Carter - Self Guided Great Glen way

The easiest directions are from the train station. Go through the underpass and walk along the pedestrian precinct until passing the statue at the end of the West Highland Way in Gordon Square at the west end of town. To reach The Lime Tree continue to the end of the High Street and you will be at a roundabout (with the West End Hotel on your left). Continue straight ahead and the Lime Tree is the large house with the Cherry Trees on the left side of the road just past the roundabout – the first house on Achintore Road.

Fort William sits on Loch Linnhe with the majestic Ben Nevis, at 1344m Britain’s highest mountain, as its backdrop. The town takes its name from the fort that William Prince of Orange built in 1690. Fort William was successfully held by government troops during the Jacobite uprisings of 1715 and 1745. However, the surrounding area saw great turmoil. Today, such a bloody past is difficult to imagine and the town is the main centre for visitors to the Western Highlands.

Distant Hills is situated in the village of Spean Bridge which is 3 miles/4.75 km from the official stage end, ie Gairlochy locks. Since this is a relatively easy section of the route, you may wish to actually continue your walk into Spean Bridge itself. Alternatively, a transfer service is available from Distant Hills. If a transfer is required (after 1600 hrs) then on your arrival at Gairlochy locks, please telephone Distant Hills and they will be pleased to send transport to transfer you from Gairlochy to Spean Bridge. If you decide to walk into Spean Bridge then your walk along the canal will take you to the canal locks at Gairlochy. Do not continue along the canal but instead turn right and take the small tarmac road (B8004) which winds initially downhill. Simply continue on this road for approximately 2 miles/3.25 km until you reach the Commando War Memorial which sits at the junction of the B8004 and the main A82 roads. At this point you can either walk down the main A82 road for one mile/1.6 km into Spean Bridge (there is a good pavement) or take the new off-road track which also leads down into Spean Bridge but is longer, ie 2 miles/3.2 km but highly recommended. Once into the village you will reach a road branching off to the left (sign posted Roy Bridge). Turn left and walk along the road for 550 yards/500 metres until you reach Distant Hills on the right hand side. The next morning, your patrons will be pleased to transfer you back to Gairlochy locks to continue your walk.

Spean Bridge is best known for its historical links with the Allied Commando Training during the Second World War. Thousands of troops came to Spean Bridge to train for war in the surrounding mountains and lochs, based at Achnacarry Castle. A mile north of Spean Bridge on a prominent hillside by the A82 is the world famous Commando Memorial, erected to commemorate the service and sacrifice of the men and women who served their countries.

As you approach Invergarry you will reach the end of Loch Laggan. At this point you need to leave the main Great Glen Way route and take theInvergarry Link which breaks away to the left onto the old Great Glen Way Cycle Route. Follow this route for approximately 3.75 miles/6 km and you willstart to descend into the hamlet of Invergarry. As you enter Invergarry the Way joins the main A82 road and before the bridge there is a farm track. There issome signage but not visible from the A82, a small blue sign on the left side of the track. A map is attached. Follow the farm track to the Glengarry Castlegatehouse (at this point the River Garry will always be on your left), pass through the gate and carry on for about 200 yards/182 metres until you reach theHotel on your right. Do not walk under the arch. The following morning you will have to retrace your steps back to where you came off the track and thencontinue north on the Invergarry Link to Bridge of Oich and then back on to the Great Glen Way route into Fort Augustus.

You will be walking through land owned by the Cameron’s of Lochiel. Nearby is Clunes where Bonnie Prince Charlie hid in a cave for two weeks after his escape from Culloden. South Laggan saw the Clan Battle of the Shirts in 1544 (Gaelic: Blar na Léine, also the Battle of Kinloch-Lochy). The Clan Donald and their allies Clan Cameron fought the Clan Fraser and men from Clan Grant. Legend has it that the day was so hot that both sides threw off their plaids, fighting in their shirts. However, Blar na Léine is merely a corruption of Blar na Leana, ‘the Field of the Swampy Meadow.’

The Great Glen Way passes through Fort Augustus and for your accommodation follow the way markers through the village to the northern edge. At what used to be the Three Bridges B&B (the bridges are still there!) the Way turns left and up through a wood. Leave the Way at this point and continue straight ahead over the bridge and turn left. Follow this lane for a short distance uphill and to your right until you reach the Inch Hotel.

Fort Augustus is named after King George II’s younger son, Prince William Augustus the Duke of Cumberland, also known as ‘Butcher Cumberland’ as he suppressed and destroyed the highlanders and their clan system. In the aftermath of the final ‘clan’ defeat at Culloden in 1746 Augustus made his headquarters in the fort named after him 25 years earlier. Very little remains of the original fort, parts of which were incorporated into the Benedictine Abbey built in 1876. The monks left in 1998 when they were unable to sustain their community and the abbey. The original Gaelic name of the village was Cille Chumein (the church of Chumein).

Running through the village is the River Oich and the impressive Caledonian Canal and lock system built by Thomas Telford in the early 1800’s. Next to the locks is the Caledonian Canal Heritage Centre which gives an insight into the history of the canal. Also in the village is the Clansman Centre where you can learn about clan life 500 years ago.

The Great Glen Way will take you down onto the main A82 road. Turn left and simply follow the main road until you reach the Glenmoriston Arms on the left hand side of the road at the junction where the A887 road to Skye joins the A82.

Invermoriston dates back to circa 1600 and in the 1640’s a sawmill was in operation processing the surrounding forests for export by boat. The military roads were built along the Great Glen in the 1700’s and passed to the east side of Loch Ness, leaving Invermoriston heavily dependent on water transport. The first roads were built by Thomas Telford in 1813 along the west side of Loch Ness and towards Glen Shiel. This small village is steeped in Jacobite romance, like the legendary Seven Men of Moriston and rebel hero Roderick MacKenzie, killed in 1745 by English Soldiers who mistook him for Bonny Prince Charlie.

The village’s most popular attraction is the old Telford Bridge which crosses the spectacular River Moriston falls. This bridge was part of the main road between Drumnadrochit and Fort Augustus. A new bridge was built in the 1930’s and still carries a stream of traffic today.

The latter stages of the route towards Drumnadrochit will take you down the hill past Clunebeg Lodge and onto the main A82 road. Turn left and walk along the road over the bridge and then take the first left after crossing the bridge, ie the last turning on the left before the Esso garage. You will see the Loch Ness Inn clearly signposted thereafter on the left hand side of the road.

Drumnadrochit lies on the West shore of Loch Ness at the head of Glen Urquhart and is the main centre for Monster watching! The first sighting of the Loch Ness Monster was made by Saint Columba in the sixth century and millions of people have visited the Loch since then with the same ambition. There are two exhibitions in the village devoted to Nessie. The centre of Drumnadrochit is very attractive with a village green and a splendid miniature model of Urquhart Castle made from hedges and plants. The magnificently situated Urquhart Castle, just south of the town on the banks of Loch Ness, remains an impressive stronghold despite its ruinous state. Once one of Scotland’s largest castles, Urquhart’s remains include a tower house that commands splendid views of the famous loch and Great Glen. The castle’s history and that of the noble families, Durward, Macdonald and Grant, is told in the exhibition in the visitor centre.

From the end of the Way exit the Castle grounds via the gate, turn left and make your way down the hill until you reach a T-Junction taking you on to the High Street. Turn right and walk along the High Street, ignoring turns to the left and right, and the High Street then merges on to Eastgate. Continue along Eastgate and a short distance before you reach the traffic lights on Crown Road, turn right and continue along towards St Stephen’s Street until you reach a turning to the left for Crown Avenue. Walk along Crown Avenue until you reach a turning to the right for Crown Circus. Turn right on to Crown Circus and in a short distance you will arrive at Abertarff Road on your left. Walk up Abertarff Road until you reach Inverglen clearly signposted on the left hand side. Alternatively, you may wish to take a taxi for this short journey by car and taxis are widely available in Inverness City Centre.

Inverness, the Capital of the Highlands, became Scotland’s fifth city at the millennium. It lies at the north end of the Great Glen, where the River Ness flows into the Moray Firth. The origins of Inverness lie on its western edge at the now wooded crag of Craig Phadrig. A fortress atop this crag was a capital of the Pictish kings from as early as the 400’s AD. A settlement was established by sixth century AD with the first royal charter being granted in the thirteenth century. In 1727 Fort George was built in the town, a large fortress capable of housing 400 troops. Fort George surrendered to the Jacobites when they took Inverness in February 1746 before their eventual defeat at nearby Culloden in April that year. After the garrison had surrendered the Jacobites laid explosives and destroyed Fort George. The red stone Inverness Castle you see today was built in the 1830s to house courts and administrative buildings.