Wednesday 21st July 2004
On my first walking holiday in Scotland after doing the West Highland Way, I had planned to do the Great Glen Way, but the previous evening I had considered walking up the Mamores, but in the end, for some reason, I didn’t wake up till 8.40 so I would have found it difficult to catch the 9.25 bus, unless I hurried, which I really couldn’t be bothered to do because the weather was awful; it was raining and there were very low clouds over the hills, so I chickened out of walking in the Mamores and went back to plan A. Frankly, I just didn’t want to be not getting to the Loch Ness Youth Hostel until 7.30 p.m. as I don’t like messing around on public transport at the end of a tiring day's walk. I think a car would be much easier when in the Highlands because the area is so large.
Back to this walk, I headed into Fort William and caught a bus to Fort Augustus, where, after buying lunch, I headed off along the Great Glen Way beside Loch Ness. The weather had improved enormously now that I was away from the mountains of the West Highlands as it was now hot and sunny and I was wearing sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat, with loads of sun cream. I had my lunch overlooking Loch Ness and it was just as I remembered from when I was last in the area in 2000: an eerie looking loch with hidden secrets under its surface. No one would call it a beautiful loch, like Loch Lomond, but it does attract your attention. Going further along the trail I descended into the small, picturesque village of Invermoriston before ascending the steep hill opposite and continuing along the trail to the Loch Ness Youth Hostel at Alltsigh.
On my first walking holiday in Scotland after doing the West Highland Way, I had planned to do the Great Glen Way, but the previous evening I had considered walking up the Mamores, but in the end, for some reason, I didn’t wake up till 8.40 so I would have found it difficult to catch the 9.25 bus, unless I hurried, which I really couldn’t be bothered to do because the weather was awful; it was raining and there were very low clouds over the hills, so I chickened out of walking in the Mamores and went back to plan A. Frankly, I just didn’t want to be not getting to the Loch Ness Youth Hostel until 7.30 p.m. as I don’t like messing around on public transport at the end of a tiring day's walk. I think a car would be much easier when in the Highlands because the area is so large.
Back to this walk, I headed into Fort William and caught a bus to Fort Augustus, where, after buying lunch, I headed off along the Great Glen Way beside Loch Ness. The weather had improved enormously now that I was away from the mountains of the West Highlands as it was now hot and sunny and I was wearing sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat, with loads of sun cream. I had my lunch overlooking Loch Ness and it was just as I remembered from when I was last in the area in 2000: an eerie looking loch with hidden secrets under its surface. No one would call it a beautiful loch, like Loch Lomond, but it does attract your attention. Going further along the trail I descended into the small, picturesque village of Invermoriston before ascending the steep hill opposite and continuing along the trail to the Loch Ness Youth Hostel at Alltsigh.As lovely as the weather was for this walk it wasn't that enjoyable as it kept largely to forestry tracks so I was in doubt on what to do the next day. I certainly didn’t want to walk all thirty miles to Inverness or get there late, so I was thinking of catching a bus to Drumnadrochit and starting from there.
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