Great Glen Way

The Great Glen Way is a 73 mile coast to coast path from Fort William on the Atlantic west coast to Inverness on the North Sea. The trail follows the natural geological fault line running through the Great Glen, also known as Glen Albyn or Glen Mor.

The walk begins at Fort William, in the shadow of Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis. From there the Great Glen Way waves goodbye to Loch Linnhe and heads north on the Caledonian Canal past Neptune’s Staircase and on to Gairlochy before journeying along the banks of Loch Lochy, Loch Oich and Loch Ness, famous for its mythical monster. The Way leaves Loch Ness as it travels through the ancient Abriachan woodland, home to pine martens, red squirrels and golden eagles, before joining the River Ness to reach Inverness Castle and the end of the trail.

With its good way marking, this is a relatively easy, and predominantly low level route along canal towpaths and enchanting forest tracks, providing great views of the lochs of the Great Glen and fine panoramas of the surrounding mountains. The castles and forts along the trail provide a glimpse into Scotland’s rich history and culture.

The Great Glen Way is the perfect introduction to long distance walking in the Scottish Highlands.

Our Holidays

We offer 3 itineraries on the Great Glen Way. When choosing from 5, 6 or 7 days walking consider how far you’d like to walk each day, as well as whether your choice will have you stay in your preferred locations, should you have them.

Please bear in mind that the distances each day are trail distances only. They do not take into account walking to your accommodation. On some days the accommodation might be on or close to the trail but on other days you may need to walk one or two miles to get to your overnight stop.

Our colleague Sarah walked the Great Glen Way this summer. Read Sarah’s article: The Great Glen Way – A Scenic Trek Through Highland Beauty.

The Great Glen Way

Fort William to Inverness 73 miles/117 km

We offer 3 itineraries covering the whole route. The 5 day option involves 2 lengthy 18 mile days. The 6 day option takes things a little easier with just 1 day of 18 miles. Our 7 day option is far more gentle with the longest distance being 14 miles and there a couple of relaxed 7 and 8 mile days also.

Due to essential forest harvesting work the main path along Loch Oich will be unavailable to the public for the remainder of the year and throughout 2024. You will need to use the alternate Invergarry link path during this time, adding almost 2.5 miles, and resulting in more up & downs than the south side path. The Invergarry link is detailed in the guidebook and signs will be in place to instruct you on where to go.

Code Length Average per day Price range
GG6 5 days walking (6 nights) 15 miles/24 km £673 - £799 Full Info Book
GG7 6 days walking (7 nights) 12 miles/19 km £759 - £910 Full Info Book
GG8 7 days walking (8 nights) 10 miles/16 km £847 - £1023 Full Info Book

Client Feedback

All our party were very appreciative of the standard of accommodation booked by Mickledore. We were completely satisfied with all the arrangements. So much so, that we’re now looking to book the Rob Roy Way next year, with the same party, and another couple, making a party of 8. So this shows how impressed we have been, thank you!

Great Glen Way, April 2022
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We have never experienced such a well-organized holiday, so we would happily recommend Mickledore to friends and family!

Dales Way, July 2023
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Exceptional service from beginning the booking and throughout the whole trip. Far exceeded our expectations and we could not have asked for more. All the accommodation hosts were amazing and the trip extremely well planned. Thank you – we absolutely loved every minute.

Herriot Way, July 2023
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