Great Glen Way

Moderators: John, Sharon, Fossil, Lucky Poet, crusty_bint, Jazza, dazza

Great Glen Way

Postby Toby Dammit » Mon Jul 03, 2006 9:46 pm

I'm hoping to do this walk in a couple of weeks time. It looks easier than the West Highland on paper, but I may be wrong. Anybody done the trail, and if so, do you have any tips, memories etc?
Last edited by Toby Dammit on Mon Jul 03, 2006 9:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
travel, films and stuff https://freakydog.wordpress.com/
User avatar
Toby Dammit
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 477
Joined: Thu May 11, 2006 11:27 pm
Location: Laaaandan

Postby yoker brian » Mon Jul 03, 2006 9:55 pm

My brother set off on saturday morning he's walking the west highland way, and then carrying onto Inverness via the Great Glen Way.

Seems like to much hard work to me - I'm meeting him later in the week in Fort Bill - supply run and a few beers then home again
Milk Sucks, Got Beer?
User avatar
yoker brian
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 1425
Joined: Tue Jan 20, 2004 9:28 pm
Location: Im here, where are you?

Re: Great Glen Way

Postby Toby Dammit » Fri Sep 04, 2009 10:06 pm

Back in May I decided to answer my own three year old question and give the Glen a go, aiming to complete it in four days. The walk begins just outside McDonalds in Fort William if you’re going west to east, and it seems to take forever to clear the town and its suburbs. Over your right shoulder looms Ben Nevis which stays with you much of the day. Going along the shore with a dramatic view down the Linnhe Loch I was drenched in a squall of horizontal rain before I could struggle into my waterproofs. Amazingly this was the only rain I saw for the rest of the week which proved fairly glorious.

Image
Ben Nevis looms over Fort William

Past Neptune’s Staircase, a ladder of boat locks bringing the Caledonia Canal back to sea level, and it’s a flat, easy stroll along the pretty waterway to the swallow haunted bridge at Gairlochy. I’d started late in the day, so I polished off the section in just 3 and a half hours. Unfortunately as it turned out, I’d decided to book a B&B for the night in “nearby” Spean Bridge, and I’d spend the last day of the trip cursing those extra six miles that took out of me.

Image
The Commando Memorial, just off the Way

Day two and the path drops down for spectacular views of the snow capped Grey Corries across Loch Lochy. It also skirts past a Fairy Grotto which some mischievous local has created in the woods to delight the weanes, but my plodding eyes missed its entrance. The rest of the day was spent wandering up the northern shore of Loch Lochy.

Image
Loch Lochy

Much of this unfortunately was through dense forest blotting out all views but the road ahead and behind, covered with black beetles lying on their backs and kicking their little legs in the air like so many distressed Gregor Samsas. Mile after mile of the road was like this, turning long section into a dreary march, hoping that round the next bend the road would stop going uphill into endless trees.

Image
Endless trees

There were almost no stopping off places either, once you were on the road that was it until the entire Loch had been walked. I was glad when I reached the Laggan Locks, and even happier to find that one of the boats moored there was a floating pub! A couple of pints and some snacks in The Eagle and I was off again, hoping to spend the night in Fort Augustus.

Image
Top of Loch Lochy at Laggan Locks

However a mile down the Canal and wham! It felt like somebody kicked the back of my left knee with full force. I managed to limp to the nearby Great Glen hostel, worried about completing the trip.

Next morning was a beautiful day. My leg was a bit jippy, but wasn’t that much of a bother as I headed off, hoping to reach Invermoriston. As it transpired this first section from Laggan to Fort Augustus turned out to be my favourite part of the walk. Much of the track along the southern shore of Loch Oich follows an old railway line and the scenery at the top of the Loch is magnificent. Following the canal again I stopped for the delicious jam and cream scones and tea served up at the Bridge House Tea Garden. Then it was an enjoyable stroll down the canal through some fabulous landscapes alive with wildlife, cuckoos calling all the way.

Image
Looking back down Loch Oich
Last edited by Toby Dammit on Sat Sep 05, 2009 1:22 am, edited 5 times in total.
travel, films and stuff https://freakydog.wordpress.com/
User avatar
Toby Dammit
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 477
Joined: Thu May 11, 2006 11:27 pm
Location: Laaaandan

Re: Great Glen Way

Postby Toby Dammit » Fri Sep 04, 2009 10:14 pm

Image
Typical Canal scene, looking back at Kytra Lock

One of the most delicious portions of fish and chips I’ve ever tasted was waiting for me at Fort Augustus courtesy of the CanalsideChip Shop which I ate sitting by the stairway of locks. Then it was a steady climb up into the hills surrounding the Northern bank of Loch Ness.

Image
Landscape around Fort Augustus

There were occasional epic views to be had of the vast Loch, but again mile after mile was through thick forest. By now the tendons on the back of my damaged leg could practically be heard squeaking as I limped along increasingly knackered. Dispiritingly I could see Invermoriston now and then through the trees but the path seemed to constantly avoid actually getting there, and it was with some painful relief that I arrived at Fern Cottage B&B to discover yes, they had vacancies.

Image
Loch Ness from Fort Augustus

Day four, but after a great night’s rest I was concerned about my chances of making it. My left leg had totally seized up and I knew I had some climbing ahead of me that day. As I got into a steady pace on the hill out of the village (through the now inevitable deep woods) I cheered up a bit as more and more tremendous vistas of Loch Ness opened out around me, one of the highlights of the Way. By the time I reached Drumnadrochit however I was in sheer bloody agony and could barely limp up the stairs of the funky Loch Ness Backpakers Hostel, and spent the night fretting about the final 18 miles ahead of me next day.

Image
Looking over Loch Ness

Scenery wise I found day 5 a bit of a disappointment, with only a brief glimpse of a distant Castle Urquhart, the toughest climb of the Way, a great last view of the Loch (which you have to make a slight detour to see) then more deep forests. These eventually give way to moorland and suddenly you are on a nameless metalled road.

Image
Looking back at the nameless Road

At this point I was really limping and I found this bit rather demoralising, thinking the cuckoos were starting to take the piss. The ‘orrible road led merely to more deep woods and it was with considerable relief some hours later that I could finally spot bits of Inverness through the trees, and suddenly there it is, the bizarre and deserted hospital complex on the edge of the Highland city. Still a bloody long way to go though from there to the centre, the castle and journey’s end. When I got there though I felt it was a real achievement, considering the state of my leg which I was still limping from nearly two weeks later.

Image
Suddenly it's Inverness

*apologies for my rubbish negative scanner
travel, films and stuff https://freakydog.wordpress.com/
User avatar
Toby Dammit
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 477
Joined: Thu May 11, 2006 11:27 pm
Location: Laaaandan

Re: Great Glen Way

Postby MacotheIsles » Sat Sep 05, 2009 9:21 pm

TobyD!

Very interesting account of the walk and it fairly puts me in mind of trying it myself one day when I get the time. Excellent photos too.

Interesting about the route using part of the old Invergarry & Fort Augustus Line, whose history is well worth a read. (It's in Forgotten railways of Scotland and also John Thomas' history of the West Highland Line.
MacotheIsles
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 1160
Joined: Wed Apr 05, 2006 8:24 pm

Re: Great Glen Way

Postby Toby Dammit » Sun Sep 06, 2009 9:47 pm

MacotheIsles wrote:it fairly puts me in mind of trying it myself one day when I get the time.


Cheers Mac OTI. I have to say that the Great Glen Way just isn't as interesting as its West Highland rival. The majority of it is a fairly level stroll along the Canal and the shores of a couple of (admittedly beautuful) Lochs. It's only when you reach Loch Ness that the going gets tough, but even then the views are few and far between hidden by the trees.

It also lacks the camaraderie of the road that the West Highland offers. Where several stops on that trip end at just one pub and one hostel in the middle of nowhere putting all travellers in the one place together the Great Glen leads every night to much larger settlements or, in case of the first night at Glenlochy, no where at all. I actually met very few folk on the road who were walkers, it was far more popular with mountain bikers.

Most online guides reccomend you tackle it in six days and not the four I gambled on (I only had a limited time off work in which to give it a go). Even then the near 20 miles demanded of you on the last day, when you are drained from several days hiking already, with the hardest going too would be a bit of a killer.

The Way is superbly sign posted but I would advise you to take a map, something I didn't do. Then you won't have the psychological drag I suffered from of not knowing how long a metalled road section will last or forest trail. My second piece of advice is if you expect to be staying in hostels ALWAYS take ear plugs because there will be at least one bloke who snores like a sty full of pigs set loose in a megaphone factory. I did and it wasn't a problem in the two hostels I stayed at. My last piece of advice is don't spend the night in "nearby" Spean Bridge if you have to walk there and back. :)

The Loch Oich railway line section you mentioned is evocatively sign posted, with excellent image and text information boards which really bring to life now abandoned places, with odd glimpses of rail architecture slowly being reclaimed by nature. If I were to do just one section again it would be Laggan Locks to Fort Augustus (even though the Loch Oich bit was also the muddiest).
travel, films and stuff https://freakydog.wordpress.com/
User avatar
Toby Dammit
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 477
Joined: Thu May 11, 2006 11:27 pm
Location: Laaaandan

Re: Great Glen Way

Postby HollowHorn » Sun Sep 06, 2009 10:07 pm

Enjoyable and very informative post, Mr.T, cheers, I can smell the fresh air from Paisley ::):
I think Cumbo has done the WHW a couple of times, you may well have inspired him to go that one step further.
User avatar
HollowHorn
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 8921
Joined: Mon May 23, 2005 9:59 pm
Location: Paisley

Re: Great Glen Way

Postby HollowHorn » Sun Sep 06, 2009 10:23 pm

Pee ess....I was thinking that your 'nameless road' might have been 'Wade's' old military road. But that would be on the east side of the glen, no? :?
Last edited by HollowHorn on Sun Sep 06, 2009 11:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
HollowHorn
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 8921
Joined: Mon May 23, 2005 9:59 pm
Location: Paisley

Re: Great Glen Way

Postby John » Sun Sep 06, 2009 10:29 pm

This is beautiful. I would love to do it myself.
'It's a sad day for capitalism when a man can't fly a midget on a kite over Central Park'
John
-
-
 
Posts: 5152
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 9:15 pm

Re: Great Glen Way

Postby mrsam » Sun Sep 06, 2009 10:34 pm

Toby Dammit wrote:
MacotheIsles wrote:it fairly puts me in mind of trying it myself one day when I get the time.


Cheers Mac OTI. I have to say that the Great Glen Way just isn't as interesting as its West Highland rival. The majority of it is a fairly level stroll along the Canal and the shores of a couple of (admittedly beautuful) Lochs. It's only when you reach Loch Ness that the going gets tough, but even then the views are few and far between hidden by the trees.

It also lacks the camaraderie of the road that the West Highland offers. Where several stops on that trip end at just one pub and one hostel in the middle of nowhere putting all travellers in the one place together the Great Glen leads every night to much larger settlements or, in case of the first night at Glenlochy, no where at all. I actually met very few folk on the road who were walkers, it was far more popular with mountain bikers.

Most online guides reccomend you tackle it in six days and not the four I gambled on (I only had a limited time off work in which to give it a go). Even then the near 20 miles demanded of you on the last day, when you are drained from several days hiking already, with the hardest going too would be a bit of a killer.

The Way is superbly sign posted but I would advise you to take a map, something I didn't do. Then you won't have the psychological drag I suffered from of not knowing how long a metalled road section will last or forest trail. My second piece of advice is if you expect to be staying in hostels ALWAYS take ear plugs because there will be at least one bloke who snores like a sty full of pigs set loose in a megaphone factory. I did and it wasn't a problem in the two hostels I stayed at. My last piece of advice is don't spend the night in "nearby" Spean Bridge if you have to walk there and back. :)

The Loch Oich railway line section you mentioned is evocatively sign posted, with excellent image and text information boards which really bring to life now abandoned places, with odd glimpses of rail architecture slowly being reclaimed by nature. If I were to do just one section again it would be Laggan Locks to Fort Augustus (even though the Loch Oich bit was also the muddiest).


Walked the Great Glen Way back in the 90's when it was not trendy. It was a slog and a half! Not a patch on the WHW.

Toby Dammit wrote:My second piece of advice is if you expect to be staying in hostels ALWAYS take ear plugs because there will be at least one bloke who snores like a sty full of pigs set loose in a megaphone factory. I did and it wasn't a problem in the two hostels I stayed at


Amen Brother, me and some mates once spent the most godawfull night in Oban youthhostel sleeping in the same room as a Fat smelly Farting excuse for a man - Dont do it Kids its just not safe!!!

Mr Sam
Hmmm I wonder what happens if i press that lever.... Ahh It operates that shiny new plug socket!

www..photobucket.com/albums/ll103/thecuriocollector

www..photobucket.com/albums/v195/tarbat2003
User avatar
mrsam
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 583
Joined: Tue Mar 27, 2007 11:15 am
Location: Ex Stirling ex Annisland now Huddersfield

Re: Great Glen Way

Postby cumbo » Mon Sep 07, 2009 9:56 am

Thanks for the wonderful photographs and Information Toby, As Hollowhorn said The Glen walk has been on my to do list for a couple of years now and along with your inspirational photos and the couple of guides that are in print now.
I think it is one step closer to happening. Thanks for the inside info.I walked with a man on the west highland way early this summer !!! who had finnished the 'Great Glen' and was walking down the WHW in under 2 weeks
( he was 74 ) 8O
User avatar
cumbo
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 1722
Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2004 1:46 pm
Location: Location:Location

Re: Great Glen Way

Postby Toby Dammit » Wed Sep 16, 2009 12:53 am

HollowHorn wrote:I was thinking that your 'nameless road' might have been 'Wade's' old military road


The pic I took looking back at the road was shot on an old cattle drovers track which slopes gently uphill away from the nameless road which you can see wiggling off into the distance. I know this 'cause a knackered Aussie mountain biker and myself stopped to read the information board and speculate how much longer we had to go to reach Inverness.

The nameless road runs off the A82 out of Inverness, straggles off into the hills above Loch Ness and rejoins the A82 again further down the Loch. On an OS map I've seen it's not named, but serves some well out of the way individual homes.
travel, films and stuff https://freakydog.wordpress.com/
User avatar
Toby Dammit
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 477
Joined: Thu May 11, 2006 11:27 pm
Location: Laaaandan

Re: Great Glen Way

Postby peter » Wed Sep 16, 2009 11:31 am

Had often thought of doing this walk but after description of forest slogging I don't think i'll bother. Nice photo's though. I did walk years ago from Laggan Locks to Inverie and the west section heading away from Great Glen wa a hard walk in forestry. AAARRGGGH
"I've seen them come and I've seen them go. And I've seen them Die"
User avatar
peter
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 773
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2004 10:15 pm

Re: Great Glen Way

Postby mrsam » Thu Sep 17, 2009 8:34 pm

peter wrote:Had often thought of doing this walk but after description of forest slogging I don't think i'll bother.


If Its senic countryside with no uphill slog try the Speyside way It's flat on old Railway lines (so perfectly HG esk as well :wink: )

Or best of all try the West Highland Way or Southern Upland Ways

Mr Sam
Hmmm I wonder what happens if i press that lever.... Ahh It operates that shiny new plug socket!

www..photobucket.com/albums/ll103/thecuriocollector

www..photobucket.com/albums/v195/tarbat2003
User avatar
mrsam
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 583
Joined: Tue Mar 27, 2007 11:15 am
Location: Ex Stirling ex Annisland now Huddersfield

Re: Great Glen Way

Postby Toby Dammit » Fri Jun 04, 2010 11:28 pm

GGW revisited.

I was up in the Highlands last month and had a chance to re-do my favorite part of the Great Glen Way, this time on two working legs, Laggan to Fort Agustus, just over 10 miles. On a good pair of pins it turned out to be a doddle, a pleasant stroll for myself and my chum from Inverness, Louise who accompanied me. Even with a long break at the essential Bridge House Tea Garden we did it in well under 4 hours. I realised that my Kytra Lock pic in my previous pic post was wrongly labled BTW, it is in fact Cullochy Lock (I hope this time!).

Traveling up and down the Great Glen, mostly by bus this time, I was struck by the bleedin' obvious. The best way to tackle this walk is not the way I did it, as a continuation of the West Highland Way, but by walking east to west. By going in that direction you get the toughest part of the track nailed on day one, and the rest gets easier as you go along without the scenery becoming any less dramatic (as is the case with the West Highland Way if you go from north to south).

This time I found the path utterly deserted. Where as last year the Great Glen Hostel was nearly full, this year I had a dorm all to myself. Similarly they were worried about business at the Eagle Barge pub a mile away at Laggan Locks. I had a wonderful evening there watching the sun go down over the Loch Lochy mountans, being bombarded by swallows, and then, quite surrealy, catching a one hour live performance in the tiny bar by some Yorkshire members of the George Formby Society who had moored their hired boat just accross the canal.

Never liked Formby or his films, but these (mostly retired) guys were very funny, very enthusiastic and very entertaining. A truly memorable night out in the Highlands, and a truly strange one too.
travel, films and stuff https://freakydog.wordpress.com/
User avatar
Toby Dammit
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 477
Joined: Thu May 11, 2006 11:27 pm
Location: Laaaandan


Return to Around the World

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 7 guests