Overview
Spend eight or nine days (depending on walking options) sauntering along the shores of the Caledonian Canal, with its adjoining lochs and locks, while walking the Great Glen Way. This is a 118km trail leading from Fort William in the west to Inverness in the east through the Great Glen Way and eponymous valley. Staying in small and mostly locally-owned, three-star hotels or B&Bs along the way, with your luggage transported daily for you, take the low road through the Highlands and be invigorated by fresh air coming in off the waters of Loch Lochy, Loch Oich and Loch Ness along the way.
- 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 Guest House or similar in Fort William
Day 2: Fort William – Gairlochy | 16.5km
The walk starts by the banks of Loch Linnhe and follows the shoreline to the Caledonian Canal locks. Along this section take in the iconic Neptune’s Staircase which, built in 1803 by Thomas Telford, it is the longest staircase lock in Britain. The trail then changes course and joins the canal as it heads towards the Great Glen. As there is limited accommodation in Gairlochy, your accommodation is likely to be in Spean Bridge, a further 4.5km along the trail. A pick-up service is provided by your accommodation.
- Walking for the day: 16.5km, 4-5h ↑386m ↓364m
- Accommodation: Coire Glas Guest House or similar in Spean Bridge
Day 3: Gairlochy – Invergarry | 26.4km
From Gairlochy, the trail soon leaves the canal and meets Loch Lochy. The route meanders through woodland as it undulates across the hillside towards Laggan Locks. At the locks, the trail continues along the Caledonian Canal and Loch Oich to reach the town of Invergarry.
- Walking for the day: 26.4km, 6-7h ↑91m ↓65m
- Accommodation: Ardgarry Farm or similar in Invergarry
Day 4: Invergarry – Fort Augustus | 13km
Start the day climbing north out of Invergarry through woodland, before descending to the north banks of Loch Oich, where the route once again joins the Caledonian Canal for the walk into Fort Augustus. There are also some stunning mountain views on today’s walk.
- Walking for the day: 13km, 3-4h ↑138m ↓169m
- Accommodation: Abbey Cottage or similar in Fort Augustus
Day 5: Fort Augustus – Invermoriston | 12/12.5km
The trail initially climbs out of Fort Augustus through a forested area onto the open hillside high above the lochs and canals below. Here there are two route options, a higher route to take in the views, or a lower, less intense route skirting Loch Ness. Just before the village of Invermoriston the two trails meet to descend to Invermoriston Bridge, and finally to your accommodation for the evening.
- Walking for the day: 12.5km, 4-5 h,↑389m ↓367m or 12km, 4-5 h,↑266m ↓244m
- Accommodation: Craik Na Dav B&B or similar in Invermoriston
Day 6: Invermoriston – Drumnadrochit | 22/23km
Again, the trail quickly climbs out of Invermoriston, providing fantastic views of Loch Ness and the surrounding mountains. As on the previous day, there is a high and low-level option during this stage. The high route takes in The Viewcatcher, a sculpture made out of wood and stone designed to highlight the view. End the day in Drumnadrochit, a popular spot for Loch Ness monster hunters.
- Walking for the day: 22.1km, 7-8h, ↑624m ↓633 or 23.3km, 7-8h, ↑601m ↓611m
- Accommodation: Kilmore Farmhouse or similar in Drumnadrochit
Day 7: Drumnadrochit – Inverness/Blackfold – Drumnadrochit | 30.5km/19.3km
Today’s walk has two options, either walk the longer distance from Drumnadrochit to Inverness, or extend your trip by a night and split the distance over two days.
Option one: the trail leaves Drumnadrochit along the main road for a short distance before heading onto a wooded hillside. This is the Great Glen Way’s final significant climb, with a gradual descent towards Inverness, but not before more excellent views across the Highlands. The walk to Inverness Castle follows the latter section of the Caledonian Canal into the city centre.
- Walking for the day: 30.8km, 8-9h ↑402m ↓412m
- Accommodation: Premier Inn River Ness or similar in Inverness
Option two: start with a morning transfer from Drumnadrochit to Blackfold. Follow the route in reverse as it ascends gradually across heather moorland and woodlands, cathcing glimpses of Loch Ness before returning to Drumnadrochit for the night.
- Walking for the day: 19.3km, 5-6h ↑150m ↓412m
- Accommodation: Kilmore Farmhouse or similar in Drumnadrochit
Optional extra day (if you choose option two for day seven): Blackfold to Inverness | 11.8km
If you choose option two with a transfer to Blackfold the previous day, today will start with the same morning transfer from Drumnadrochit to Blackfold. Walk from Blackfold to Inverness, taking in spectacular views of the lochs and hills along the way. Finally, follow the Caledonian Canal to end your journey on the Great Glen Way.
- Walking for the day:11.8km, 4h ↑25m ↓269m
- Accommodation: Premier Inn River Ness or similar in Inverness
Day 8: Departure
Departure after breakfast.
What to expect
Accommodation
Accommodation on this tour includes a mix of mostly 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 hotels for this trip
- Guisachan Guest House (Fort William)
- Coire Glas Guest House (Spean Bridge)
- Ardgarry Farm (Invergarry)
- Abbey Cottage (Fort Augustus)
- Craik Na Dav B&B (Invermoriston)
- 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 tour is rated moderate, with daily walking distances ranging between 12-26km and most days offering an average of 5-7h of walking. The longest walk on day seven (30.5km) can be split into two by adding an extra day. While not too demanding, a good level of fitness is required to get the most out of this tour. The routes cover a variety of terrain, but there are no steep ascents and descents. Some of the paths can become muddy and boggy, and progress can often be slow. The trail follows well-maintained footpaths, bridleways, open fields and some minor roads, and the trail is only waymarked sporadically (read more about difficulty grades).
We strongly advise you to only follow marked trails and never try to shorten the path through unknown and unmarked terrain. We will provide you with detailed route notes and maps and you can call our 24/7 local assistance phone number anytime. More detailed information 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).
Click to view travel options and route planner
By plane
Our recommended airports for this tour are 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
- 7 nights accommodation
- 7 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 explicitly listed as included
- 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.
- Add an extra night in Drumnadrochit and two morning transfers to split the walk between Drumnadrochit and Inverness
- Extra nights along the trail are bookable upon request
Reviews
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