Adventure Journal | Our Walk of The Great Glen Way, with Meall na Teanga and Sron a' Choire Ghairbh

Our Walk of The Great Glen Way, with Meall na Teanga and Sron a' Choire Ghairbh

Sunday 8th January:
Abriachan to Inverness


The reason we're so happy - only one day to go!	A lot of minor road walking for the first half of the day. Can be sore on the feet. We start to see Inverness open out in the valley ahead.	Very sunny, but need to wrap up warm because its also very cold.

We left the campsite after our best nights sleep yet, and were shown the couples curling rink, a pond frozen solid, and kept smooth by the occasional added layer of water. We continued our journey across their estate, and on the other side found a box with a survey form inside for great glen way walkers.The survey can also be found online at the official great glen way website. We filled one out and posted it in the box before continuing. The path soon joins a minor road which we follow most of the way to Inverness. It's hard going on the feet but we manage to forget this as we start getting good views of Inverness ahead in the valley below.


The way curves round a small body of water.	We find that the water is frozen solid - with rocks on it in places.	The first views of Inverness peek over the horizen.

View of Inverness as we come down the valley side.	The path winds its way done the hillside towards Inverness.	The path joins a track shortly before entering Inverness.

Although its a gloriously sunny day, there are still pools of water frozen solid. We leave the road at Blackfold and join a good track, passing a large group of day walkers as the track goes into forest. We are later passed by a mountain biker on the same track, and the increasing number of people remind us that we are almost at Inverness. We turn off the track onto a path which heads down the valley side towards inverness, passed huge frozen pond with unbreakable ice. We find large rocks sitting on top of the frozen pond which other people have used to try and break the ice.


Barely afternoon and the winter sun is already casting long shadows.	A short walk along the caledonian canal - seems that we are heading in the fort william direction.	We join the river ness which takes us into Inverness.

We arrived in inverness, sun low in the sky casting long shadows on road ahead of us. We meet a route manager who was checking a diversion through a building site for clearness of the Great Glen Way signs. The building site is for the new national heritage headquaters, which is moving from edinburgh to Inverness. We find our way through the building site without problems, and find ourselves heading downhill on a path towards the Caledonian Canal. We Join the canal but to our supprise find ourselves directed in what appears to be the wrong direction - heading for Loch Ness! We only follow it for a short distance before coming off it and joining the River Ness instead, heading away from Loch Ness. Coming off the canal, lots of friendly locals advised us on possible places to stay and location of fast food places near the end of the way. We visited some public toilets with sensor opperated lights. These are not very good as if you take too long in the bogs, like Alan did, the lights will switch off stranding you in the darkness! The sensor only appears to be at door so the lights did not switch on again Alan left. Not very helful if you can't find the door.


The River Ness is a wide, fast flowing river as one might expect coming from loch ness.	Along the tarmac pedestrain paths beside the River Ness our goal is almost in sight.	The view over river Ness from Inverness castle at the end of the Great Glen Way.

Looking towards the sea from Inverness castle.	Inverness castle with the obelisk marking the end of the great glen way on the right.

After Joining the River Ness we head through riverside gardens and across a bridge with a good view of the fast flowing, huge river. We see islands in river, and after a pleasent walk by the riverside we head off up a side street to Inverness castle and the end of the way. We took lots of photos from Inverness castle as being raised above the river it offers good views. Having completed our walk, we ask locals for directions to the railway station and fast food places. The trains are ridiculously expensive so we opted to get the bus home. After a meal of unhealthy fast food at Macdonalds we head home after another successful adventure.


This is the end obelisk	And we both made it.	The Obelisk has some interesting information about Inverness castle.

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Our Walk of The Great Glen Way, with Meall na Teanga and Sron a' Choire Ghairbh

Sunday 8th January: Abriachan to Inverness

Sunday 8th January:
Abriachan to Inverness