Total miles: 21
Elevation gain: 905ft
Time walking: 10:45am – 7pm
Miles to date: 1,177.8
Ahh what a beautiful day! A proper autumn day, where the sun is gentle but warm, the air is fresh, the leaves are turning and you can actually smell autumn. My favourite kind of day. And today was day one of the Great Glen Way, leg 7! A long day mileage wise but a quick one, the first 16 miles or so of which were far more picturesque than I expected and the last 5 miles less picturesque than I expected! Still, I am camped at a beautiful spot on the edge of Loch Lochy, so a gorgeous end to the day regardless!
The day started a little later than planned as I decided not to set an alarm assuming I’d be woken up early in the hostel. As it happened, either my fellow roommates were exceptionally quiet or I was really tired, and I didn’t wake up until nearly 9am! Without rushing I managed to pack up and eat a good breakfast of porridge and banana (haven’t had much porridge on this trip, it made a nice change!) and be out of the door before 11 which wasn’t so bad. My first challenge was to negotiate roads and a supermarket car park to find the start of the Way and then I was properly off. The Way starts by following the River Lochy before crossing it and heading along the top of Loch Linhe through the village of Caol. The water was lapping at a small beach and the smell of salt was in the air and I could almost imagine I was by the sea. Loch Linhe is a sea loch so I suppose I technically was! There were great views back to Ben Nevis which was currently still shrouded in cloud, and beautiful views down the loch and across to Fort William. A little further on and the path joins the Caledonian Canal which I will follow all the way to Inverness, with a few famous lochs (including the infamous Loch Ness) in between. I take the short detour to see the sea lock at Corpach (it looks just the same as any lock but it’s quite cool to think it’s the last barrier between the Great Glen and what is effectively the sea) and to visit the office there. I was planning to pick up a key which would give me access to some composting toilets along the way at some wild campsites, but frustratingly the office was shut for lunch and I didn’t fancy waiting around for 45 minutes for them to get back! The toilets there were also shut, so it wasn’t a particularly useful detour, but at least it was a pretty one!
A mile or so further on I reached Neptune’s Staircase, an impressive flight of 8 locks near the end of the canal. There was a lovely looking cafe halfway up and King Jennifer begged me to stop for coffee and cake as he hadn’t had coffee in 6 days. I gave in, and of course it would have been rude not to have a slice of cake while we were there… 😉 it was actually really lovely to sit out in the sun and enjoy the break and the little bit of luxury, even if it felt a bit cheeky after just 5 miles! Still, who knows where the next coffee stop will be! And I got chatting to a lovely couple with some gorgeous dogs at the next table (King Jennifer is definitely good at starting conversations, and my LEJOG tabard helps too), so it was a nice stop.
The next 10 miles or so were just so pretty, really pleasant walking. The canal is wide and surrounded by hills and beautiful countryside, lined by trees that at this time of year are turning all sorts of stunning colours. There were some amazing shots back to Ben Nevis and the surrounding peaks, all of which had now emerged from the cloud. It looked like it would have been a stunning day to climb! The sky was blue with lots of fluffy white clouds and the reflections in the still waters of the canal were perfect. I felt so lucky today, to be out here in this beauty!
The section along the canal to Gairlochy followed the towpath which was flat and wide which made for fast walking. Every now and then a cyclist or two passed me by with a cheery hello, I only met one other hiker though. It doesn’t seem to be nearly as popular as the West Highland Way which is a shame as so far it is very pretty! Beyond Gairlochy, where the first section of canal gives way to the first of the lochs of the Great Glen, Loch Lochy, the path leaves the towpath and after a short uphill section on the road turns into a narrow forest track, criss-crossing but otherwise avoiding the road before heading down to the lochside. This was a very pretty section of the walk. Stony beaches with beautiful views stretching out across the loch in all directions, gentle woodland with a green mossy carpet and trees of all shapes and sizes, many with leaves of vibrant shades of orange and yellow contrasting against the green. At the far end of the loch mountains tumbled from the sky down to the water and back the way I had come the Nevis range dominated the skyline. There were a few potential camping spots along this section but whilst part of me was tempted to stop I knew I had a good couple more hours of walking in me and I was aiming for a particular spot – one of the “Trailblazer” wild campsites further along the loch.
The trail stuck close to the loch until the tiny hamlet (literally a handful of houses) of Bunarkaig, where it then followed a road through a forest for a mile or so to Clunes, where there was nothing except a house and a signpost. From here the path left the road completely and headed off along a forest track into one of the more remote sections of the Way. This was the least interesting part of the day as the track just went on and on through the trees with few views of the loch and only the occasional waterfall or trickling stream to provide variety. I did see some pine marten poo which was quite exciting. Sadly it’s unlikely I’ll actually see a pine marten as they are incredibly shy and also mostly nocturnal but it’s great to know they are definitely around!
The sun had gone by this point, hidden by the growing clouds, and it grew almost gloomy among the trees. I was keen to get to my campsite before the sun set (at around 7pm these days) and although my feet were tired I pressed on. I didn’t really want to be camping on the edge of the track (even though there were potential spots) in the middle of the forest – pine forests scare me a little! It was also eerily quiet, and I hadn’t seen a soul since Gairlochy other than a few cars on the road several miles back. It seemed strange, after the busy-ness of the West Highland Way and Ben Nevis! Eventually the track started to drop a little after being higher up the hillside for a while and I could tell from my GPS that I wasn’t too far away. The track suddenly came out into an area of felled forest and I could see the little bit of land jutting out into the loch which was where the campsite should be. Then I heard a sound which made me stop in my tracks, puzzled. It was in the distance (thankfully) and sounded like a cross between a roar, a groan and a cheer. It took a while for my brain to register what it must be (it of course went through all the overactive imagination suggestions of bears, wolves and lions first) – it was the sound of male Red Deer in rut. They bellow challenges to each other and compete for mates and are most active at dawn and dusk. I was quite reassured to realise that’s what the sound was, although disappointed I couldn’t spot the stags themselves on the hillside – I guess sound travels a long way! Still, maybe a good thing not to be too close to testosterone-fuelled fighting deer?! I just hope they don’t keep at it all night!
As I dropped down to where my map showed the campsite being, I was slightly nervous when there was no sign of the paths that the map showed leading off the main track and my GPS indicated I had almost walked right past the site. I had a fleeting moment of concern that maybe the site was only accessible by water when suddenly I saw it, really obviously marked by the small block of composting toilets right by the track. Phew! The site is tiny, only space for a few tents, right on the shore of the loch. It is beautiful! It’s just a shame I wasn’t able to get a key for the toilets! I made it with about half an hour before I lost the light so I quickly put the tent up and went to fetch water. With the light almost gone I decided to try and make a fire as there was a fire pit and a bit of wood left nearby. It took me a while to get it going, but I was pleased as I only had a tiny bit of paper to get it started with and a lot of the wood around was a bit damp. Still, I eventually managed to get a small fire going well and finally started to cook my dinner (well…boil water and then wait for it to rehydrate…!). I ate it in the dark, with my head torch off, just watching the flames flickering and the headlights of the cars on the road that runs along the other side of the loch (it’s not quite as remote here as the path feels!). It was strange though, watching the cars and the few scattered houses on the other side. They were both not very far away and miles away at the same time. It made me realise that although I do like being on my own I do miss people too! I was a little sad to find that no one else was at this site, it might have been nice to have the company of fellow hikers. And maybe they would have thought to bring marshmallows!
Still, it was quite nice sitting there watching the flames and embers (there’s something so primordial and entrancing about fire) and looking out across the loch which shimmered slightly reflecting whatever light was in the sky, with the dark mass of the mountains behind. Earlier on there had been a bat flitting around. He had gone to bed now but a bold little mouse ventured out a few times to nibble at a bit of rice I dropped. I hoped he was the biggest creature to come sniffing around the campsite tonight! I’m now in my sleeping bag, listening to the wind in the trees and the occasional light pitter patter of rain on the tent. My spot is fairly sheltered (thankfully, there are supposed to be strong winds a bit later in the night) but the wind is loud in the trees and on the water. Camping between a conifer forest and a valley loch isn’t the quietest spot on a windy night!
Tomorrow I leave Loch Lochy and head to Fort Augustus on the banks of Loch Ness. It’s a slightly shorter day of about 16 miles so hopefully I can enjoy my camping spot in daylight for a bit and get my tent down in between the two main periods of rain forecasted! For now though….night night!
