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walks in this area

Neptune's Staircase

Location of Great Glen Way

The Great Glen Way runs from Fort William to Inverness following the line of the famous Great Glen.   The distance from Fort William to Inverness, taking this route, is 73 miles and it will take between five and six days depending on your fitness level.   It may also take longer if you divert to view some of the historical sights which are slightly off the actual route of this long distance trail.

Route of Great Glen Way

The route of the Great Glen Way starts in Fort William and follows the shore of Loch Linnhe, a sea loch, as far as the Caledonian Canal at Corpach.   Here you will see Neptune's Staircase, a section of eight Lochs that boats have to go through to either reach the sea or the Caledonian Canal, depending on their direction of travel.

The towpath is followed north on the east side of the Caledonian Canal as far as Gairlochy and then it follows the western shores of Loch Lochy to the Laggan Locks.

The route thereafter follows the side of Loch Oich to Aberchalder where once again you rejoin the Canal and follow it into Fort Augustus.

On leaving Fort Augustus the path climbs up through forest to a higher position on the hillside until it reaches Invermoriston, the vehicle turn off for those heading to Skye from Inverness.

Beyond Invermoriston the path heads back uphill above Loch Ness and leads to Drumnadrochit where the Loch Ness Monster Centre is located.   Here you may wish to take a diversion to visit Urquhart Castle which is located south of the village on the busy A82, but there is a footpath at the side of the road.

The final section of the walk takes you west of the hamlet of Abriachan and through  Blackfold before descending to the City of Inverness.   Here it follows the Canal and crosses some small islands on the River Ness before reaching Inverness Castle the end of the trail.

Additional Information

The Great Glen Way could be included in an even longer trek by firstly starting at Milngavie in Glasgow and following the West Highland Way to Fort William.

To view the official web site for the Great Glen Way see here.

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