Great Glen Way

Long Distance Route: Scotland

A path along Glen Mor and the northwest shores of Loch Lochy and Loch Ness, following the course of the Caledonian Canal along the line of Britain's greatest geological fault and the single greatest volume of fresh water in the country. The route is mainly along towpaths and broad forest paths, and is easier walking than some other Scottish highland routes, though there are some more challenging sections.

The route was opened as Scotland's fourth Long Distance Route in April 2002.

Connects with

• Famous Highland Drove Walk
• North to the Cape
• West Highland Way

Local Authority

• Highland

Public transport

There are stations at Fort William and Inverness, with good connections to major cities. Numerous buses run along the Great Glen including a Citylink service from Oban to Inverness via Fort William. A ferry service operates along Loch Ness between Fort William and Fort Augustus: tel 0800 328 6426, www.lochnessexpress.com.

• More about public transport
• Public transport in Scotland

Tourist Information Centres

• Highland Tourism www.visithighlands.com
• Fort Augustus (seasonal) 01320 366367
• Fort William 01397 703781
• Inverness 01463 234353
• Spean Bridge (seasonal) 01397 712576

Accommodation

Click here to find bed & breakfast accommodation on this path.

Luggage carrying and accommodation booking

• Absolute Escapes (self guided walking holidays)
• Aberchalder (luggage carrying and transport support)
• Easyways
• Great Glen Travel
• Highland Hostels (independent hostel accommodation only)
• IBHS (independent hostel accommodation only)
• Walking Support
• See also list of luggage carrying/transport providers in accommodation guide below.

Holiday providers

include Absolute Escapes, C-N-Do, Celtic Trails, Contours, Discovery, Lomond, Make Tracks, North-West Frontiers, Sherpa, SYHA, Transcotland, Walking Support, Wilderness Scotland

Maps

The route is marked on recent editions of these maps.

• Strip maps of whole route, with additional walking information:

Great Glen Way (1:40 000 waterproof), ISBN 1 85137 384 5. Harvey £9.95 + p&p. Order here!

The Great Glen Way & The Great Glen Cycle Route (1:45 000 waterproof, resurveyed from pre-1950s OS maps), ISBN 1 871149 62 2. Footprint £4.50.

Publications

• The Great Glen Way, 3rd edition, by Jacquetta Megarry, ISBN 1 898481 24 5. Rucksack £10.99+ p&p.
  Spiral-bound, waterproof detailed guide with fold-out route maps [09/05].
• The Great Glen Way Accommodation and Services Guide, compiled by Highland Council. Free from the Great Glen Way Project Office (see below) or order here!
• The Great Glen Way by Brian Smailes, ISBN 1 903568 13 7. Challenge Publications £5.95. Compact guide with sketch maps.

Contacts

• Great Glen Way Ranger Service Auchterawe, Fort Augustus PH32 4BT, tel 01320 366633
  www.greatglenway.com