Overview
The Great Glen Way starts in the town of Fort William, which has a magnificent location at the foot of Ben Nevis (1,345m), and finishes 118km later in Inverness. Cycling the Great Glen Way takes five days, a moderate trail that takes you along Caledonian Canal, and with some more rural ascents and descents through the Great Glen Valley. The final section to Inverness involves some road cycling but, for the most part, you are on a towpath, forest trails and some gravel forest paths. Stay in small, locally-owned hotels or guesthouses along the way, with your luggage transported daily for you. Electric bike rental is also an option.
- Loch Ness
- Caledonian Canal
- Fort William
- Inverness
- Inverness Castle
- Loch Oich
- Scottish Highlands
- Invergarry Castle
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Fort William
Arrive in the town of Fort William, gateway to the Highlands. Located on the shores of Loch Linnhe, Fort William is home to many attractions such as museums, Jacobite steam trains and, not to forget, Ben Nevis.
- Accommodation: Guisachan Guesthouse or similar in Fort William
Day 2: Fort William to Invergarry | 42.5km
Get fitted for your bike and, once familiar with its functions, follow the Great Glen Way markers from the ruins of Fort William, passing underneath the mass of Ben Nevis as well as the castle fortress at Inverlochy. Join the towpath to the famous Caledonian Canal, and take in the eight locks known as Neptune’s Staircase. Continue along the towpath as far as Gairlochy, before reaching South Laggan’s lock system. We recommend stopping for a break here, at a nearby old Dutch sailing barge that doubles as a pub. The bike trail leaves the walking path at this point and heads up into the forest above the loch before descending through trees into the village of Invergarry.
- Cycling for the day: 42.5km, ↑353m ↓299m
- Accommodation: Ardgarry Farm or similar in Invergarry
Day 3: Invergarry to Drumnadrochit | 49km
Start the day with a steep but rewarding climb behind Invergarry up through Nursery Woods, with great views of Loch Oich wherever there are breaks in the trees. Cross the suspension bridge, built in 1854, to rejoin the Caledonian Canal towpath and the Great Glen Way. There is another impressive series of canal locks before you reach the shores of Loch Ness. Along the way, we highly recommend stopping at Urquhart Castle, one of the most dramatically located ancient sites in Scotland.
- Cycling for the day: 49km, ↑874m ↓895m
- Accommodation: Kilmore Farmhouse or similar in Drumnadrochit
Day 4: Drumnadrochit to Inverness | 30.2km
Climb sharply out of Drumnadrochit, away from Loch Ness, through a forest, before descending past Loch Laide. Here you join minor roads and forest tracks deeper into the hills and fields surrounding the Great Glen. The route then takes you through remote moorland and woodlands to continue along the River Ness, descending into Inverness, the UK’s northernmost city and historic port. You should have plenty of time to relax and celebrate completing the Great Glen Way cycle route. It is worth having an extra day in Inverness: The National Trust for Scotland’s Culloden, the last battle site of Jacobite Rising, is a short bus ride away. Or, a bit further afield, is Fort George, a fascinating complex built to protect Scotland from French invasion.
- Cycling for the day: 30.2km, ↑399m ↓428m
- Accommodation: Premier Inn River Ness or similar in Inverness
Day 5: Departure
Departure after breakfast.
What to expect
Accommodation
Accommodation on this tour includes a mix of small, locally-owned hotels, B&Bs and traditional guesthouses. They have been carefully selected based on a variety of criteria including their location, warm hospitality, fine local food or commitment to responsible tourism. All rooms have en-suite or private bathrooms.
Click here to view our default accommodation for this trip
- Guisachan Guesthouse (Fort William)
- Ardgarry Farm (Invergarry)
- Kilmore Farmhouse (Drumnadrochit)
- Premier Inn River Ness (Inverness)
Accommodation is subject to availability. In the event of a particular hotel or guesthouse being fully booked for your chosen dates, we will replace it with a hotel of equal value and quality level. We will provide exact accommodation details to you upon booking confirmation.
Meals
Breakfast is included on all days. When no restaurant location is available en route, lunches and snacks can either be bought from local shops or packed lunches can be pre-ordered from your hotel the night before. Dinner is available either at the accommodation or from restaurants in the local area.
Difficulty and terrain
This cycling tour is rated moderate, with daily distances ranging from 30-49km. The section between Fort William to Laggan is mostly easy. Most of the tour is on the Caledonian Canal towpath, which is car-free. Parts of the route north of Laggan are very hilly, with long climbs and steep descents. The final section to Inverness involves some road cycling. Surfaces include tarmac, forest trails with tree roots, and stony single tracks (read more about difficulty grades). We strongly advise you to follow only marked trails and never shorten the path through unknown and unmarked terrain. We will provide you with detailed road notes and maps, and you can call our 24/7 local assistance phone number anytime. More detailed info on route navigation will be included in your holiday information pack.
When to go
This trip is available to commence every day from March until October.
The flexibility of self-guided holidays means that there are no fixed dates, and you can start your trip on any date during the season. For detailed info, see our blog on the Best time to go to Scotland.
Getting there
Up-to-date travel advice on the United Kingdom is available here (for Canadian citizens) and here (for US citizens). Some funny but useful travel advice about Scotland is available here.
Click to view travel options and route planner
By plane
Our recommended airport for this tour is Glasgow Airport (GLA), Edinburgh Airport (EDI) and Aberdeen International Airport (ABZ).
By train or bus
- If you are able to travel to The Great Glen Way without flying, this holiday is reachable by rail with train stations in Fort William and Inverness. For more details, see trainline for operators and routes.
- You can also take the Caledonian Sleeper train between London and Fort William/Inverness.
- A great website for public transport planning within Scotland is Traveline Scotland.
UK Visa and entry requirements:
IMPORTANT: From 2025, the UK is implementing a new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) for many countries around the world. Up until 08 January, the ETA requirement only applied to nationals from Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE.
On 08 January 2025, the ETA requirement was extended to visitors from eligible non-European countries, including Australian, Canadian and US nationals. Then, on 02 April 2025, the ETA requirement was extended to eligible European countries, referring to most of Europe.
You can view the full list of countries that this applies to here and apply for your ETA here, or on the UK ETA app. The ETA usually takes up to three working days to be processed, although we advise applying as early as possible, in advance of your travel dates. People travelling with an Irish passport don’t need an ETA.
You can read more about the UK entry requirements on our blog.
Inclusions
Included
- 4 nights accommodation
- 4 breakfasts
- Luggage transfers from hotel to hotel (one piece per person, up to 20kg)
- Detailed tour materials, including practical information, personalised trip notes and maps (digital copy only)
- 24/7 phone assistance by our local office/representative
Excluded
- Airfare and connecting land transfers
- Lunches, dinners, drinks and snacks
- Travel insurance (required – get a quote online)
- Personal expenses
- Local tourist taxes and entry fees (payable on-site)
- Any items not specifically mentioned as included in the programme
- eSIM data for international travel (get an eSIM)
Options, extras and supplements
- If you’re travelling in a group, a supplement applies to group members who would like to have a room of their own. Please also note that in Invergarry, at Ardgarry Farm, twin rooms are not available
- This holiday is available for solo travellers. However, a supplement will be charged as the cost of rooms and also luggage or private transfers (when applicable) is not shared. Please note that solo travellers are always accommodated in their own room. For logistical reasons, we don’t offer an option for solo travellers to share rooms with other solo travellers. As above, in Invergarry twin rooms are not available at Ardgarry Farm ,so there may be an additional supplement here if travelling solo.
- Bike or e-bike rental
- Extra nights along the trail are bookable upon request
Bike rental
Should you wish to hire a bike for your tour, we have multiple high-quality options available.
- Hardtail – 2023 Trek Marlin 7 has a lightweight aluminium frame, robust hydraulic brakes, and a wide gear range. Ideal for both beginners and seasoned cyclists.
- Full-suspension – 2023 Trek Slash, 29′ wheels, with aggressive geometry, and a wealth of technical features on bikes that score tens for capability.
- Hardtail or full-suspension e-bike – Trek Powerfly and Rail bikes pair the latest Bosch e-MTB system that assists up to 24km/h with durable mountain bike components
Sample pictures attached below, note that the exact models may differ depending on availability, but the standard will be the same.
Each bike comes equipped with a helmet, pump, spare tube, tyre levers and bottle cage.
