The Great Gen Way - part two.

Day 15, Fort Augustus  to Invergarry, 24.6 kms.
Day 16, Invergarry to Spean Bridge, 27.8 kms
Day 17, Spean Bridge to Fort William, 17.2 kms

With no high routes to choose in the past three days, and with walking along the the Loch and the canal the going has been pretty easy.   Mind you gale force winds and heavy rain made the last days walk along the canal less pleasant than it might have been.

I had to dress up against the rain.  My coat is flapping in the wind, and I am standing in the shelter of the Lock worship!

It is interesting that despite the fact that the season is closing and therefore not as many walkers are about, accommodation was quite hard on a couple of occasions.  My hosts couldn't work out why, but on arriving at Spean Bridge, the only place where I could get a room and 6 kms out of my way (I hitched part way there, thus shortening a very long day!), I think I discovered the reason.

When I went to the pub after checking into my room I came across 4 people attired in walking gear and struck up a conversation with them.  It turned out that they had been walking up in the hills and though they didn't specifically say I think they may have been scaling a few Munro's. At breakfast the next morning I met two blokes from the Midlands, staying for the weekend so they could cross a few Munro's off their list.  Strong winds overnight and into the morning meant that their plans were stymied (so I prevailed on them to give me a lift back to the path).  Thus the reason for no vacancies in the B&B's I suspect is a final push from the Munro climbers before the weather turns seriously wintery.

This lack of accommodation meant that I had a detour to Invergarry, a tiny little village, with a church, a pub, a few houses and the hostel I stayed in.

From Invergarry the path follows down Loch Lochy.  This Loch has a very interesting history, apart from its size, it is famous for being the area where the British commando's basically began.  As I followed the Loch shore down I was able to read information boards telling the story of their strenuous training on, and around, the loch.  On the outskirts of Spean Bridge a memorial to them stands, and inside the pub photographs line the wall with the story of the men, the leaders, and the place.  Here in Fort William the fabulous Highland Museum also has a whole room detailing their story.

 Loch Lochy.  It is hard to imagine this place as a training ground during the second world war.  The trainee commandos had to storm these peaceful beaches under live fire, where those doing the shooting were"skilled at missing, but not by much"!

At the far end of Loch Lochy, if you look hard, you can see the glimmer of Loch Ness.

On these last days on the way to Fort William, there were a number of very interesting things on the canal.  One was the original swing bridge at Moy, which is still in use.  There were many swing bridges on the canal, but this is the only original one left.  The lock keeper's cottage had a tiny window in the bedroom so that he could see from his bed if a boat was coming.  Not sure what would have happened if he was asleep!  It was his job to open one side of the bridge, then he had to row across to the other side and open the other side of the bridge, presumably repeating the exercise once the boat had gone through.

 The Bridge of Moy, which enabled Moy Farm to operate on both sides of the canal.

Further back near Loch Oich I walked across the double cantilever suspension bridge known as " The Bridge of Oich".  Now only curious pedestrians walk across and admire the view of the River Oich as traffic stopped using it in 1932 when the road was re routed.  Like the Caledonian Canal, this bridge is classified as an ancient  monument.

 The Bridge of Oich.  Back in the 1830's the original stone bridge spanning the River Oich and was replaced by this double cantilever suspension bridge.

Just before reaching Fort William the way goes past a series of eight locks, known as Neptune's staircase.  This is a flight of eight locks, allowing boats to rise (or fall) 19.5 metres in a distance of 457 metres.  For a boat to pass through these locks is not a quick process, normally taking one and a half hours.

Neptune's staircase, near the end of the Caledonian Canal a few kilometres from Fort William.

As I hope I have shown you, I saw wonderful scenery, interesting monuments and found interesting information along the way.  Some of it was heading towards hard, and other parts very easy.  The weather, on the whole, was kind to me.  Here in Fort William I ended the Great Glen Way, and tomorrow I start the West Highland Way.  My wallet is now considerably lighter as I have had a shopping spree in the outdoor shops.  I have looked hard at my boots and decided they should see me to the end of the new path, and with luck as far as Edinburgh.  That will be my next big expenditure.

 The marker sign at the end (or beginning) of the Great Glen Way........

 ..........and the start (or end) of the West Highland Way.

I had planned to become a tourist for a few days and head over to the Isle of Iona.  However, the prospect of reasonable weather i.e. not pouring rain or gale force winds, over the next few days as tempted me to keep walking.  I will review my Iona plans when I get to Glasgow.

I had thought I might climb Ben Nevis, Scotland's (Britain's) highest mountain, but decided against it as the mist sat on its summit, like a hat, most of the day.  If I climb something I at least want to be rewarded with a great view!