Day 80: Great Glen Way - Fort William to Laggan

Day 1 on the Great Glen Way, and it was a long day to start, following canals and walking along forest tracks. This was rewarded with excellent views of canals and Loch Lochy. 

• Date: 8 June 2024
• Start: Fort William
• End: Laggan
• Miles: 26.0
• Total miles: 1,077.6
• Accommodation: Great Glen Hostel

The day started with me trying to take the tent down without it raining. This was harder than it sounds, with the rain on and off continuously. 

After leaving the campsite, I headed along the road into Fort William. This is the fourth time I’ve done this walk and I’m glad I’ll never have to do it again. 

The start of the Great Glen Way is situated at the site of the Fort William Fort, beautifully overlooked by a branch of McDonald’s. 

The path headed out of town in the best way possible, through a housing estate and along a river, before arriving at the Caledonian Canal. 

I followed the canal for many miles, passing the apparently famous Neptune’s Staircase, which I’d never heard of. Like the Devil’s Staircase a few days ago, the naming is very misleading, as it is in fact eight canal locks in succession. I guess it’s a staircase for boats though, in a strange way. I did actually see a boat climbing the “stairs”.

At the end of the canal path, I reached Gairlochy, which would have been the end of the days walk had I not combined it with the next section. After a spot of lunch, it was time to press on. 

The path headed into a forest, which was really enjoyable. Through the trees, I could see the shores of the imaginatively named Loch Lochy. 

The path turned into a forest track, which became monotonous. I did however have a laugh when I saw a wild campsite protected by a bear. Again, this was misleading as there are no bears in Scotland, especially a bear with a backpack on. 

I then hit a snag, the route was closed. But they had built a very new looking diversion, complete with nice viewpoints as I headed uphill. 

The path then descended into Laggan, at the top end of Loch Lochy. I then joined the main road and checked into my hostel for the night. 

It had been a long day, so I showered and then tried to enjoy my dinner, which was curry out of a tin. Having burnt a lot of energy today, I treated myself to a bag of skittles from the hostel shop, and read my guidebook before heading to bed. 

Tomorrow is a much easier day, with less than half the distance I covered today, as I head to the sizeable village of Fort Augustus.