Great Glen Way

Great Glen Way
Slighe a' Ghlinne Mhòir
Map of the Great Glen Way
Length125 km (78 mi)
LocationScotland
Established2002
DesignationScotland's Great Trails
TrailheadsFort William (56°49′16″N 5°06′29″W / 56.821°N 5.108°W / 56.821; -5.108)
Inverness (57°28′30″N 4°13′34″W / 57.475°N 4.226°W / 57.475; -4.226)
UseHiking and mountain biking; canoeing and kayaking on adjacent canoe trail.
Elevation gain/loss1,835 metres (6,020 ft) gain[1]
Highest pointAbriachan Forest, 375 m (1,230 ft)
SeasonAll year
Websitehttps://www.highland.gov.uk/greatglenway/

The Great Glen Way (Scottish Gaelic: Slighe a' Ghlinne Mhòir) is a long distance path in Scotland. It follows the Great Glen, running from Fort William in the southwest to Inverness in the northeast, covering 125 kilometres (78 mi).[2] It was opened in 2002,[3] and is designated as one of Scotland's Great Trails by NatureScot.[1] The Great Glen Way is generally walked from southwest to northeast to follow the direction of the prevailing wind.[2] It can be walked in 5–7 days,[2] or cycled in 2–3 days. The trail is maintained and improved by the Great Glen Ways partnership, which consists of Highland Council, Scottish Canals and Forestry and Land Scotland.[4] About 30,000 people use the path every year, of whom about 4,500 complete the entire route.[5]

A 114-kilometre (71 mi) temporary model railway known as The Biggest Little Railway in the World was laid and filmed over the Great Glen Way in the summer of 2017.[6]

  1. ^ a b "Trails". Scotland's Great Trails. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Great Glen Way". Scotland's Great Trails. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  3. ^ "SNH Commissioned Report 380: Developing the network of longer distance routes" (PDF). Scottish Natural Heritage. 2010. p. 5. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  4. ^ "About the Partnership". Great Glen Ways Partnership. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  5. ^ "Scotland's networks of paths and trails: key research findings" (PDF). Scottish Natural Heritage. August 2018. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  6. ^ McKenzie, Jamie. "Miniature train completes epic journey through Great Glen Way". The Press and Journal (Scotland). Retrieved 8 February 2018.