Great Glen Way: An epic coast-to-coast across the Highlands

The Great Glen Way is an epic coast-to-coast journey across the Scottish Highlands and along the country's greatest geological fault; past world-famous sights, historic remains, and through some of Britain's finest scenery.

Starting from Fort William, in the shadow of Ben Nevis, the Way travels 79 miles (127 km) along the Great Glen to Inverness on the Moray Firth.

The trail travels along the lengths of Loch Lochy and Loch Oich and then climbs above Loch Ness for enchanting views over the most famous loch in the Glen.

You can see plenty of wildlife along the Way, including the incredibly rare red squirrel, big birds like buzzard and osprey, three species of deer, as well as salmon leaping upstream to breed in October and November.

The Way affords low-level walking for the most part and paths are well-signposted, well-designed, and maintained to a high standard. As such, it is a good choice for anyone new to long-distance hiking.

There are a couple of parts where you can opt for a high route or a low route. As you might expect, high routes are more challenging but much more rewarding.

In this Collection, we split the Great Glen Way into five stages from southwest to northeast, though the opposite way is of equal merit. Of course, you can split up each stage into as many days as you are comfortable with. You can also walk any single stage, or a couple, in isolation.

Every stage finishes close to accommodation, even if there are only a few options nearby. However, places to stay are not always abundant so it is worth planning in advance and scheduling any rest days accordingly.

If you are planning to arrive by public transport, you can catch a train to Glasgow railway station, which is served by direct trains from London, Manchester, and Birmingham, and has connecting services around the UK. From Glasgow, you can catch a direct train to Fort William.

To get home, you can catch a train from Inverness, which has direct trains to Glasgow and Edinburgh and has connecting services around the UK.

If you are planning to arrive by car, your best bet is to negotiate with a hotel or B&B a rate to stay for a night either side of your hike in Fort William. Alternatively, you could find long stay parking in Glasgow. Public transport links are good between Glasgow, Fort William and Inverness. To get back, you can catch a train from Inverness to Fort William, usually with transfer at Glasgow.

For more information about the Great Glen Way, visit: highland.gov.uk/greatglenway.