The Great Glen Way: Day four - Fort Augustus to Stone Seat, Invermoriston

I woke up in a nice, soft bed after a great night's sleep. I quickly showered and dressed before packing up my bag and leaving Sybil with the TV on, I headed down to the breakfast room. I was staying at the Kettle House B&B and the breakfast was delicious with veggie sausages amongst all the usual breakfast items. The owner, Natalie, also gave Sybil a treat and one for the road as we bid our goodbyes and started off on our walk again.

Lush forest

Woman of the woods again

The Way left Fort Augustus by threading through several more B&Bs before turning off onto a forest track. The rain was only coming down lightly, so I left just my fleece on as the temperature was quite warm and I didn't want to swelter inside my waterproof.

Loch Ness

Looking over Loch Ness

After climbing through the lovely trees we finally gained a great view of Loch Ness. The Loch is huge and we would never see the whole of it in one go; in fact the next two and a half days would be spent walking mostly alongside it.

Sybil likes the view

Loch Ness

The path wound round the loch just above the road, with trees sometimes blocking the view of the loch but nonetheless still making it an enjoyable day's walk. As I was standing reading an information panel, I heard voices to our left and Sybil cocked her head then came and sat at the side of me as I have trained her to do when someone is passing, but impressively this time without me asking her to. I took hold of her harness in case a dog was coming, but instead it turned out to be a group of horse riders. Sybil is fine passing horses in a field, but for some reason she usually freaks out if someone is riding one. This time however she sat quietly if a little tense.

There were some lovely waterfalls

Watching the boat

Towards Invermoriston

Praising her enthusiastically when the riders had trotted off, we carried on with our walk, passing several beautiful waterfalls. Suddenly out of the trees a man appeared with his dog. Sybil greeted her cautiously and they had a little play while us grown-ups chatted about our walk. The lucky man had moved to the area from near Manchester a few years ago and now ran a B&B. He wished us luck with our walk, also warning us about the wild board that lived in the area. Apparently they are more shy than aggressive and unfortunately we didn't see any, which may have been just as well for Sybil's sake.

Sorry Sybil, no squirrels here

Plenty of these though

The rest of the walk was peppered with diversions as forestry work was being carried out. We followed the first sign down a rather steep, slippery path and back up again before carrying on along the main path. As the path turned inwards away from Loch Ness we had to follow two more diversions, both of which again were muddy and pretty steep.

The last diversion met with a path which then took us down to Invermoriston where the rain once again decided to soak us. For some reason this was starting to become a pattern; just as we reached the outskirts of a village, the rain would come down hard. I wasn't complaining, as long as we stayed dry for most of the walk.

Slow worm

I spotted something lying still on the road and crouched down for a closer look. It was a slow worm. I gently picked it up and moved it to the grass verge, where it slithered away to safety. I was pretty excited as I have never seen one before.They are not a species of snake but rather a legless lizard, and perfectly harmless.

Packhorse bridge

We had a quick hot drink and snack stop before heading out of the village to find somewhere to spend the night. The shop claimed it sold hot pies and pasties, including delicious cheese and onion. Lies, all lies. There was nothing hot save the drinks, so I settled for a hot chocolate and a sausage roll for Sybil.

Just as the Way climbed steeply into the woods, a B&B sign beckoned to me, claiming that it was dog friendly and had vacancies. I hovered for a bit, extremely tempted to go and ring the doorbell. I eventually decided not to as I was probably just spoilt after last night's luxury.

View from the Stone Seat

View from the Stone Seat

Amazing view from the Stone Seat

As we were walking along I noticed a sign pointing slightly off-route to the Stone Seat. Slightly curious, I decided to go and have a look. It was a short but steep climb up a heather-clad path and the views from the top were amazing. I sat there for a good while and decided this was where we would spend the night, as just behind the seat was a tent-sized cleared area and the remains of a campfire. It was still pretty early, only half past two, so I waited a while before pitching the tent and instead aired my sleeping bag and waterproof things as the rain had finally stopped.

Thank you, Kettle House, for the chew

Guess I'm sleeping alone in the tent, then

The cuckoo was calling constantly and provided a nice soundtrack as I set the tent up. I opened both the entrances up to let the flysheet and groundsheet dry inside. I sat on the bench and just relaxed, enjoying the fantastic views and listening to pure nature around me. From this spot you could only see forest, Loch Ness and the mountains beyond, no signs of civilisation at all save the tiny boats that kept appearing on the loch from time to time.

Ready for bed

Stranger in the night

Turns out it wasn't such an idyllic spot after all, as when stroking Sybil whilst sat drinking in all the nature I found a tick buried in her flesh. Luckily I had come prepared and used a special tick remover to get the little beast off. I hate killing things but I really had no choice as I didn't want it to make Sybil or myself poorly. Tucking my trousers firmly into my socks we eventually retired to the tent, where I found two more ticks climbing on Sybil's fur. I removed these as well and we watched the night draw in. Two large black beetles wandered towards the tent but I'm afraid there was no room at the inn.

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

The Great Glen Way: Day two - Gairlochy to North Laggan

Wednesday night wasn't the best night's sleep I've ever had. After shivering in my sleeping bag for an hour or so, Sybil and I both nearly jumped out of our skins as a huge roaring sound came out of the sky right above our heads. It must have been an RAF jet to be flying that low and fast (and loud!) but it didn't half give us a fright. The jet, or whatever it was, soon roared away over Loch Lochy and we settled down again.

What a view to wake up to

After I had dried off and warmed up a bit I finally drifted off to sleep, only to be woken at just past 10PM by a strange noise. Listening carefully, I realised that it was two tawny owls calling to each other. Now that was a sound I could fall asleep to.

I also heard someone walking past my tent during the evening; perhaps a late dog walker or someone out to watch the stars? When I woke up I realised that someone else had set a tent up just down the path from ours and was up early fishing in the loch. On the plus side, it had finally stopped raining.

Bit of history

We made our way up to the road to discover we had camped just outside Bunarkaig. It was roughly half an hour's road walk to Clunes, where I found a picnic bench and unpacked my stove and hot chocolate sachets for a warm breakfast.  The sachet I'd chosen refused to open, so I took out my penknife and managed to slice my thumb whilst cutting the packet open. It can only happen to me. Luckily I had several plasters in my bag so wrapped one around my thumb and carried on making the drink.

At Clunes Forest School

However I had to use every single one of my stormproof (!) matches to light the stove. In yesterday's downpour the box had gotten damp, even whilst being tucked away inside my rucksack. The box, apparently, wasn't stormproof and it was only with a bit of persistence that I finally managed to strike one of the matches on a tiny dry section of the box. Making a mental note to buy some more matches at the next village, I drank my hot chocolate and we continued on our journey to Laggan.

A distant mountain

A sign at the forest school announced that Laggan was only seven miles away. I figured I may even be able to make it to Fort Augustus that day as it was still only ten in the morning. It would be nice to have a little rest day to explore, but we shall see.

As it turned out, the sign lied. It was an enjoyable walk on a wide track through forest, with occasional glaces of Loch Lochy to the side and snow-covered mountains in the far distance. We met a fair few walkers today, some on their way to Laggan and others coming from the other direction.

A cheeky smile at a mini waterfall

The track wound through the trees at the side of the loch, sometimes gaining a little ground so the views across to the other side were fantastic.

The rain continued to hold off and thankfully we hadn't met any of the infamous midges yet. My main reason for doing this walk in early May was to avoid them, as I've heard a few horror stories about how people have run out of their tents in the night, clawing desperately at their flesh and eyes as the little blighters ate them alive.

Plenty of chaffinches along the route

The trees were alive with birdsong, which is one of the reasons why spring is my favourite season for walking. After hearing my first cuckoo of the year on Tuesday, I was now hearing them constantly throughout each day. I never understand people who walk or run with earphones in, listening to music. I actually saw a couple of people doing this on the GGW. Nature's soundtrack is the best one you could possibly listen to, so why cover it up with music you can listen to any other time?

Best buds

The Great Glen stretches out in front of us

And again

We reached a junction where a sign pointed up another track directing walkers to the nearest Munro. No thanks, I think this walk is enough for me. Perhaps another time. A Munro is a mountain over 3,000 feet high for those who aren't sure. Some people are insanely fit and like to jog up them before breakfast.

South Laggan

It was nearly half past one before I finally saw the beautiful sight of South Laggan to my right. Hmm, perhaps I wouldn't be getting to Fort Augustus tonight after all. Sybil's lead was clipped on due to the sheepies on the road and we looked for somewhere dog-friendly to have a hot meal. A sign fastened to a fence claimed the Eagle, a boat that also happened to be a pub serving meals, was open 11am til late at night. More lies. I got there and it was closed.

Hmm, never mind. We continued on to North Laggan, another two and a half miles away, where we found the Great Glen Water Park. I tied Sybil up outside and asked the lady on reception if they had any free dog-friendly rooms for the night. Unfortunately not, as the lodges were booked through Hoseasons. We were welcome to use their restaurant though. I ordered cheese panini and salad for us both and, thinking I would be able to get accommodation of some sort in Fort Augustus, asked the lad if there were any buses running through the village. Yes, there would be one pretty soon.

Invergarry Castle

Hmm, bet they don't have blisters

We finished our meal and made it to the bus stop in the nick of time. The bus pulled up and opened his doors, then informed us that unfortunately dogs were not allowed on the bus. At first I was rather offended, but then I realised he meant Sybil. With no choice but to carry on walking now, I was just hoping we would strike lucky again and find another suitable wild camping spot.

Home for the night

As luck would have it there was a perfect spot just a couple more miles down the route, complete with bench and well-used campfire. The bench came in handy for spreading my sleeping bag and fleeces on to air them a little, after the damp day yesterday. The pitch overlooked our second loch of the trip, Loch Oich. I borrowed a bit of the water from the loch for some washing before retiring to the tent for the night. A pretty enjoyable day with a fair amount of solitude and pleasant forest walking. I was beginning to realise that even though most of the track to either side was surrounded by trees or a drop to a loch below, there would usually be a suitable grass verge somewhere of a big enough size to pitch the tent on. I decided to just stop worrying about such things and enjoy the trip for what it was, a bit of freedom.

The Great Glen Way: Day one - Fort William to Gairlochy

Wednesday the 7th of May was the start of our six-day walk to Inverness. We woke up at 7.30am in our tent at the Glen Nevis campsite to the sound of rain hitting canvas. I lingered in my sleeping bag for a while but it became clear that the rain wasn't going to stop anytime soon. It took a while to stuff my wet tent back into its bag and after I'd dressed, packed up and visited the campsite shop for our dinner for the next two days, it was getting on for 9am.

So it begins

The rain eased off a bit as we arrived into Fort William, but grey clouds still loomed over us so I decided we should keep our wet weather gear on (yes, Sybil wears a waterproof coat too. She isn't friends with the rain). The Great Glen Way has a slightly uninspiring start directly from the train station and through the nearby Morrisons car park before heading away on a path in front of some houses where Sybil could stretch her legs.

Passing Caol

There was a bit of road-walking as we made our way through Caol, where I stopped at a cafe to have a moral-boosting cup of hot chocolate and something warm for breakfast. Sybil had already eaten, but she still shared a little of my fried egg sandwich. The Way passed a slim shingle beach where the local birdlife was still out in force despite the persistent rain. I saw a wheatear, a flock of oystercatchers on the shinty pitch, sand martins swooping low all around us and my first hooded crow.

A bedraggled hooded crow

We were suddently instructed to veer right by a GGW signpost as we reached the start of the Caledonian Canal, which was to be our almost constant companion all the way to Gairlochy. The walk finally felt "official"; now if only the rain would stop!

Calendonian Canal

Unfortunately it was not to be as the heavens continued to pour on us all day, save for a half-hour break about eight miles out of Fort William. We soon reached Neptune's Staircase, which is a pretty impressive set of eight locks that allows boats to ascend or descend the slope. No pictures though, as the rain was still beating down and I didn't want to risk my camera getting wet.

Still marching along the canal

There were some nice views of the hills and mountains of the Glen quite close at hand. Closer to Gairlochy it was possible to look back and see the snow-patched slopes of Ben Nevis in the distance. We stopped to have lunch and had a quick chat with several couples who had started the Great Glen Way the same day as us. Unlike us though they were all off to cushy B&Bs at the end of the day, while we had to try our best to dry off in our tent. Ah well, at least we had chosen the cheaper (free) option.

We were stopped at the Moy swing bridge while a farmer directed her flock of sheep and their lambs across to the other side of the canal. I had a chat to one of the couples we had met and found out they lived in Inverness and were walking home. A bit less travelling than us to do then!

The rain was really coming down now and instead of pausing at Gairlochy, we carried on into the forest to find somewhere a bit more sheltered to spend the night. Camping was permitted at Gairlochy locks but it was only half three in the afternoon and I didn't want to be sitting around bored in the tent while the rain carried on. I wanted get a bit more distance covered so we had a headstart the following morning.

Our home for the night

In the forest was a little fairy garden with gnomes and fairies set around the trees. Unfortunately with the rain dampening my spirits, I didn't take the time to explore it and I wish I had done now. The rain started to ease off a little and I found a nice grassy area between the path and the road at the side of Loch Lochy to pitch the tent for the night. After such a wet first day, I could only hope for better weather for us in the morning.   

The Great Glen Way: To Fort William

On Tuesday 6th May Sybil and I set off for Fort William in Scotland, to begin our walk across the Great Glen to Inverness. I've wanted to do a long distance walk for a couple of years now and decided to take the plunge with a fairly easy one in terms of navigation and distance.

The Great Glen Way begins (or ends, if you do it north to south) in Fort William and passes through the villages of Gairlochy, Laggan, Fort Augustus, Invermoriston and Drumnadrochit, with Inverness being the last stop before home.

We boarded the first bus of the day to Doncaster, where our train was waiting to take us onwards to Edinburgh. The East Coast trains are huge and have plenty of seats, but rather than sitting in our reserved seat (there wasn't an option to book the tickets online without reserving a seat) I opted to sit near the door at the start of our carriage so Sybil had a bit more room to lay down. Having being cooped up on a bus for forty minutes and not yet having had a run, Sybil was a bit fidgety and kept standing up and generally getting in the way of people coming in through the train door. I had to keep shepherding her back under the bench I was perched on and apologising to the people getting on the train. A few smiled, but mostly my apologies were received with blank looks and silence. Perhaps there is an unwritten rule of not speaking before six o'clock in the morning.

Chaffinch

We settled down in our corner for the journey and the train was hurtling through the countryside towards York when the ticket inspector, or train guard as they like to be called, kindly told us we could move to the wheelchair bay where there would be a seat for me and room for Sybil to lay down. Unfortunately the space was right at the other end of coach F, which meant making our way down the narrow aisle with Sybil leading the way and my huge rucksack, complete with mat and tent strapped to the back, bouncing off the seats and the heads of any unlucky commuters who happened to be sitting in those aisle seats.

Slightly flustered and now fresh out of apologies, we got to the seats where Rob the train guard was waiting and settled down once more. Feeling slightly hungry I decided it was time for breakfast. I have to admit I felt slightly undignified sitting there sipping from an Asda smartprice orange juice carton, while other passengers filed onto the train at each station clutching their posh Costa coffee cups. Nonetheless we got to Edinburgh unscathed (which is more than I can say for some of the other passengers) and continued on to Glasgow to catch our booked train onwards to Fort William. Phew. What a journey. But the scenery from the Fort William train alone made it almost worthwhile as it passed through the west highlands and alongside Loch Long and Loch Lomond.

At the foot of Ben Nevis

Upon finally reaching Fort William after a long eleven hours of travelling, we headed down the road to the Glen Nevis campsite where we were booked in for the night. I pitched the tent in Benview Field, which had a good view of, yes you guessed it, Ben Nevis. Sadly there was no time in the week for us to attempt to climb the mountain, so we consoled ourselves with an evening walk along the river where we saw several interesting species of bird including a sandpiper and heard my first cuckoo of the year. Sybil was happy to be finally off-lead.

Common sandpiper

We turned in early, planning to get a good night's sleep each before beginning our medium-sized Scottish adventure in the morning. Finally, the travelling was over and the walk could begin. Great Glen, we are ready for you!