Of all the paths I have trodden, my mind goes back most often to the Great Glen Way. It runs the length of the Great Glen, from Fort William to Inverness, 75 miles in total, and although it is in the heart of the Highlands, within Inverness-shire where the greatest mountain ranges are found, it is a gentle walk along most of its course as it runs by the loch shores, the rivers and the Caledonian Canal, heading into the hills on occasion at the north end, but never to one of the great hills of the shire.
Fort William is a town for walkers and little else by the face it puts on, and a good starting point. If you come to the town having just climbed Ben Nevis, which rises mightily just south of Fort William, then a walk along the shore of Loch Linnhe and the canal may seem mild, but it is 75 miles, so plan to take four or five days. Loch Lochy, Loch Oich and Loch Ness are jewels along the great slice through the land which is the Great Glen, and the rivers and canal conduct you between them.
The confession, and the reason I think of the Great Glen Way so often, is that I have walked it at Fort William, at Fort Augustus, by Drumnadrochit and through Inverness, but not the whole route. That is a challenge for some time maybe not so far away.
Article and route map
- See The Great Glen Way page, with map.