Route · hiking · cycling

Great Glen Way

The geological-fault-line walk and cycle from Fort William to Inverness — 79 miles along the Caledonian Canal and the shores of Loch Lochy, Loch Oich, and Loch Ness. Easier ground than the West Highland Way; canal towpath and low-level forest tracks throughout.

Difficulty
moderate
Best seasons
spring, summer, autumn
Hazards
  • Loch-side wind exposure on the longer Loch Lochy and Loch Ness stretches — cross-wind off the water can be considerable
  • Midges (June–August) at canal-side stops and forest-edge sections in still summer evenings
  • Occasional canal-side cyclist/walker congestion in school holidays around Fort Augustus and Drumnadrochit
  • Section-sharing between hikers and cyclists in places — narrow towpath stretches

By mode

Cycling

Distance
127 km
Elevation
1100 m
Duration
3 days
Surface
gravel, path
Waymarked
Yes

Same physical route, easier on the bike — most of the towpath sections are well-graded, and the cycle-friendly variant takes the Caledonia Way (NCR 78) road parallels for the off-towpath stretches. A 3-day touring split is comfortable; a single-day fast tour (under 10 hours) is feasible for fit road-bike riders.

Hiking

Distance
127 km
Elevation
1200 m
Duration
5 days
Surface
gravel, path, rough
Waymarked
Yes

5-day typical split (see stages below). Standard low-level route is the Great Glen Way as described; the high-route variants via Invermoriston and Drumnadrochit upper paths add ~5 km and ~400 m of additional climb but give better Loch Ness views — well worth doing if the day's weather is fair. Waymarked with the standard Scottish-Great-Trails thistle-in-a-hexagon and Great Glen Way logo posts. Surface is mostly Caledonian Canal towpath gravel and forest tracks, with shorter rough-path sections on the high-route variants.

The Great Glen Way is the geological-fault-line walk from Fort William to Inverness — 79 miles along the line of the Great Glen Fault, the linear scar that runs straight through the Scottish mainland from coast to coast. The fault’s three lochs (Lochy, Oich, Ness) are joined by the Caledonian Canal — the 1822 Thomas Telford engineering project that made the glen navigable from Atlantic to North Sea — and the Great Glen Way uses the canal’s towpaths and the loch-side forest tracks as its spine.

It is a gentler proposition than the West Highland Way: less climbing, more towpath, fewer days of weather exposure, easier accommodation logistics. The route makes more sense as a follow-up trail after the WHW, using the same Fort William hostel as a turnaround point — finish the WHW, sleep, start the GGW the morning after, finish in Inverness five days later for a fortnight’s continuous walking from Glasgow to the Highland capital.

Cycling it is straightforward. Most of the towpath is well-graded gravel or compacted track; the off-towpath sections (the Loch Lochy north shore, the Loch Ness west shore upper path) are forest tracks rideable on a hybrid or gravel bike. Road-bike riders use the parallel Caledonia Way (NCR 78) on the A82 cycle paths instead, which gives the same loch views with the same overall distance on tarmac.

Practicalities

  • Direction. Most walkers go south-to-north (Fort William to Inverness) for the symmetry with the West Highland Way and to finish in a city. The route is bidirectional in waymarking.
  • Accommodation. Better than the WHW because more of the route runs through villages — Spean Bridge, Gairlochy, Invergarry, Fort Augustus, Invermoriston, Drumnadrochit, and Inverness all have B&Bs and small hotels. Book Drumnadrochit ahead in summer (it’s small and the only Stage-4 finish).
  • Resupply. Fort William, Fort Augustus, Drumnadrochit, Inverness — full supermarket access. Spean Bridge and Invermoriston have small shops. The longest gap is between Gairlochy and Laggan on Stage 2; carry lunch.
  • High-route variants. On Stage 4 (Fort Augustus to Drumnadrochit), the high-route via the Invermoriston upper path adds ~3 km and ~200 m of climb but gives the best Loch Ness panorama on the trail. On Stage 5 (Drumnadrochit to Inverness), the high-route via Abriachan adds about 1 km and 100 m of climb. Both are well worth doing if the weather is fair.
  • Optional Loch Ness boat trip. Several operators (Cruise Loch Ness from Fort Augustus, Jacobite Cruises from Inverness) run boat tours of Loch Ness — a useful rest-day or reward at either end.
  • Connection to other trails. The Great Glen Way’s southern terminus is also the West Highland Way’s northern terminus; the Caledonia Way (NCR 78) shares the Fort William-to-Inverness corridor on the cycle-path side. A 14-day walking holiday from Milngavie to Inverness via the Old Fort is a popular continuous itinerary.

Source

  • Canonical route: greatglenway.com — Highland Council’s official site, with maps, accommodation directory, the optional passport scheme, and high-route variant descriptions.
  • Walkhighlands stage-by-stage: Great Glen Way pages.
  • Cicerone Walking the Great Glen Way (Paddy Dillon) is the standard guidebook.

The route

Start

The Old Fort, Fort William

56.8204, -5.1058

Officially the southern terminus — the small ruined fort by the Cameron Centre at the south end of Fort William's pedestrianised high street. The route picks up the canal towpath after a 1.5 km road walk through the town to Banavie.

End

Inverness Castle

57.4761, -4.2255

Northern terminus — the same elevated terrace overlooking the River Ness that finishes the NC500. The Great Glen Way's official end-point cairn is on the castle hill; the Inverness tourist office can stamp the optional Great Glen Way passport.

Stages

  1. Stage 1 — Fort William to Gairlochy — The Old Fort, Fort William → Gairlochy (17 km , 100 m climb)

    Out of Fort William through Banavie (Neptune's Staircase eight-lock canal staircase) and on along the Caledonian Canal towpath to Gairlochy at the south end of Loch Lochy. Easy ground throughout; the warm-up day.

  2. Stage 2 — Gairlochy to Laggan — Gairlochy → Laggan (26 km , 250 m climb)

    Up the north shore of Loch Lochy on a forest track high above the loch — quiet, scenic, occasionally blowy. Down to the Laggan Locks at the north end of the loch where the canal continues to Loch Oich.

  3. Stage 3 — Laggan to Fort Augustus — Laggan → Fort Augustus (16 km , 200 m climb)

    Loch Oich's south shore on the towpath — the shortest day. Fort Augustus at the end is the canal's central locks and the head of Loch Ness; the village has the most resupply infrastructure on the trail.

  4. Stage 4 — Fort Augustus to Drumnadrochit — Fort Augustus → Drumnadrochit (32 km , 400 m climb)

    The longest day — west shore of Loch Ness, mostly forest track with intermittent loch views, undulating but never severely steep. The high-route variant via the Invermoriston upper path adds ~3 km and ~200 m of climb but gives the best Loch Ness panorama on the trail. Drumnadrochit at the end has Urquhart Castle, the Loch Ness Centre, and a healthy pub-and-restaurant strip.

  5. Stage 5 — Drumnadrochit to Inverness — Drumnadrochit → Inverness Castle (30 km , 250 m climb)

    The celebratory final day — through Abriachan Forest above Loch Ness's north-east end, gradually descending into the Beauly Firth catchment, along the Caledonian Canal towpath into Inverness, and up to the castle terrace. Long but the mood is good and the city is in sight from the Abriachan ridge onwards.

Along the way

  • Neptune's Staircase, Banavie

    The eight-lock staircase at the western end of the Caledonian Canal — the longest staircase lock in Britain, designed by Thomas Telford and opened in 1822. The trail passes directly beside; allow 30 minutes to watch a boat work through.

    56.8511, -5.1042

  • Laggan Locks

    The double-lock at the head of Loch Lochy where the Caledonian Canal continues to Loch Oich. The Eagle Barge Inn (a converted 1920s Dutch barge) sits canal-side as the standard Stage-2 overnight or lunch stop.

    57.0394, -4.7117

  • Caledonian Canal at Fort Augustus

    The five-lock staircase that drops the canal into Loch Ness — the village's signature feature, with the towpath running alongside and the Lock-keeper's pub at the bottom. A reliable 30-minute pause to watch boats descending in summer.

    57.1444, -4.6792

  • Urquhart Castle

    The 13th-century castle ruin on the north shore of Loch Ness, south of Drumnadrochit — Historic Environment Scotland visitor site with the most-photographed view of the loch. The trail passes within 2 km on its high-route variant; the low-route option requires a short detour.

    57.3242, -4.4422

    Related: Urquhart Castle →

  • Abriachan Forest viewpoint

    The Stage-5 high point — a forest clearing 250 m above Loch Ness's north-east end with the best wide-angle view of the loch on the whole trail. The Inverness suburbs come into sight from here on the descent.

    57.3925, -4.3636