Great Glen Escape

If you only have a few days available for walking through the Great Glen then this short break allows you to experience some of its most dramatic scenery and enjoy the jaw-dropping vistas.

Classic Routes | If you’re the active, outdoorsy type, who’s interested in taking on the great routes of the world or looking for a challenge, then our Classic Routes are for you. We’re talking the West Highland Way, Tour Du Mont Blanc and the Passau to Vienna Danube Cycle Path, to name but a few!

Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&Bs, inns, and guesthouses.

Solo Travellers, Families with Teens

The minimum age for this tour is: 12 Years

This holiday is graded easy to moderate overall, with the 7 and 8 day and the Great Glen Escape tours graded moderate, due to a couple of longer days. Daily walking distances very between 8-20 miles. Some days will be more challenging than others and the terrain will be varied with some rough and rugged footpaths. There are ascents and descents involved, so a good level of fitness will be required. For fitter walkers the High Route will appeal, which affords particularly spectacular views.

The High Route

Through a £1 million project, the Forestry Commission Scotland created over 10 miles (16km) of waymarked Great Glen ‘High Route’ above Loch Ness. These options take you above the treeline and offer more fantastic views than the traditional route, with some challenging gradients and a new summit at 422m (1385ft) on Creag Dhearg. 

One of the highlights of this tour is the high standard of accommodation. We specifically choose the hotels, inns, guesthouses and B&B’s to ensure that you enjoy every minute of your stay. They all offer a warm welcome to walkers, traditional hospitality and delicious local food.

Solo Walkers & Single Rooms

The Great Glen Escape is available and well suited to solo walkers as the route is popular and well marked. Single rooms are available but a single supplement is payable.

Meals

A hearty breakfast is included each morning. Lunch and dinner are not included so you are free to choose from the available options. Most of your accommodations will more than happy to provide a packed lunch on request and this can be booked on arrival. Dinner is available either at your accommodation or nearby pubs and restaurants and your guide book will have details.

The route is extensively waymarked with a thistle logo, often on a light blue pole. Navigation is straightforward. Additionally you can use the Macs Adventure App which has maps, GPS tracks and daily route information. Simply download the GPS tracks for offline use and follow the route on your phone with the assurance that navigation on this tour will be made simple. You will find more information on downloading the app in your Macs Adventure Account.

Recommended Reading

If you would like more information on the route please see our recommendation below:

• Great Glen Way. Rucksack Reader. Guidebook
• Great Glen Way Harvey Map. XT40

You can start your walk on the Great Glen Way on any day between March and October, subject to availability. Due to the small size of some of the charming Highland villages along the Great Glen Way, availability can be tricky for us. It is always best to book as far in advance as possible to secure our preferred accommodation choices. To be in the best chance of getting this tour confirmed for your preferred dates, it is best to try and avoid staying in Invermoriston on a Sunday night, due to the limited dining options in the area.

By Bus: Scottish Citylink operates buses from Inverness (1 hour) to Fort Augustus. Visit www.citylink.co.uk for timetables and tickets.

By Air: Inverness airport is just 15 minutes from Inverness city centre, alternatively Glasgow International airport is approx. 3.5 hours from Inverness.

By Train: Trains run throughout the day between Glasgow and Inverness, the journey takes around 4 hours. Widely regarded as one of the world’s great rail journeys this is a great way to start your trip. Visit www.nationalrail.co.uk for timetables and tickets.

By Bus: Scottish Citylink operates 8 buses per day from Glasgow (approx 4 hours). Visit www. citylink.co.uk for timetables and tickets.

By Car: Inverness is 170 miles (3.5 hours) north of Glasgow on the A9. Parking (not secure) is available in Inverness. You can leave your car at some accommodation we use in Inverness 

Your bags will be collected from your accommodation each day and moved onto your overnight accommodation. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 18kg per person.

At Macs Adventure, we work in partnership with many luggage transfer providers who set a limit on how many bags/suitcases they will transfer per person, and also the weight of the bag/suitcase.  Your booking includes transfer of 1 bag per person.  It is very important that you read the luggage information specific to your tour before departure. If you do not adhere to these limits, there is a great possibility that you will be charged locally both for extra bags or if they are too heavy. This limitation can be a challenge, especially as airlines generally have limits that are higher. However, our luggage providers have reasons for these limits (usually due to the Health and Safety of their employees), which we must respect.

Taxi Transfer

You will be collected from your accommodation in Drumnadrochit on day 4 of your trip and transferred to Loch Laide, avoiding the busy A82 section of the Great Glen Way, and allowing you to enjoy walking into Inverness at a more leisurely pace.