First of all I’m very sorry it’s been a while since my last post, but don’t worry I’ve got a great adventure to share with all to make up for my recent absence.
The adventure - The Great Glen Way!
It had been about three years since my last long distance trail so I thought it was about time I got back out there and so I decided to walk the GGW in Scotland. I planned to walk the trail South to North, starting at Fort William and ending in Inverness. This trail would see me hiking 79 miles in total.
I arrived in Fort William one night before my adventure was to begin and can you believe it… when I arrived it was blue skies and sunshine!
However in true Scottish fashion the sun didn’t last long and by the following day the cloud had reappeared as I left my hotel and made my way to the start point. (For anyone who is interested the premiere inn right by the start of the trail will allow you to leave your car there for the duration of the trail. They simply ask you to make a small donation to charity if you are able to.) But the cloud didn’t bother me at all. If I am honest I was thankful for it as it meant I wasn’t hiking my first day in the hot weather.
Now for this trail I was planning to mostly wild camp along the way which meant I was carrying a rather large and heavy backpack (I named monster 😅) with me. It also meant I hadn’t fully planned on where I would be walking to each day and instead would let my feet decide for me. However I was aware that on the first half of the trail there were several ‘trailblazer’ wildcamping locations along the route.
It didn’t take long before I had walked to Neptunes Staircase and the start (or end) of the Caledonian canal. The Caledonian canal was to be a constant friend to me on the trail as the GGW follows several sections of it. Now it was time to wave goodbye to the hustle and bustle of Fort William and start settling into a steady walking pace as I followed the canal north. To inverness we go!
It was a lovely gentle start to the walk as this section along the canal is flat and relatively easy going. My mind already began to wander as I then sent the next few miles mostly alone along the trail. I loved how quiet it was and enjoyed stopping every now and then to just listen to the birdsong and sit watching the still reflections on the water.
However it wasn’t long until I met my first GGW hiker! Another women hiking the trail solo in fact! We ended up chatting for a bit before she sped off in front of me, making it look easy with her small backpack on, compared to my monster pack 😅. A lot of people who hike the trail decide to make use of the baggage transfers available and hotels or bnb’s along the route. But I was determined to camp as much as I could!
Before I knew it I arrived at the end of the first section along the Caledonian canal. It was too early still to pitch up though and as the walk had been so flat so far I decided to push on. Loch Lochy is the first of three lochs along the trail and it offered some fantastic views. Sadly some of those views were followed by a long stretch of tarmac walking, one of pet hates 😅. I must admit my least fav sections on this trail was the dreaded road walking. I took quite a few breaks along this section making sure to rest my feet!
A few miles later I arrived at one of the trail blazer camping spots. Now you can’t miss this one a rather large bear sculpture marks the point to leave the path and head down to the Loch edge. It seemed a great place to set up my tent for the night and can you believe it, I had it all to myself! Now this is exactly why I wanted to camp!
It was a fantastic location and it was all mine for the night! Day one ended up being approx 19 miles! Bring on day two 😁