Great Glen Escape
- Immerse yourself in the highland landscape on one of Scotland's most renowned trails
- Discover the historic tow paths of the Caledonian Canal and its impressive series of locks
- Visit Urquhart Castle with its superb setting on Loch Ness
- Explore Loch Ness by foot and perhaps catch a glimpse of the famous Loch Ness Monster!
- Arrive in Inverness having passed through some of Scotland’s finest scenery
Gallery
Itinerary
Day 1 Arrive in Fort Augustus and overnightFort Augustus is a busy little town, lying on the southern tip of Loch Ness and is centred on a series of lochs which are always a hive of activity. It is a great spot to spend a relaxed afternoon or evening. Should you be travelling from Inverness, take the bus (approx. an hour’s journey) to Fort Augustus.
Oaklands Bed and Breakfast provides accommodation with free WiFi and free private parking.The bed and breakfast offers a flat-screen TV and a private bathroom with a hairdryer, free toiletries and shower.
This house was built in 1760 in the grounds of the 2nd fort, and has undergone a number of alterations over the years. Most recently they have added the new breakfast room which provides stunning views of the Caledonian Canal, Meall Dubh peak and the centre of Fort Augustus.
The Bank House sits on an elevated site overlooking the Caledonian Canal in the centre of Fort Augustus. They are within walking distance of pubs, restaurants and shops. They have three en-suite rooms that are named after Castles and come with tea and coffee making facilities, a hair dryer and a colour TV.
At Fort Augustus you leave the canal and begin our journey on the banks of Loch Ness. This section has some steep climbs and is mainly on fire roads and some good tracks. You have great views of Loch Ness throughout so make sure you keep those eyes peeled for the monster - you might be lucky. Invermoriston is your overnight stop and a very pretty little village.
Ascent/Descent: High Route: +450m/-420m; Low Route: +187m/-142m
Jay and Nicky would like to extend you, a warm welcome to their Bed and Breakfast, Bracarina House. Bracarina House is set in the middle of the beautiful village of Invermoriston and is a stone’s throw from the pub.
Sisters Lindsey and Manda would like to offer you a very warm welcome to their home in Invermoriston. All rooms are en-suite and have all the amenities you require for a great overnight stay.
Darroch View is situated near to the world-famous Loch Ness and in the heart of Invermoriston. All their rooms are en-suite, as well having satellite T.V., free wireless internet connection (WIFI), tea/coffee making facility, hairdryer, alarm clock & complimentary toiletries. Downstairs the dining room has a wonderful view of mountains and the beautiful village of Invermoriston.
As you leave Invermoriston the path climbs steeply until you are high above Loch Ness, it then descends again to the Lochside after three miles and climbs again, so yes, a tougher day of walking today. Most of the section is spent on woodland paths and tracks on the steep sides of the Glen. A great day's walk ends in Drumnadrochit, famous for its proximity to Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness Monster experiences. You should have enough time to explore at least one of these attraction.
Ascent/Descent: High Route: +598m/-616m; Low Route: +559m/-573m
Situated just a little outside the village centre of Drumnadrochit the shores of Loch Ness, this peaceful haven gives you all the relaxation you need after day out on the Great Glen. All rooms are well appointed and the house is surrounded by well-kept gardens, with a relaxing lounge and bright and airy breakfast room. All rooms include complimentary upgraded Wi-Fi and tea and coffee making facilities.
This B&B is a tastefully converted old church and a warm highland welcome is ensured from Fiona Urquhart. Each room is furnished to a high standard and are all light and airy. Wi-Fi is available throughout the house. Laundry facilities are not available but drying facilities are on offer for no extra charge.
Transfer from Drumnadrochit, avoiding the busy A82 section of the Great Glen Way, to Loch Laide (approx. 15 mins). Initially you follow a minor road for a few miles and then at Blackfold you branch off through the forest before beginning your descent down towards Inverness and the Moray Firth. A mile before the end of the Way you once again meet the Caledonian Canal. The way turns right instead and follows the River Ness into the centre of Inverness and Inverness Castle, which marks the end of your wonderful journey across Scotland.
Ascent/Descent: +153m/-411m
Ballifeary Guest House is an impressive Victorian Villa with many original features. It has a large private car park for guests use and a secured shed for those with bikes. It is ideally located only a matter of yards from Eden Court theatre and a short walk from the River Ness where many restaurants, the Cathedral and Castle can be found. The rooms have been recently refurbished to a high standard offering every comfort you would expect.
All rooms are equipped with high speed free wifi, USB charging ports, Smart TV, Scottish fine soap toiletries, and coffee & tea making facilities with yummy biscuits!
The house that this accommodation is located in was built in the mid-19th century by a local shipping merchant. It is full of character and still has the original fireplace. It is an approximate 8-minute walk from the city centre and a large choice of restaurants and pubs. The rooms are warm and cosy.
Your trip ends after breakfast. Inverness has excellent transport links by road, rail and air to destinations throughout Scotland and the UK.
This trip has a carbon score of 7kg per person per night, meaning it’s one of our best trips! For comparison, a carbon count of 7kg is equivalent to 1 single running shoe (not even a pair!). Here at Macs, we pride ourselves on being a responsible travel company and continue to adopt, develop and innovate ways to positively impact the environment. Find out more information about how we've carbon counted our trips.
Other Information
Is it for me?If you only have a few days available for walking through the Great Glen then this short break allows you to experience some of its most dramatic scenery and enjoy the jaw-dropping vistas.
Classic Routes | If you’re the active, outdoorsy type, who’s interested in taking on the great routes of the world or looking for a challenge, then our Classic Routes are for you. We’re talking the West Highland Way in Scotland, the world renown Tour Du Mont Blanc and Germany's Moselle Cycle Path, to name but a few!
Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&Bs, inns, and guesthouses.
Solo Travellers, Families with Teens
The minimum age for this tour is: 12 Years
This holiday is graded easy to moderate overall, with the 7 and 8 day and the Great Glen Escape tours graded moderate, due to a couple of longer days. Daily walking distances very between 8-20 miles. Some days will be more challenging than others and the terrain will be varied with some rough and rugged footpaths. There are ascents and descents involved, so a good level of fitness will be required. For fitter walkers the High Route will appeal, which affords particularly spectacular views.
The High Route
Through a £1 million project, the Forestry Commission Scotland created over 10 miles (16km) of waymarked Great Glen ‘High Route’ above Loch Ness. These options take you above the treeline and offer more fantastic views than the traditional route, with some challenging gradients and a new summit at 422m (1385ft) on Creag Dhearg.
One of the highlights of this tour is the high standard of accommodation. We specifically choose the hotels, inns, guesthouses and B&B’s to ensure that you enjoy every minute of your stay. They all offer a warm welcome to walkers, traditional hospitality and delicious local food.
Solo Walkers & Single Rooms
The Great Glen Escape is available and well suited to solo walkers as the route is popular and well marked. Single rooms are available but a single supplement is payable.
Meals
A hearty breakfast is included each morning. Lunch and dinner are not included so you are free to choose from the available options. Most of your accommodations will more than happy to provide a packed lunch on request and this can be booked on arrival. Dinner is available either at your accommodation or nearby pubs and restaurants and your guide book will have details.
The route is extensively waymarked with a thistle logo, often on a light blue pole. Navigation is straightforward. Additionally you can use the Macs Adventure App which has maps, GPS tracks and daily route information. Simply download the GPS tracks for offline use and follow the route on your cell with the assurance that navigation on this tour will be made simple. You will find more information on downloading the app in your Macs Adventure Account.
Recommended Reading
If you would like more information on the route please see our recommendation below:
- Great Glen Way. Rucksack Reader. Guidebook
- Great Glen Way Harvey Map. XT40
- Hand-picked accommodation in B&B's, guest houses and small hotels
- Breakfast at each accommodation
- Baggage transfers
- Access to maps, GPX tracks and daily route information with the Macs Adventure navigation app
- All your trip documents provided digitally through your online Macs ‘My Account’
- 24/7 Emergency telephone support from our UK office
- Travel to the start / from the finish of the walk
- Lunches, dinners, snacks & drinks
- Travel insurance
- Personal equipment
- Taxi transfers or public transport should you need to skip a stage
- Extra nights before, during or after your walk
- Single/Solo Supplement
You can start your walk on the Great Glen Way on any day between March and October, subject to availability. Due to the small size of some of the charming Highland villages along the Great Glen Way, availability can be tricky for us. It is always best to book as far in advance as possible to secure our preferred accommodation choices. To be in the best chance of getting this tour confirmed for your preferred dates, it is best to try and avoid staying in Invermoriston on a Sunday night, due to the limited dining options in the area.
Fort Augustus can be easily reached by public transport.
By Bus: Scottish Citylink operates buses from Inverness (1 hour) to Fort Augustus. Visit www.citylink.co.uk for timetables and tickets.
By Train: To reach Inverness from Edinburgh, there are regular direct trains (3 Hours 30 Mins). Alternatively, you can travel from Glasgow to Fort William (3 Hours 45 mins) by train and then use a Citylink bus to get to Fort Augustus (1 Hour).
Journey Planning: If travelling by public transport the website www.travelinescotland.com has an excellent journey planner.
Inverness has excellent transport links by road, rail and air to destinations throughout Scotland and the UK. Use the websites listed above for timetables and tickets.
Your bags will be collected from your accommodation each day and moved onto your overnight accommodation. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 18kg per person.
At Macs Adventure, we work in partnership with many luggage transfer providers who set a limit on how many bags/suitcases they will transfer per person, and also the weight of the bag/suitcase. Your booking includes transfer of 1 bag per person. It is very important that you read the luggage information specific to your tour before departure. If you do not adhere to these limits, there is a great possibility that you will be charged locally both for extra bags or if they are too heavy. This limitation can be a challenge, especially as airlines generally have limits that are higher. However, our luggage providers have reasons for these limits (usually due to the Health and Safety of their employees), which we must respect.
Taxi Transfer
You will be collected from your accommodation in Drumnadrochit on day 4 of your trip and transferred to Loch Laide, avoiding the busy A82 section of the Great Glen Way, and allowing you to enjoy walking into Inverness at a more leisurely pace.
The distances and ascent/descents are approximations of the recommended routes. Please be prepared by packing all necessary items, for example, proper rain gear (jacket and pants), sun hat, sunscreen. Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots or shoes, warm and waterproof clothes for the cooler months and lightweight clothing for summer, and a day pack.
Online Documents
At Macs Adventure we care about the environment! We’re taking action to minimize the impact we have by converting the majority of our tour documentation for online delivery.
On this tour, all your detailed tour information will be digitally delivered. You will have access to this documentation via “My Account” on our website.
You can use public transport or local taxis to continue to your next overnight stop.
We suggest you book as soon as your plans are finalised as the Great Glen is extremely popular especially over April/May and July/August. You will find up to date availability on our website, and we will always try and accommodate your plans.
The Great Glen Way is a relatively easy walking trail, and if you are a regular walker or lead an active lifestyle, you will enjoy the trail. If you currently don’t enjoy that level of fitness, regular walking supplemented by cardiovascular exercise for at least six months before your walk is recommended. A good gym or personal trainer will be able to draw up a personalised training programme.
Your bags will be transferred from your accommodation as per your itinerary and moved on to your next overnight accommodation.
You will need good walking shoes/boots (ideally waterproof), comfortable walking clothes, waterproof jacket and trousers, a daypack and hats/gloves etc.
Traditionally April/May has always been the most popular time of year because the theory goes that the weather is better and the midges have not yet appeared. Although having walked the way in every summer month, we believe any time between late March and October offers a wonderful experience.
Fort William is the gateway to the Highlands and is serviced by local train and bus services! With these services, you can connect easily to the start of the Great Glen Way trail with direct trains running from Glasgow city centre to Fort William (approx.. 4 hours). Getting back from Inverness is also easy, and there are again train and bus services onwards to Glasgow and Edinburgh city centres.
Midges are small biting insects (much like North American gnats) which are prevalent in the summer months. They are particularly bad on still, overcast days but do not bother you if you are moving, the wind is blowing, the sun is shining, it’s raining, or you are inside. As long as you carry repellent for the odd occasion you may need it they shouldn’t have any impact on your experience.
Unfortunately we are unable to accommodate walkers with dogs as many of the accommodation providers we use do not accept pets, and several sections of the way are closed to dogs as they are permissive paths through farmland.
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Hiking the Great Glen Way
Join Kirsty and her dad as they embark on an unforgettable father-daughter adventure along Scotland’s iconic Great Glen Way! Experience the beauty and wonders of the Great Glen Way on this stunning 79-mile trail from Fort William to Inverness. Follow their journey along the shores of Loch Ness, through ancient forests, and past towering mountains in the heart of the Scottish Highlands.
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