Great Glen Escape

Tour Type:

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!

Activity:

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

Activity Level & Terrain

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. 

Navigation

The route is well way marked and easy to follow. All the walks on this itinerary are available in the Macs Adventure Smartphone App. We also supply a map and guidebook so you will easily manage to find your way.

As the navigation on this tour is straightforward, it does not have turn-by-turn directions. Simply download the app for offline use and follow the route on your phone with the assurance that you will be able to find your way, even without turn-by-turn directions.

• Hand-picked accommodation in B&B's, guest houses and small hotels
• Breakfast at each accommodation
• Baggage transfers
• Information pack and access to maps and GPX tracks on the Macs Adventure smartphone app
• 24/7 Emergency telephone support from our UK office

• Travel to the start / from the finish of the walk
• Lunches, dinners, snacks & drinks
• Travel insurance (required)
• Personal equipment
• Taxi transfers or public transport should you need to skip a stage

• Extra nights before, during or after your walk
• Single/Solo Supplement

When To Go

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.

Getting to the Start

Fort Augustus can be reached by public transport or by private transfer.

By Bus: Scottish Citylink operates buses from Inverness (1 hour) to Fort Augustus. Visit www.citylink.co.uk for timetables and tickets.
Private Transfers: We can arrange private transfers from Glasgow, Inverness or Edinburgh to the start/end of your walk; just ask us for a quote. This is often the smoothest way to begin or conclude your adventure.
Journey Planning: If travelling by public transport the website www.travelinescotland.com has an excellent journey planner.

Getting from the End

Inverness has excellent transport links by road, rail and air to destinations throughout Scotland and the UK. Use the websites listed above for timetables and tickets.

Luggage Transfer

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.

General Information

The distances and ascent/descents are approximations of the recommended routes. Please be prepared by packing all necessary items, for example, proper rain gear (jacket and pants), sun hat, sunscreen. Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots or shoes, warm and waterproof clothes for the cooler months and lightweight clothing for summer, and a day pack.