THE GREAT GLEN CYCLE - PART 1

When Pauline asked me back in April if, come October, I fancied cycling the Great Glen, a route that follows the Caledonian Canal, starting in Fort William and ending in Inverness, I didn't hesitate to say yes.

Did I fancy cycling it both ways?

Err . . . OK . . . I think.

It's a tough, physical ride mind you.

She wasn't particularly selling it to me. When it comes to "holidays" per se, I imagine sipping Italian coffee, in the sunshine, in a Florence piazza, people watching, not struggling up steep ascents with a fully laden bicycle for miles, to then camp in the rain with a re-hydrated ready meal for supper.

But I'm a sucker for adventure, so training for this was going to be key.

That was April, and October seemed so far away. Piece of cake.

But too many pieces of cake later, and very little training, I found myself on the train bound for Fort William, one heavily laden bicycle in tow.

When I say train, what I mean is, train to Glasgow and then two bus replacements, courtesy of the efficient train company Scotrail. But let's not go into that. Though one could be forgiven for thinking someone was trying to send me a message.

Completed in 1822 by Thomas Telford, and stretching 97km connecting the Atlantic to the North Sea, the Caledonian Canal is an impressive piece of engineering.

With Ben Nevis in the background we started on the first part of our journey out of Fort William to Gairlochy, following the canal north, hemmed in on both sides by the varied rusty colours of Autumn.

A slight tail wind gave us a quick run, and being late in the day we camped at the free campground next to Gairlochy canal locks, with access to showers, toilets and laundry. A short day on the bike, flat and easy. Maybe this was a holiday afterall.

As dusk fell, a bat flitted about near the tents, and a star-filled sky led into a chilly night.

I awoke to a sopping wet tent from condensation, having wiped them down with a small cloth, we gave the early warm sunshine a chance to dry them out slightly before packing up and heading off.

The next set of locks after Gairlochy is Laggan, roughly 11 miles on, and the route is mostly on undulating forest track, with constant displays of every shade of autumn colour you could imagine. 

After Laggan most of the route to Fort Augustus is along a perfect, straight old railway track, with views across Loch Oich to a ruined castle.

We passed a small area two thirds along that was designated as an "informal campground", a place where Pauline had camped before, and we decided this would be a camp spot during our return leg. 

Another easy, quick stretch along the canal, brought us into Fort Augustus and the southern shore of Loch Ness of monster fame. We stocked up on groceries for the next leg, and then it was time for lunch. I could smell chips cooking nearby, and thought this would be very satisfying. Until that is I discovered it wasn't far off £3 for one bag of chips! "Aye, it's a tourist trap mate", came the honest reply from the owner. I settled on a coffee from a nearby van, with hot soup and a roll, and sat people watching as I tucked in. A Florentine piazza it may not have been, but the coffee, setting and company were just as satisfying.

Pauline had warned me about the steep road out of Fort Augustus to our next days end of Foyers. I made a valiant effort to cycle this thing, and felt a little smug passing two other cyclists. OK, so they had full panniers front and back, but hey, I'm 55 and haven't trained for this.

Boy how I wished I'd trained for this.

Before long I was off the bike and pushing. Like many of these occasions, the end of the hill you see ahead, isn't.

But once we were up it was a glorious ride, with a wind at our backs, the sun shining, and great views far and wide.

We didn't have an actual camp spot in mind, and with it getting late in the day we chose a wild spot next to the River Foyers.

Previous campers had left a large log near their attempts at a fire, and together with some discarded rope I fashioned a seat for us between two trees. Feeling very Bear Grylls, I settled down for a restful night.

The following morning we zipped down the road to stop at a small cafe opposite the trail to Foyers Falls.

With a decent amount of rain recently the Falls were in full flow, and by the time we had returned from the short walk the cafe was open. A second breakfast was calling. From the outside we weren't too sure of what it would be like, but the bacon roll and coffee were first class. In Pauline's opinion, the best she's ever had.

Our day had a few more ascents, but none as severe as the day before, and a high road across open moors, with a strong wind behind, helped us zip along.

We took a small detour down a single track, steep road, stopping part way down to visit a quirky memorial to the Clan McBain, complete with quirky wildcat sculptures, before rejoining the cycle route and down into Inverness by late afternoon.

Loaded up with lots of yummy food out of a local supermarket, we headed out to the sea lock where the Caledonian Canal delivers seafarers out to the North Sea. Here, within the boundary fence of the marina, we had another free night of camping with showers and toilets nearby. Though it was brightly lit from security lighting, and a little noisy from traffic nearby, earplugs ensured a restful night.

Tomorrow we would turn south, and with a few detours planned, head back toward Fort William.

But that is a story for the next blog.