Great Glen Way

Great Glen Way

A walk through Scotland's Great Glen along the impressive Caledonian Canal.

3 to 8 nights
22-77 miles
Moderate to Demanding

From £390 per person

Find your holiday

About the trail

Take in Scotland’s finest scenery on a long-distance walking holiday through the Highlands, past Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis, and along the shore of Loch Ness.

The Great Glen Way National Trail follows the route of the Caledonian Canal, which links the enormous lochs of the Great Glen all the way from the Atlantic Ocean to the North Sea. Open moorland, tree-lined towpaths, and towering, heather-clad hills are staple views, alongside castles and forts that have witnessed some of the most bloody scenes of Scotland’s turbulent history.

We offer multiple holiday options along this trail. If you wish to experience the entire trail, simply select the first option from the list below.

Choose your route

  • Great Glen Way
  • Great Glen Way Short Break

Trail running tours available

We also organise trail running holidays along this route. Find out more.

About this route

6 to 8 nights
77 miles
Moderate to Demanding
24th March to 13th October

From £725 per person

Great Glen Way

The Great Glen Way travels 73 miles from Fort William to Inverness. This epic holiday encounters the iconic British landmarks of Ben Nevis and Loch Ness, along with a plethora of other fantastic scenery to enjoy.

As you cross the breadth of Scotland from coast to coast, expect a unique mixture of beautiful views, charming settlements, elusive wildlife and fascinating history, making for an all-round magnificent walking adventure.

This route can be walked in the opposite direction upon request. Please contact us and we will be happy to assist you.

Available tours

Code Tour Duration Difficulty Price per person
GGW1 From Fort William to Inverness 6 nights, 5 days walking Demanding £725
GGW2 From Fort William to Inverness 7 nights, 6 days walking Moderate / Demanding £835
GGW3 From Fort William to Inverness 8 nights, 7 days walking Moderate £950

Short breaks

Code Tour Duration Difficulty Price per person
GGWSB1 From Fort Augustus to Drumnadrochit 3 nights, 2 days walking Moderate / Demanding £390
"Silver Birch Sapling near Achnacarry" by Trisha Cressey (2024) "Silver Birch Sapling near Achnacarry" by Trisha Cressey (2024)
"Bench between Drumnadrochit and Blackfold" by Trisha Cressey (2024) "Bench between Drumnadrochit and Blackfold" by Trisha Cressey (2024)
"Bears between Gairlochy and Laggan Locks" by Trisha Cressey (2024) "Bears between Gairlochy and Laggan Locks" by Trisha Cressey (2024)
"Looking out across Loch Lochy towards Ben Nevis" by Trisha Cressey (2024) "Looking out across Loch Lochy towards Ben Nevis" by Trisha Cressey (2024)
"Monster Emerging from Loch Ness" by Trisha Cressey (2024) "Monster Emerging from Loch Ness" by Trisha Cressey (2024)
"Rain coming in along Loch Ness" by Marty and Jane Holski (2022) "Rain coming in along Loch Ness" by Marty and Jane Holski (2022)
"Loch Lochy on a Gloomy Day" by Marty and Jane Holski (2022) "Loch Lochy on a Gloomy Day" by Marty and Jane Holski (2022)
"Trying to Catch a Rainbow" by Marty and Jane Holski (2022) "Trying to Catch a Rainbow" by Marty and Jane Holski (2022)
"Invermoriston" by Marty and Jane Holski (2022) "Invermoriston" by Marty and Jane Holski (2022)
"Rainbow near Drumnadochit" by Marty and Jane Holski (2022) "Rainbow near Drumnadochit" by Marty and Jane Holski (2022)
"Loch Lochy near St Ciaran's Church" by Fiona Walton (2021) "Loch Lochy near St Ciaran's Church" by Fiona Walton (2021)
"Swimming in the Caledonian Canal" by Fiona Walton (2021) "Swimming in the Caledonian Canal" by Fiona Walton (2021)
"Eating Cake at Abriachan Eco Cafe" by Fiona Walton (2021) "Eating Cake at Abriachan Eco Cafe" by Fiona Walton (2021)
"Glenfinnan Viaduct" by Lubo Jurkovic (2019) "Glenfinnan Viaduct" by Lubo Jurkovic (2019)
"Fairy Trail" by Lubo Jurkovic (2019) "Fairy Trail" by Lubo Jurkovic (2019)
"After Gairlochy Locks" by Paula Aaltonen (2019) "After Gairlochy Locks" by Paula Aaltonen (2019)
"Outside Fort William" by Kim Dudley (2019) "Outside Fort William" by Kim Dudley (2019)
"Outside Fort Augustus" by Kim Dudley (2019) "Outside Fort Augustus" by Kim Dudley (2019)
"Looking Back to Urquart Castle" by Kim Dudley (2019) "Looking Back to Urquart Castle" by Kim Dudley (2019)
"Looking Back to Ben Nevis" by Kim Dudley (2019) "Looking Back to Ben Nevis" by Kim Dudley (2019)
"Between South Laggan and Fort Augustus" by Kim Dudley (2019) "Between South Laggan and Fort Augustus" by Kim Dudley (2019)
"View across Loch Ness" by Mary Jane Haemig (2019) "View across Loch Ness" by Mary Jane Haemig (2019)
"Loch Lochy near Clunes" by Jo McDonough (2018) "Loch Lochy near Clunes" by Jo McDonough (2018)
"Walking Companion" by Jo McDonough (2018) "Walking Companion" by Jo McDonough (2018)
"Corpach" by Jo McDonough (2018) "Corpach" by Jo McDonough (2018)
"Loch Ness" by Hilary Donahue (2017) "Loch Ness" by Hilary Donahue (2017)

Customer reviews from the Great Glen Way

“A very special and memorable trip for my Son and I. Very well managed, professional and very responsive and accommodating to change requests. I used Contours when walking the West Highland Way in 2004 and the same level of professionalism was evident in my latest trip. Would highly recommend them. Probably would not consider anyone else.”
Mr Connell, Australia
“Once again delighted with all the information given and accommodation provided. Piggy Back baggage people seemed to be super. have recommended Contours to just about everybody we met. Man thanks I thoroughly enjoyed my walking holiday.”
Miss Redden, UK
“Nice places to stay, fine weather, beautiful nature.”
Mr Petersen, Denmark
“I enjoyed the holiday.”
Mrs Muir, Canada
“A well organised and successful holiday.”
Mr Staniforth, UK
“I would just like to say, on behalf of myself and the 2 friends I walked with, thank you for organising our accommodation and baggage transfer for our Great Glen walk. The accommodation was all very good, the transport of baggage went to schedule and the driver who picked us up in the middle of nowhere was on time and very helpful. The staff in your office kept us informed of the changes that were made to our plans. You even organised the weather, which was quite good, considering that south of the border they had torrential rain! We have done several long-distance walks and always organised our own accommodation and baggage transfer. Your company certainly made this all so easy and it was great that we were able to talk to the hosts at our accommodation beforehand. The directions we had for finding the accommodation were also good. Thank you.”
Mrs Thursfield, UK
“Everything with your service went smoothly! We had wonderful B&Bs and good service with the hosts as well. Everything worked well. Accommodations were excellent. Our things were smoothly transferred!”
Ms Aaltonen, Finland
“The hike was very brilliantly organized by Contours Walking Holidays. Simply put, Contours knows hiking, as the entire staff is out there doing it! The B&Bs and their locations were well placed along the hike. All the B&B’s were so helpful in planning where to eat, things to do in their village and packed us a wonderful lunch for the next day. We did take a day off from our hike in Fort Augustus. In Fort Augustus we played all day taking boat rides in an attempt to track down and find the Loch Ness Monster. Oh, yes, we came so close but Lizzie did indeed avoid us! We walked around the beautiful town, toured the Abby and grounds, and met so many awesome local people. There are so many choices for restaurants. I would describe the hike as “easy to moderate”. The views along the way were breath taking. Our pictures (over 1,000) and videos don’t even come close to what we saw with our eyes. I would recommend extra days in Fort William and Inverness as there is so much to do in those cities. If you are looking for a spectacular long-distance hike you owe it to yourself to have Contours Walking Holidays set up on the Great Glen Way! Great job Contours! We love you guys!”
Mr Richards, USA
“While the weather was challenging at times, the scenery was breathtaking and the path clear.”
Mr Bounds, Australia
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