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This should have been the start for us but it wasn't.
Living in Inverness we did the bits we could get to first and only did this bit when we did it because I was in Banavie on holiday with family. Being me and always keen to make the most of every opportunity I asked Moira down to climb Beinn Fhionnlaidh on the Friday and (after vacating the cottage on the Saturday) walk this part of the Great Glen Way.
First job was to stash Moira's car at Gairlochy, then return to holiday cottage in our car, finish packing up, then be dropped off by Pete at GGW start point before he drove home with the dogs. It didn't seem to us a very momentous start point, albeit in the shadow of the Ben, but we obediently walked past Macdonalds and the shinty pitch to the bridge over the River Nevis, the crossing of which felt slightly more momentous.
River Nevis flowing from Glen Nevis
River Nevis meets Loch Linnhe
After crossing the River Nevis it was on to the River Lochy, a wider river with a large floodplain that has a tendency to flooding, but no problem when we were there.
Lower reaches of River Lochy
We crossed the Soldier's Bridge with views of the ruins of Inverlochy Castle, then followed the road for about 1km before turning left into Glenmallie Road and the housing estate of Caol.
Black sheep leading the way
Loch Linnhe at low tide
Great view for these houses
Ben Nevis from Caol
Zoomed to a hazy Ben and Glen Nevis
At the end of the housing the GGW continues on a tarmac path between the shore and playing fields before crossing a bridge and doubling back on to the towpath of the Caledonian Canal, a waterway that features for the length of the Way, built under the direction of Thomas Telford to provide a shipping passage from west coast to east coast, via the natural rift of the Great Glen and taking advantage of the ready made waterways of Lochs Lochy, Oich and Ness. A great idea which never realised its full potential because by the time it was complete road and rail links were much improved and vessels had become too large to navigate the narrow locks. Nowadays it's mainly leisure cruisers who use it. But if it boosts tourism that probably puts as much into the Highland economy as ease of transporting goods did back then, thanks to those hard grafting navvies and engineers of the early 19th century.
On the Caledonian Canal that leads all the way to Inverness
Towpath
Beyond the bridge ahead we could see the watery staircase of Neptune. This amazing feat of engineering raises the canal by 19m (62ft) over a quarter of a mile of continuous masonry and takes around 90 minutes for a boat to travel up or down the locks. Built by Thomas Telford between 1803 and 1822, it is the longest staircase lock in Scotland. I don't know why it's called Neptune's except that Neptune was the name the Romans gave to the god of sea and earthquakes. The sea link is obvious and the building of the locks probably felt like a bit of an earthquake to the quiet folk of Banavie.
Neptune's Staircase
We crossed the busy A830 (had to wait for a gap in the traffic to get across) and walked up the east side of the locks. Earlier in the week Pete and I had taken the grandkids (aged 4 and 6) to watch the boats going through the locks and they had been allowed to press the lever that controlled the opening of the gates. It's nice when people operating things let little kids do stuff like that - under supervision of course, but a big moment for them!
Looking back to top of Neptune's stairs
Looking ahead
Canal heading north east
Large vessel might have a tight squeeze
Primroses on the near bank
Picturesque pines on the far bank
Blooming gorse and the Moy Swing Bridge
At the bridge we chatted to the bridge operator sitting in his wooden hut. He was either reading a book or doing a crossword, can't remember which, and nothing much else was happening. But when a boat needs through there's a change of tempo when he opens the gate on the near side then rows across to open the gate on the far side. Seems positively antiquated in our technological times that this is still happening, but kind of reassuring too that this at least hasn't changed from when the canal first opened.
Cast iron bridge, made in pieces in Wales and put together on site in 1821
As we neared Gairlochy the Way follows a narrow bank between the canal and River Lochy, the river dominating the view south west.
View back to the Ben from River Lochy
At Gairlochy we crossed the road and continued a little down the side of the canal to get a photo of the bridge, before crossing it and picking up the car from our parking space on the far side. There isn't a lot of available parking in Gairlochy so to be on the safe side it would be best to arrive early if you plan to do what we did. There are no cafes in Gairlochy so best to have your own food too.
Canal bridge at Gairlochy
