The Great Glen Way: Day three - North Laggan to Fort Augustus

Last night was quiet and peaceful in my little tent. When I finally managed to make Sybil come in, anyway. We had walked around ten miles the day before, yet whilst I was setting my tent up and for around two hours after she was investigating and sniffing the long grass and trees nearby and ignoring me when I called her, which is not like her at all. At least she seems to be enjoying the holiday.

Do we have to get up, mum? It's raining.

I heard more tawny owls calling to each other again during the night. Sybil also kept growling quietly whenever a nearby pheasant crowed, even though she's heard them hundreds of times before. Townie dog.

We awoke again to the sound of rain at quarter to seven, but hoping it might just be a quick shower I washed and started to pack ready for an early start. Sure enough the rain stopped soon after we set off and the sun started to shine through the broken clouds.

View opposite our campsite

I really enjoyed the first part of the walk through a lush, green nature reserve. My guidebook says it is called Leiterfearn Forest Nature Reserve and it was here we saw our only roe deer of the trip. I startled it on the bank to the left of me, where it bounded up the slope and stopped to look back. I fumbled for my camera but unfortunately the deer was already disappearing into the trees before I could set the darn thing up. Never mind, to see it was a privilege in itself.

Another wildlife encounter occurred shortly further down the path as I nearly stepped on a tiny mouse. Luckily I saw it at the last second and I stood to one side while it scurried away into the grass.

Goose family

There were swallows flying low over the grass and swerving just at the last second so they didn't crash into me. Back on the loch I noticed a goose family, I think they were Greylag geese, swimming on the water. They were quite far away so excuse the poor picture, but they were still lovely to watch.

Bridge of Oich

Oystercatcher

Oystercatcher

We soon reached the main road and crossed, first making a short detour to see the Bridge of Oich. We were back on the canal towpath now, having come to the end of Loch Oich, and an oystercatcher flew down to land on the opposite bank. Other birds I saw often flying low over the water with their three-note call were sandpipers.

Cullochy Lock

Willow-chaff?

So far today we hadn't seen a soul but not long after stepping onto the towpath we saw two young men with a Labrador heading in the opposite direction to us, also camping by the look of their backpacks. Sybil was fairly happy to see another dog, as we hadn't met many during our walk so far.

The birds in the nearby trees were pretty tame, and I managed to stand and watch the above bird for quite some time. Willow warblers and chiff-chaffs look almost exactly the same to the untrained eye, and it is only by their song you can tell the difference. Unfortunately this one didn't feel like singing today, so I named it a willow-chaff.

The Caledonian Canal

Kytra Loch

The sun was well and truly out now and we enjoyed strolling along sans waterproof coats for a good few hours. We passed Kytra Lock where the lock-keeper was tending his garden and stopped to have a pleasant chat with him, whilst Sybil said hello to his dog. Luckily I've learned the technique of relaxing the lead if a dog comes over to her whilst she's on-lead, as otherwise she will kick off and try to eat the dog, as she's a tad reactive.

We carried on along the towpath with the canal on our right and the River Oich on our right. The guidebook states that today's walk is excellent with the glen close either side; frankly I found the beginning of the walk through the nature reserve much more pleasant, and not just because of the encounters with the mouse and deer. I found that my favourite walks of the week were those that included plenty of forest tracks.

More canal slogging

The Loch Ness Monster

The waterway became more interesting to look at as we wandered along as we came to the part where the little Kytra Loch had been made part of the canal. There were little islands and the water took on a less uniform shape.

By this point, my feet were really suffering from the last three days' walking and felt like they were on fire. I was hobbling along, thankful that today's distance was fairly short and I could rest for the rest of the day. Sybil seemed to have slowed down a little too, and took the opportunity to lay down whenever I stopped to take photos or rest myself.

Having drank the last of my water, we were sat at the side of the towpath when a woman and a younger lad came towards us. She said I was looking a bit forlorn, so I explained that we were both tired and a little thirsty. She immediately offered me some of her water but I refused as she was walking to Kytra Lock herself. We had a quick chat about the wildlife and she told me that Fort Augustus was only twenty minutes away, which cheered me up a little.

Fort Augustus

The start of Loch Ness

Sure enough it didn't take us much longer to spy the first of the houses in the village. Just as we reached the outskirts though, the heavens opened and I quickly took out our waterproofs again. Rain accompanied us for the last ten minutes of the walk, but we soon got to shelter and the rain eased a little. I visited a shop for a couple of souvenirs to celebrate reaching the halfway point of the walk.

Swallow

We managed to secure a room in a dog-friendly B&B for the night. Looking forward to it, we passed a little time in the village centre before our room would be ready. I found being among so many other tourists a little uncomfortable. Up on the GGW and on walks in general, I've found, the walkers are so friendly and go out of their way to make sure they are pleasant and help you if you need it. However in Fort Augustus, I stood to one side with my large backpack and Sybil to allow a big group to pass. Not one of them thanked me or considered stopping just for a second so Sybil and I could pass. I found myself appreciating the attractive buildings and shops, but also looking forward to the morning when I could get away from the hordes again.

Our home for the night

The room was gorgeous and a much-appreciated luxury. We settled down for the evening with a couple of films. Sybil was more than ready for a nap:

Within five minutes of checking in