After finishing the West Highland Way in Fort William, we apparently hadn't had quite enough walking. While most of our group headed home, four of us continued north on the Great Glen Way, following the natural fault line that cuts across the Highlands toward Inverness.
I made the first day considerably harder than necessary.
While the rest of the group took a well-earned rest day, I decided to cover the first 30 miles solo, walking from Fort William all the way to Fort Augustus. I settled into a regimented rhythm: walk a mile, stretch; another mile, stretch; a third mile, then take a proper break. The route initially followed the Caledonian Canal before reaching Loch Lochy, where the trail hugged the water beneath the mountains. Later came forest tracks, old railway infrastructure near Invergarry, and Laggan Locks, where I ate lunch beside the canal and watched boats pass through.
By the time I finally reached Fort Augustus, my feet were swollen, everything hurt, and I had walked more than 30 miles in a single day. But I had made it—and, somehow, had no blisters.
Thankfully, the next day was considerably more civilized. From Fort Augustus to Invermoriston, the trail climbed steeply through the forest before emerging high above Loch Ness. This was some of the finest scenery of the hike: long views down the loch, rolling Highland hills, and weather that could transition from glorious sunshine to hail within minutes. We met a wonderfully upbeat family from Manitoba walking together to scatter their father and grandfather's ashes, one of several encounters that reminded us how many different stories converge on a long-distance trail.
Then Scotland reminded us who's in charge.
The walk from Invermoriston to Drumnadrochit began beautifully. Mom and I spent the morning walking through the forest memorizing Gerard Manley Hopkins's Inversnaid, occasionally emerging onto high ground with sweeping views over Loch Ness. Then the rain arrived—and essentially didn't stop.
Cold, wet, and increasingly miserable, we slogged onward. Lunch meant huddling beneath a tree while rain continued dripping through the branches. Shoes soaked through. A promising coffee stop provided coffee but nowhere warm to sit. By the time we reached Drumnadrochit, everyone needed hot showers, dry clothes, and a substantial amount of time to become human again. Even Nessie couldn't improve the mood much.
Our final day was also our longest together: 19 miles from Drumnadrochit to Inverness. The trail climbed back into the hills, where I split onto the Great Glen Way High Route for a few kilometers while the others followed the lower option. The extra climbing paid off with magnificent Highland views—even if they came with another round of hail.
Then, slowly, the landscape began to change. Between forests, old stone walls, honesty boxes stocked with sweets, rain showers, and one memorable lunch of folded leftover pizza on a wet hillside, we caught our first glimpse of Inverness in the distance.
After roughly 170 miles of continuous walking across Scotland, first along the West Highland Way and then the Great Glen Way, we descended into the city and followed the River Ness toward the finish. That evening, after dinner and live music, we walked up to Inverness Castle for the obligatory end-of-hike photograph.
The Great Glen Way is quieter and gentler than the West Highland Way, but that's part of its appeal. There are long stretches beside lochs and canals, high routes with expansive views, tiny Highland communities, and—of course—the constant possibility that something prehistoric might emerge from Loch Ness.