Day 29: Fort William to Leitirfearn

Day 29 may seem like a big jump, but that's what happens when you're recovering from an injury and have to miss out some of the journey. Eventually, I plan to go back and travel the distance I missed on this occasion, linking up Beith to Glasgow and Fort William. I also rather like the look of the Caledonian Way, a cycle route leading from Cambletown on the Kintyre Peninsula up to Oban, and then on to Fort William. Maybe something to do next time I plan to go to Iona!?

Anyway, back to the 2021 pilgrimage:

My first day back in the saddle began gently, with a good breakfast at the Cruachan Hotel, Fort William.

I was still anxious about the day to come, but also keen to make use of the comfortable facilities, knowing I had days of camping (including some wild camping) coming up before arriving at Dornoch.

We packed up and headed out onto the hotel terrace to sit in the sun and wait for Dad to arrive to drop off the trike and collect Sarah. It was a beautiful morning: sunny and calm. Loch Linnhe was like a mirror, perfectly reflecting the mountains and moored vessels in the water. The only disturbances occurred whenever a boat moved along the loch, sending gentle waves to break on the shore.

Dad arrived as planned, and we repacked my backpack into the panniers, along with the extra equipment and supplies needed. Very quickly, it was time to set off on my own once again.

The start of the Great Glen Way is not as clear as the end points of the West Highland Way: basically there’s a roundabout near the railway station where the National Cycle Network route 78 suddenly gains the emblem of the Great Glen Way. More of a feature is the picnic site and interpretation boards of the remains of the actual fort of Fort William.

From there, the route passes alongside the railway and crosses roads and estates to join the early stages of the Caledonian Canal at the famous Neptune’s Staircase, a series of locks that raises the canal 62 feet (19 metres) over a quarter of a mile. This kind of slope is very pleasant to climb on a recumbent trike!

A few miles had me passing those sharing the Great Glen route by foot, sail, paddle, motorboat, and other cyclists. There’s also a bridle way, but on this occasion I didn’t meet any horse riders.

The gentle ride along the canal was a great way to start the journey, before starting to climb above the north shore of Loch Lochy on Forest Enterprise roads. These were the usual good quality, yet challenging as the gravel surface and occasionally steep slopes made it difficult for my single rear drive-wheel to propel the trike. Eventually I had to get off and push, but it was worth it when I reached the top and the marvellous views over this first freshwater Loch of the Great Glen.

Most travellers I met that day were making their way on day trips, rather than longer explorations, although one cyclist was doing the Great Glen north to south. He gave me some good advice about route choices, and we spoke about rest points, which are really nicely provided by the route management. The Great Glen footpath, which is also available to cyclists, runs mostly on the north shores of the lochs, and especially to the north of Loch Ness is rather rough, and not easily negotiated by recumbent trike.

Instead, the National Cycle Network route splits at Fort Augustus and follows the south shore on lightly-trafficked tarmac roads - but more on this tomorrow!

The rest points I mentioned are conveniently spaced semi-wild designated camping sites, complete with composting toilets. These used to be accessed by means of a key hireable from the canal management offices at Fort William or Inverness, but on my trip the locks have all been removed. I was pleased to note that at each site, one of the composting toilets is an accessible toilet. Outdoor exploration is not limited to preconceived notions of able-bodied persons.

I descended to the end of Loch Lochy, and followed the path across the canal and gentle lands between lochs to the south shore of Loch Oich, the smallest of the three lochs that form the Great Glen. The route here joins the dismantled Invergarry and Fort Augustus railway. It makes for great cycling, but unfortunately the gates protecting the route from motor traffic, whilst being well designed for foot and horse passage, are a nightmare for touring cyclists. The padlocked gates span the whole path, are about seven or eight feet tall, and have a cutout in the centre that can be opened by hand. These cutouts maintain the integrity of the gates by stopping above the bottom foot or so of the gate. Horses and people can step through, but cycles (and their touring luggage) must be lifted over.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed my cycle along these last miles to the beautiful rest stop at Leitirfearn (Grid Reference NH327013 or what3words ///removals.bumpy.cherished)

There were only two of us camping there that night, and it was peaceful and glorious. I heartily recommend a visit - it’s a great experience at the luxury end of wild camping or the rough end of site camping. I slept soundly and securely.