September 26 – Day 5 – Invermoriston to Drumnadrochit A long day today as we walked 14+ miles from Invermoriston to Drumnadrochit. The weather was okay to start as we climbed the hill out of Invermoriston and made it to the viewcatcher sculpture on the high route. It was a long day of walking, including a few long sections of tarmac. It started raining on the one long section of tarmac before the final descent into the village. We stopped at the Nessieland Hotel pub, which was warm and cozy for a pint before heading to the B&B next door. Weren’t able to get in there for dinner though so ended up a bit further back at the Fiddler, which was cozy and good amid had a great “boozy ice cream”! September 27 – Day 6 – Drumnadrochit to Blackfold We actually ended up doing Blackfold to Drumnadrochit as it is difficult to time the pick up in Blackfold for the return to Drum. An added benefit of getting driven out to Blackfold and hiking back to Drum is that it is mostly downhill ?. Another fairly long day of about 20 km of so. The weather started bleak and we had our rain gear on expecting a bad day. However, the sun ended up coming out and we were able to get some decent views of Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness. On the way we also stopped in at this forest cafe and had a great lemon sponge cake and coffee in the forest. Also went through the “Newfie Forest” which was apparently logged by Canadians (many from Newfoundland) during WWII to supply wood for the war. The last few km along the road was tedious but we stopped at the Cobbs Cafe before heading to the B&B to prepare for dinner again at the Fiddlers.

Had a day in Invermoriston to relax before completing the final three walking days. We ended up taking the bus to Urquhart Castle and then a taxi to Drumnadrochit to visit the Loch Ness Exhibition Centre for a history of the Loch Ness monster and scientific efforts to explore the lake. Had dinner at the Glenmoriston Arms pub next door before preparing for the long walking day to Drumnadrochit.

We caught the 12:21 train from Glasgow Queen Station to Fort William to where we would start the walk. Almost a 4 hour train ride but with now connections so pretty easy, apart from the banshee squealing brakes on the train that were periodically applied. The scenery became pasture like and then rolling hills. We took a taxi from the train station to our first B&B, Gowan Brae House. The rooms were nice and we settled in and then took a walk down to the village for dinner at a little pub. Afterwards we walked the shops a bit and then stopped for another drink at another pub. September 21 – Great Glen Way – Day 1, Fort William to Gairlochy After our filling Scottish breakfast we set out from our B&B to the start of the Great Glen Way, conveniently located near the train station and McDonalds. We walked through the village of Caol and stopped at Corpach on the canal to pick up the key for the toilets along the way. The Caledonian Canal is a sister canal to the Rideau Canal. We then walked along the canal and stopped for lunch at a restaurant beside Neptune’s Staircase, which is a number of locks in a row to take the boats up the hill. The rest of the day’s walk was mostly along the canal. Had sporadic spots of rain during the day but not for very long at any point. We then turned off the path to head to the B&B, stopping for a great rainbow! The basic walk was about 10.5 miles but with the distance from the B&B to the start of the trail and the distance to the next B&B, it was closer to 19.5 km. Got to our B&B and were welcomed by our host, Helen, with tea. Helen was a nice lady with very distinct views. After we settled she drove us into Spean Bridge for dinner at a restaurant at the railway station. On the way to dinner she seemed to be driving pretty fast considering it was a winding, narrow road and her defrost didn’t seemed to be clearing the window! Regardless, we made it to and from dinner. September 22 – Great Glen Way – Day 2, Gairlochy to South Laggan A long walk today through some forest and along Loch Lochy. Periods of rain but still pretty decent weather. Nowhere to stop for lunch but we had some apples and sandwiches from Helen, which we ate on the forest path. We had planned to stop at The Eagle, a floating barge pub and restaurant on the way into Laggan but it was closed. So we ended up heading to the B&B, which was through a forest and then back down the road towards the Eagle. The hosts were a very friendly couple, who cheered us on as we came into the driveway. They drove us to the only open restaurant in town at the Lodge. Then back to the B&B to bed after a long day.

Arrived in Glasgow on Sunday evening and checked into our hotel in the West End. Grabbed a bite at a pub in a former church near the hotel. Not too late of a night as we were all pretty tired from the day of traveling. Spent the next day touring around the area walking through the Glasgow University campus and Kelvingrove Park to arrive at the Kelvingrove Museuem and Art Gallery, which had a number of paintings and other historic exhibits. The next day we met up with a couple from my Madagascar trip that live in Glasgow. Had a nice dinner and heard about the advancing Storm Ali that was scheduled to hit the next day and which had prompted an amber alert. Despite the storm warning we headed off to Stirling this morning to visit their castle. The wind was definitely picking up once we got to the castle. There was periodic bouts of rain as well. At the start of the tour they told us certain parts of the castle grounds (mainly along the ramparts and edges) were closed due to the high winds. Then part way through the tour they announced the castle was closed to new visitors but that were could finish touring around. A few minutes later though they announced that we all needed to leave the castle as the weather was getting too dangerous. So there ended our visit to Stirling Castle. Fortunately, we had been there for a bit and got to see most of it! Back for our last dinner in Glasgow where we went back to a place in Ashton Lane, which appeared to be housed in a former theater. On to Fort William tomorrow to start the walk along the Great Glen Way! Hopefully, the weather will have subsided.