both lucky enough to have Saltire cards so the bus journeys were free.