Day: 009
Date: Thursday, 09 June 2022
Start: Inverness
Finish: Drumnadrochit
Daily Kilometres: 35
GPX Track: Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos
Total Kilometres: 274
Weather: Cool, sunny and clear in the morning, occasionally sunny with a few spots of rain in the afternoon.
Accommodation: B&B
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Breakfast sandwiches
Lunch: Snacks/Chicken, bacon & lettuce sandwich
Dinner: Fish & chips/Burger & chips
Aches: Dave - feet still very sore, began anti-inflammatories (3 years out-of-date) to see if that makes a difference. Julie - still cruisin’
Highlight: The walk out of Inverness, first along the clear and fast-flowing River Ness, and then climbing into the hills on a beautiful sunny morning was magic.
Lowlight: Having bought our takeout dinner from the fish & chip shop in the village of Drumnadrochit and then carried it for two kilometres to our B&B, we were told on check-in that he wouldn’t buy food from the chip shop in town. Too late!,
Pictures: Click here
Map and Position: Click here for Google Map
Journal:
We left soon after 7:00am, much time having been devoted to patching up Dave’s feet, and walked via Inverness Castle to the Great Glen Way. Dave went the direct route while Julie went via a supermarket to buy supplies for the day as there were no stores en route. Julie then caught Dave as he ambled along the riverside path on a beautiful morning.
The trail was well-signposted as we followed it along the river, then the canal, then through suburbia before it climbed up into the hills on a steady grade. There were other walkers and a few runners about.
We then followed a ridge path for a long time, firstly through lovely old mossy forest, bordered by a very old stone wall and, later, pine plantation, taking a break every 90 minutes, or 6km, at Dave’s current pace. The Great Glen Way is clearly a popular route and all day we encountered hikers coming the other way, including some groups of Americans, along with some cyclists going our way.
Generally, the trail was closed to traffic, but there was a long section in the middle of the day, as we traversed a higher valley through moors, that was along a road. But, soon it was back into forest and we followed either single track or forestry roads for much of the rest of the day. Some of it felt remote but, as we neared Loch Ness and Drumnadrochit, it became clear that civilisation was not far away. The last pine-needle-covered trail down to the road and loch through a tall pine forest was particularly beautiful.
At the road, which was fortunately bordered by a footpath, the peace of the forest was soon lost in the rushing of cars, trucks and buses as we walked the few remaining kilometres into the village. Drumnadrochit was a bit of a tourist trap, with Ness-themed exhibits, gift shops, cafes, and hotels.
Our accommodation was a few kilometres the other side of town so we stopped at the village store on our way through and bought supplies for tomorrow along with some take-out from the nearby fast food joint, before our last half hour of walking for the day.
We reached our B&B at 6:30pm, having had an excellent day.
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