Your walk from
Fort William to
Inverness

On the Hiker pace — five walking days — you'll average 25 km a day with a daypack. The first three days are gentle: canal towpath and lochside walking, minimal climbing. Days four and five climb around four hundred metres above Loch Ness on forestry track. The final day is twenty-seven kilometres but not steep. If you can comfortably walk 20 km in a day with rests, you're fit enough. The Explorer pace splits the trail into six days for a more comfortable rhythm.

May, June, and September are the strongest months. May and early June give you the longest days, the driest weather of the year, and Highland walking before the midges arrive. September brings autumn colour, fewer walkers, and clearer air for the high routes above Loch Ness. July and August are the most walkable from a daylight standpoint but the busiest, and midges along the lochside can be heavy. Avoid November to March — the days are short, the high routes get exposed, and accommodation closes.

Yes — your bag is moved between accommodations each day, included in every package. The standard allowance is 20 kg per bag. The Great Glen Way's main stops (Fort William, Gairlochy, South Laggan, Fort Augustus, Invermoriston, Drumnadrochit, Inverness) are all served by established baggage transfer companies. There are no remote stages where transfer isn't possible. You walk with a daypack only — water, lunch, waterproofs.

Family-run B&Bs, guesthouses, and traditional Highland inns. All en-suite, all with breakfast, all with drying facilities for boots and waterproofs. Fort William, Fort Augustus, Drumnadrochit, and Inverness have plenty of choice. South Laggan and Invermoriston are smaller villages where the options narrow to two or three places — these book up first, especially in May, June, and September. We avoid chains. You stay in places with local knowledge and a kettle in the room.

Yes. The Great Glen Way is well waymarked along its full length and busy enough in season — May to September — that you'll see other walkers most days. Single-occupancy rates apply, and we book private rooms (no shared dormitories). The canal and lochside sections are public towpaths used by cyclists, dog walkers, and locals. The high routes above Loch Ness see fewer walkers but you're never more than a few hours from a road or a village.

The Classic package starts at £609 per person for the five-day Hiker pace, which covers accommodation, breakfast, baggage transfer, your custom route book, and on-trail support. On top of that, budget around £15 to £25 a day for lunches and snacks (most stops have a shop or pub), and £20 to £35 a day for evening meals. There are no entrance fees on the route. A realistic full-cost figure for the trail itself, all in, sits between £800 and £900 per person.